When we think of Thai cuisine, our minds often turn to creamy curries and sweet and spicy stir fries, topped with roasted nuts. And, we’re to be forgiven for this slightly narrow food knowledge, says Palisa Anderson. Anderson is part of the force behind Sydney’s Chat Thai, Boon Café and Assam Restaurant, where the likes of Rene Redzepi, David Chang and Dan Hong have all frequented. It’s where diners know they can find lesser-known street food specialties like bpla dtom som: steamed blue eye cod in caramelised palm sugar, turmeric and tamarind sauce; or the superbly nose-to-tail Guay Jupb.
Then there’s an entire menu of sweets you never knew your life was missing, like the syrupy par thurng go: deep-fried doughnuts swimming in pandan sauce, and the egg custard khanom mor gang.
But when she first started cooking for people with her mum and business partner, Amy Chanta, some 30 years ago, Anderson recalls an inclination to keep things safe.
“We were too scared to do it because of what came before – it was all in the flavour profile, [people were familiar with] which was middle Thai, or food that was popular in Bangkok,” Anderson tells SBS.
When they realised they had a dedicated Thai audience at the ready, Anderson and Chanta began introducing more rustic, regional foods from the Issan provinces of the northeast.
“And we found more and more that people wanted to come to our restaurant because they could get food that wasn’t sold anywhere else – the kind of food they would cook at home, but it’s so labour intensive and uses a lot of fresh ingredients which weren’t as readily available back then.”
The bulk of these ingredients are grown by the family on a farm they run in the Byron Bay region of NSW, to help with produce quality control, year round.
READ MORE
How Thai is pad Thai?
Anderson is quick to point out that Chat Thai’s flagship location on the outskirts of Sydney’s CBD, where there’s a higher density of Asian migrants, meant their vision was more supported.
“If you go out to the suburbs, you’ll find the same menu in Thai restaurants, because they think it’s what sells – it’s not what they eat themselves. It’s mass population appeal and it’s not just in Sydney – when I lived in London it was the same thing.”
Anyone who’s ordered from their local Thai joint are likely familiar with the assault of sugar that can come with a side of noodles. For some, this is part of the appeal of the cuisine (who doesn’t love a sweet, salty, spicy umami hit?) while the more health conscious have given it a wider berth in recent years.
“It’s like the chicken and the egg – in the beginning, that’s what people wanted,” Anderson says. “Is there sugar in Thai food? Yes, but mostly we always use palm sugar, so it’s a different sweetness. We always find it’s mostly the Asians who want to order the more regional Thai food and very few westerners come in and want something too ‘extreme’."
Then there’s the price wars between restaurateurs, built on consumers’ expectations of paying no more than around $12 a dish, a precedent that has been set by casual Thai eateries elbowing for business over the past two decades.
“It means restaurants aren’t really pushing themselves to use really great ingredients because they’re too afraid to raise their prices. Only until a recently, a lot of people relied on the Golden Mountain soy sauce – the sauce that gives an instant umami hit but has no depth of flavour, and doesn’t give you the aromatics. I think people rely on that too much rather than fresh ingredients, hence why we started our farm, so we could guarruntee to get that freshness."
For those looking to broaden their Thai palate, here are her top 5 Thai dishes to try:
Gaeng Hedt
“This one is more of a spicy soup than a curry, and traditionally vegan, made with assorted mushrooms. We take the leaves of the yang vine that we grow on our farm, rub them together, and extract a black gelatinous sap that’s high in antioxidants. And when ant egg larvae (young, legless ants) are in season , we add it for extra creaminess and larb-like texture. It’s herbaceous, fragrant, and an umami bomb.”
Gaeng Bper
“I’m a really big fan of coconut milk-less curries. This is a very rustic dry curry made with bamboo shoots and a bit of meat, usually pork; it’s a semi stir-fry, semi curry. It’s thickened with toasted, ground, sticky rice and in Thailand, it's usually wrapped into banana leaves and roasted over charcoal. It's my absolute favourite right now and making the rounds for staff dinner at lease twice a week - spicy and very wholesome.
Khao ka mhu
“This is charred and braised pigs trotters in a five-spice broth with pickled mustard greens, served with steamed chinese broccoli and pickled ginger. The meat, after being braised for over six hours, is unctuous and tender. It's an under-utilised part of the animal that we'd like to see become more popular if we are truly to promote nose-to-tail eating.”
Guay Jupb
“This is another one that utilises the nose-to-tail eating that’s popular in Thai cooking (i.e. liver, tongue, tripe and intestines- don't let that gross you out!). The organ meat is slowly braised in aromatics like galangal, pandan and lemongrass to rid it of any undesired aromas. It is served with rolled rice noodles in a dark soy pork bone broth with lots of soft herbs, which you flavour at the table with chilli, garlic and vinegar.”
Nahm Prik Grapi
“This is traditionally a shared dish that is pretty much a full meal within itself, centred around a shrimp paste and chilli relish pounded in the mortar and pestle with chilli, garlic, pea eggplants and seasoned with lime juice and palm sugar to balance. It's traditionally served with an assortment of fresh herbs, flowers, and vegetables that are either fresh, steamed or fried in an egg batter, and sometimes some protein like a fried slimy mackerel, slices of omelette or soft boiled egg. “
Have we got your attention and your tastebuds? The Chefs' Line airs 6pm weeknights on SBS. Check out the program page for episode guides, cuisine lowdowns, recipes and more.
Nahm Prik Kapi is traditinally a shared plate of fried rice in a chilli relish, accompanied by accoutrements. Source: Chat Thai
