High Life

HIGH LIFE #12 Sep 2017 69 With 30 years of cooking experience, Executive Chef Pairoj Kaoropwongchai heads a team of Thai chefs who maintain a menu full of traditional signature dishes. Favorites from different regions of Thailand such as Yam Som-O, a herbed pomelo saladwithprawns, and PhadThai Khai Hor– traditional Thai rice noodles with prawns wrapped in an egg net – are served frequently on the tables. However, to bring advocates of NAAMsome excitement, Chef Kaoropwongchai also offers Thai Royal Cuisine on top of the usual comfort food offerings. “Thai Royal Cuisine is basicallyamenu of curated delights made to be served to the King,” Kaoropwongchai explains. “While normal Thai dishes like curry are designed to be eaten with rice, Royal dishes are eaten on their own. Therefore, their flavors are not very strong. While creating these wonders, balance of various tastes is of utmost importance. Things can never be too sweet or sour. Spiciness is also toned down.” Chor Muang, a special type of steamed dumplings with prawns shaped into adorably delicate flowers, exemplifies the Royal cuisine’s sophistication in regards to aesthetics. Nested in a bed ofvegetables and decoratedwith a small carved carrot, the dumplings are filled with subtly flavored minced prawns that do not overwhelm the palate, providing a tantalizing start to prepare the taste buds for more excitement to come. Chicken in Massaman curry with lotus seed comes next. Contrary towhat most individuals think of curry, the sauce in this particular dish is neither thick nor spicy, but in fact a bit sour. Onions, potatoes, coconut milk, cinnamon, sugar, chili and tamarind are just some of the secret ingredients in this recipe which has gradually evolved over the course of many centuries. Legend has it that Massaman curry is a southern Thai dish influenced by Malay cuisine. In Malay, masam refers to “sour.” During the 18th century, it was believed that King Rama II loved the creation so much that he praised it in a poem also mentioning his wife, Queen Sri Suriyendra.