Learning Thai cooking from the master

The visiting chef de cuisine of Thiptara, Monnipa “Ying” Rungthong, gave a special Thai cooking class at the Peninsula Hotel’s Spices restaurant to give a sneak peek of the new dishes being added to the menu.

During her hands-on presentation, she demonstrated how to make Pla Tod Yum Ma-Muang (crispy seabass green mango salad), Khao Nhiew Ma-Muang (fresh mango with coconut-infused sticky rice) and Nua Yang Jim Jeaw (grilled beef tenderloin with Thai dipping sauce).

The secret to the Pla Tod Yum Ma-Muang is the yum (mix) that serves as the tamarind chili paste sauce for the dish. The ingredients that make up the sauce — tamarind, ground chili, palm sugar, fish sauce and lime juice — are all brought together by the pungent shallots in a sweet, spicy, salty, and sour flavor that complements the deep-fried sea seabass coated with tempura flour.

The beef tenderloin of the Nua Yang Jim Jeaw is marinated in roasted herb rice, which is a powdered blend of lemongrass, galanga, kaffir lime leaves and garlic. Nam Jim Jeaw (Thai Isan sauce), a dipping sauce from northeastern Thailand, and roasted herb rice accompany the medium-rare steak. This versatile sauce is well-known for balancing sour, salty, spicy and somewhat sweet flavors.

There is no need to introduce Khao Nhiew Ma-Muang, a simple and well-liked tropical-flavored dessert made of sticky or glutinous rice, coconut sauce, salted coconut cream and tart mangoes that help clear the palate. A key component of the process is combining the steamed sticky rice with the sugar, salt, pandan leaves and slow-boiled coconut milk at the same temperature.

On 30 May, Spices will host a one-night degustation event called the Flavors of the White Elephant Kingdom banquet, which includes all of these dishes.