The art of cooking and relishing Thai cuisine

The extremely hospitable and good natured chef Wimon Junlawong from China House, Grand Hyatt, Mumbai had magic up her sleeve; she gladly shared a couple of her simple home-styled recipes and gave a cooking demo during the Pop-up kitchen series (Aromas of Thailand - the last one in the series) at Oriental Bar and Kitchen, Park Hyatt.

She made the Thai stir fry using a variety of mushroom – shimeji, button and King oyster mushrooms along with tofu, bell pepper, a bit of sugar, corn flour and garlic tossed in soy sauce and garnished with spring onions – a confluence of delicate and fresh veggies stir fried just so to retain their true flavours.

And, just when we were craving for the unique flavours of kafir lime, galangal and basil, chef showcased the simplest method of making the Thai green curry chicken using home-based green curry paste; it was delightful watching her quickly rustle up the curry that emanated heavenly scents of Thai herbs.

Sufficiently fed with the smells and sights of Thai food, we were ready to satiate our taste buds, and were promptly treated to a few chosen items from a well devised menu. The tangy and chewy Som tum (papaya) salad was followed by the Yum manuang salad – the spicy green mango salad – both scored a 10 on 10 in the taste department.

There was also the Thod mon pla (Thai herb fish cake with cucumber relish) and Prik Kai Thoad – deep fried chicken wings with sweet and sour sauce. The appetizers had only the slightest hint of Thai spices and herbs and banked on their traditional street food quality.

Spicy Thai herb spiced Prawn and mushroom soup (Tom yum Goong) that followed was the right consistency, spicy and rich in seafood flavour. The main course included Thai style stir fried noodles with prawn and Thai green curry full of flavours that you will love the most if you are into Thai food served along with sticky rice. Also on the menu are the likes of Masamman curry served with Jasmine rice and Thai red curry that surely warrant a try.

Thai desserts depend much on fresh fruits and naturally the menu featured traditional ones like the Mango sticky rice, Tab Tim krob - Water chestnut in coconut syrup and Thai ice cream coconut topping with Jack fruit marking the finale. The final event in the Pop-up series turned out to be truly a harmonious balance of flavours and aromas of Thailand brought together in a non-fussy manner to your table. Aromas of Thailand will be on during dinners till June 12.

By:Rajeshwari Kalyanam