In search of familiar flavour

Parbina Rashid

It’s not the aromatic lemongrass or kaffir lime which piqued my interest in Thai food, but the historical DNA that we, the people of Thailand and Assam, have shared for centuries. According to historians, the Ahom, who ruled Assam for nearly 600 years, had migrated from Thailand to eastern India via the Patkai Mountains. Chaolung Sukaphaa, the Shaan prince of Mong Mao, was the leader who had established the dynasty in the Brahmaputra valley in the 13th century.

So, an invitation for a Thai food festival at The Lalit Chandigarh, curated by Master Thai Chef Suriya, seemed like an opportunity to know the origin of the culture I inherited from my maternal side. Especially, as the festival provided a chance to have a heart-to-heart chat with the chef.

“Traditional Thai cuisine falls into four categories — tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and kaeng (curries),” says Chef Suriya, who introduces us to the basics of Thai food. In his words, “Thai cooking is balancing of disparate elements like sweet, sour and spicy to create a harmonious dish.” The introductory dishes Phae Thod (crispy lamb toss with roasted chilli paste) and Hed Krob (crispy mushroom toasted with roasted chilli paste) come with another bit of information, “Deep-frying, stir-frying and steaming are methods introduced from Chinese cuisine.”

In fact, Thai cuisine has been influenced by the culinary traditions of Thailand’s neighbours, especially Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. With India’s part in the evolution of Thai cuisine established by Suriya, the next question that comes to mind is ‘was his transition from a Thai chef in Thailand to a Thai chef in India’ a smooth one?

It’s been almost 18 years since the chef has made India his second home, but the cultural shock which he got when he first landed here in 2000 is still fresh. “I had no clue what non-vegetarian meant when I first arrived here,” he says. ‘We didn’t have the concept of vegetarianism in Thai. Even a vegetarian dish would have something like fish sauce or fish paste,” he quips. Here, our common DNA resurfaces as growing up in Assam, vegetarianism was an alien concept for us too! Years of experience has helped him curate a menu that is palatable to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Tom Yum soup and Tom Kha Tai soup, either with prawn, chicken or vegetables, Laab Kai salad, which is a minced chicken salad with roasted rice for non-veg, and Yam Som O, which is a Pomelo salad with roasted coconut and fried onions, for vegetarians…the chef gives enough options when it comes to the rice and noodle sections as well.

In fact, he is wise not about this broad division but what his Indian clients want at the micro level too. “The minced chicken, which is part of Khao Phad Keang Kheawwaan, is originally dry, but keeping the preferences of Indian palates in mind, I have kept it with little gravy,” he tells us, pointing at the aromatic curry and Jasmine rice.

That’s not all. “I am often asked why my green curry is pale in colour, unlike the variety which is served here. So, now what I do, add basil leaves to add colour. That makes it dark green while retaining its authenticity.”

Talking of authenticity, he is one firm believer in the word. “I source my raw materials from Thailand and for things like lemongrass, kaffir lime and coriander, I depend on Indian varieties. There is not much difference in what we get here and back home,” he says. The soup, which has three major components — prawn and coconut from Delhi markets and lemongrass and kaffir lime from the backyard of The Lalit — vouch for it. And to keep the record straight, we talk about soup while we are in the main course because in Thai cuisine, tradition soup is served along with the main course. Dessert, of course, which is sweets made of tapioca and pumpkin garnished with coconut, follows later.

Chef Suriya likes yellow dal, aloo ghobi and chicken tikka, but is in no mood to experiment with Indo-Thai fusion ‘simply because I will forget the ingredients and so wouldn’t be able to replicate it again.”

And before we forget, the food festival at The Lalit is on till June 30. So, here is a chance for tricity foodies to taste authentic Thai dishes. No shared DNA is needed to enjoy the food!