Journalism of Courage
Chef Pensiri Pattanachaen brings flavours from the streets of Thailand to the city.
A steaming bowl of coconut milk with a punch of garlic and soy sauce and freshly-chopped vegetables for a crunch,topped with crispy Chinese noodles. Sounds like a treat for the tastebuds? The Kao soi soup,brought straight off the streets of Thailand for Puneites by Chef Pensiri Pattanachaen,is quite a treat to the eyes as well,with its mix of colours. On her first visit to the city,the chef says shes brought her home along on the plate for the Thai street food festival in Shakahari and Spice Kitchen at J W Marriott. The festival is on from May 11 to 26.
But dishing up an authentic flavour for Puneites is a hard game for the chef because Thai food is essentially based on shrimp paste,fish sauce,red chillies and garlic. It is hard to mix with the local taste since there are many who prefer vegetarian dishes. I dont want them to miss out on the fiery and pungent flavours of the Thai cuisine,so I have replaced shrimp paste and fish sauce with soya sauce and reduced the levels of concentrations of garlic to suit the Indian requirement, she says. But the chef says that she does find traces of similarities in Indian and Thai flavours.
Bringing Thai food to town is not all that the chef is up to during this visit. She is also taking notes on the dishes she can take from India to her land. Looking to experiment with the marination sauce used in Chicken tikka,she says,The sauce tastes like a kick of chillies in my mouth. I am looking forward to serving it in Thailand. I am sure the people there would love it.
