A Thai-dal wave of good food

MANILA, Philippines - Thailand’s devastating floods during last year’s monsoon season are now but a grim memory. And now comes a Thai-dal wave of good memories — and good food — at Mandarin Oriental, Manila’s Paseo Uno that’s inundated with guests attending the launch of “Tastes of Thailand: A Renowned Chef from a Legendary Hotel Comes to Town,” now cooking until March 21.

Now, who’s that renowned chef and what’s that legendary hotel?

The chef is the affable Thai master chef and TV culinary show host Sumet Sumpachanyanont and the legendary hotel is Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, but of course! Chef Sumet is the executive sous chef and culinary ambassador of Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok’s famed Thai restaurant Sala Rim Naam.

I take a sweeping glance at the buffet spread and I’m absolutely tongue-Thai-ed! Let’s start from the very beginning — the appetizers. My eyes are at once riveted on the golden crispy prawn rolls — fried to a crisp, its fat prawn meat soft and juicy, and shrimply delicious! Now, these prawn rolls deserve to be in the honor roll. I keep my eyes peeled for more of the appetizer offerings. I spy something curly and chewy. Why, it’s fried battered squid tossed in exotic Thai herbs!

A delicious Thai-up: Mr. & Mrs. Sern Chupikulchai, GM of Thai Airways Int’l; guest of honor Dr. Elenita Binay; Mark Bradford, GM of Mandarin Oriental, Manila; and Dave De Jesus, Tourism Authority of Thailand, cut the ribbon adorned with Mandarin’s iconic fan and orchids at the launch of “Tastes of Thailand” ongoing at Paseo Uno until March 21.

Then I spot some refreshing greens — a cool (or should I say hot because a lot of them are spicy) selection of salads. Two hands-down favorites are the herbed wing bean salad and the spicy green papaya salad. The herbed wing bean salad is drizzled with a coconut milk and chili paste dressing, and seasoned with salt, sugar, and lime juice. The spicy green papaya salad also has string beans, crushed peanuts, cherry tomatoes, and dried shrimps in a dressing of fish sugar, palm sugar, lime juice, fresh garlic, and chili.

Now, we’re hot and ready for the soup — tom yaam goong or spicy prawn soup with straw mushroom, made fragrant with kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass. Simply souper!

Just how hot is Thai food? As hot — or not hot — as you want it. You really don’t have to call a fireman to douse your burning tongue.

Pla raad prig daeng: Fried fish with red chili sauce, green peppercorns, and vegetables

“Some like it hot, some don’t like it hot, so we adjust the spiciness according to the guests’ tastes,” says chef Sumet. “It’s not true that all Thai dishes are very spicy. Thai food in the south is the spiciest. In the north, like Chiang Mai, it’s not spicy, while it’s medium spicy in the central part of Thailand like Bangkok.”

The nice thing about spicy food, chef Sumet notes, is that it heats up the body and cleanses it of toxins. So, if you have a cold/runny nose, have some tom yang.

A Political Science graduate, Sumet followed his heart (or was it his nose?) and became a chef . He knows Thai spices like the palm of his hand. For instance, he learned how to make all types of Thai curry pastes, which he says are not as heavy compared to Indian curry.

Yaam mamuang poo nim: Spicy mango salad with soft-shell crab

He gives us the tan-Thai-lizing secrets to Thai cooking: First, you must select the ingredients — use only the freshest, quality ingredients. Second, you must know the technique of cooking and how to control the temperature — the sequence of ingredients (what to put first) and the timing — which make all the difference. Third, you must know the exact texture of the dish. Normally, in Thai food, there’s the combination of sweet, sour, salty, spicy, creamy. Know which flavor has to come first or what flavors have to come at the same time. Fourth, you have to know exactly the taste of the dish. And lastly, you must give it a nice presentation — know what garnish would match the dish, making sure the taste of the garnish will not affect the taste of the dish.

Gai phad med mamuang: Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts

And to cap a hot love affair on a sweet note, we succumb to some sinful temptations: coconut rice pudding topped with spring onions or sesame seeds, and cooked on the spot; caramelized banana with coconut cream and syrup made of white sugar and pandan leaf; coconut sticky rice with mango; sweetened tapioca pearl and corn kernel pudding topped with coconut cream; young coconut agar-agar, chilled flour threads with coconut syrup served with crushed ice.

So, what am I having for dessert? All of the above!

Sweet temptations: The dessert buffet spread with Thai sweets and delicacies

Can’t get enough of authentic Thai cooking? Well, you can bring it home with you by learning Thai cooking straight from chef Sumet. On Saturday, March 17 at 9 a.m., learn how to prepare authentic yaam mamuang poo nim (spicy mango salad with soft-shell crab), phad thai goong (stir-fried Thai-style noodles with prawns, bean sprouts, and chives), and gluay chueam (caramelized banana with coconut cream). Fee is P3,500 net, inclusive of a three-course lunch and a light breakfast before the class.

While enjoying glorious Thai food, you get this sumptuous bonus at the end of the festival: A raffle draw gives you the chance to win roundtrip tickets for two from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and immerse yourself in traditional Thai culture with a four-day, three-night stay at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.

Dream Thai team: Chef Sumet Sumpachanyanont (third from left) leads a team of Thai chefs, flown in by Thai Airways, in creating traditional and contemporary Thai dishes for Paseo Uno’s lunch and dinner buffets. With him are (from left) chefs Sompratana Wannaprateep, Samran Nonwongsa, and Jarunluk Moonsrinoun.  

So, bring it on. Thai kingdom come, Thai will be done!

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For reservations and more information on “Tastes of Thailand,” call Paseo Uno at 750-8888 local 2411 or e-mail momnl-paseouno@mohg.com.