When I was staying at Shangri-La Chiang Mai, Thailand, I was taught a number of dishes that were exclusively served to the Thai royal household. (Playlist for these videos can be found here – Jackie M’s Northern Thai Recipes) I was sufficiently intrigued therefore, when I came across a recipe for Royal Thai crabcakes at www.panningtheglobe.com, that I…
Day 4 and I’m acutely aware that time is running out for us to visit this region’s famous attractions. It’s Sunday and temperatures are expected to soar (I’m told they hit 45°C yesterday). Baby Noah is back to his normal, happy self but the beautiful hotel pool beckons along with the prospect of travelling far…
Day Three and baby Noah is chirpier now that he’s getting a good supply of fresh mango juice, but he’s still a little lethargic. We’re in this remote part of Southeast Asia and the elephant sanctuary, the famous Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple up in the hills and the long necked mountain tribes are all…
Thai Khao Kriab Pak Moh aka Steamed Rice Skin Dumplings An elegant Thai royal delicacy made with rice flour batter and a chicken and prawn filling, Khao Kriab Pak Moh , taught by Chef Wassana at Shangri-La Chiang Mai. The folds in the dumpling are created by deftly lifting the steamed batter with a spatula and…
We have a busy schedule on our first morning in Chiang Mai. Breakfast at the Shangri-La Club Lounge is exquisite, with red curry beef and cooked-to-order Thai omelette as the highlights. Noah, still refusing drinks, is more interested in looking out the window at the swimming pool downstairs. We need to shop for ingredients for the…
One of three rare Thai dishes traditionally served to the Thai royal family, Chor Muang is a steamed dumpling delicately formed into flowers using a pair of tweezers with serrated tips. The purple colour is obtained from the petals of what we call bunga telang in Malaysia; though you can achieve the same effect with…
We land at Chiang Mai and the isolation of this city, 700 kms north of Bangkok, is immediately palpable as we take in the high mountains and vast green fields that surround the airport. Heading to our hotel, I manage to communicate with ease with Shangri-La Chiang Mai’s limousine driver, and my concerns about language…
A quick and easy salad using cooked local mushrooms and fresh herbs. Recipe and instructions by Chef Kamsin of Shangri-La Chiang Mai. INGREDIENTS: 500 g Straw mushrooms 80 g Shallots 20 g Ground rice 20 g Spring Onion 10 g Chilli flakes 80 g Galangal 10 g Kaffir lime leaves, chopped 3 tbs Fish sauce…
I have to admit I resisted travelling to Thailand for the longest time because I was annoyed at constantly being mistaken for a Thai cook back here in Sydney. (Yes, I know. Petty.) Over the last 12 months however, I had started to hear good things about Thailand from serious Malaysian foodies. I began to…
I was keen to draw a distinction between the cuisine of Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, and what we here in the West know as Thai food i.e. Pad Thai, red/green/yellow curry and the like. Because Chiang Mai is landlocked, seafood does not feature that prominently in its recipes; I was told pork is very…