Thai food promotion a mouth-watering experience

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): Ekarat Ungkunchai, 34, and Suradech Damapong, 23, at first were a little apprehensive about visiting Jakarta. The two Thai chefs have much experience in traveling around the world to promote the spicy cuisine of their country.

"But when we were asked to come to Jakarta I was a little hesitant," admits Ekarat, who imagined that he would be welcomed here with bomb explosions, rioting and unruly crowds.

Ekarat was pleasantly surprised to find what an attractive city Jakarta really is and is enjoying working with more than 10 Indonesian colleagues in the kitchen at the Shangri-La Hotel where he prepares specialities from the central region of his native Thailand.

This has been his first experience with Indonesian food and he was pleased to learn that the basic ingredients used in both Indonesian and Thai dishes are the same. That has made cooking Thai food here an added pleasure as most of the spices are available fresh in the market.

According to the publication, Discover Thailand and Its Food, eating ranks high on the Thai list of pleasures. The fertile central plains region, watered by the winding Chao Phraya river, has been Thailand's cultural and economic heartland for centuries.

The expression Kin Khao for "to eat" translates literary as "to eat rice" and the produce from the vast paddy fields on either side of the river has traditionally provided the kingdom plenty of substance for improvisation and perfection of different kinds of dishes.

Much of what is known as Thai cuisine evolved in this central region where there is abundance of not only rice but also fish, vegetables and fruits. All this produce is prepared garnished with garlic, black pepper and nam pla, or fish sauce for the basic diet of the Sukhothai. With the rise of Ayutthaya, other elements were added to the already complex Thai blend like hot chili pepper, along with the equally popular coriander, lime and tomato.

An important historical influence were the Portuguese who came in contact with Ayutthaya in 1511, leaving the most lasting influence on Thai sweets that are made from eggs and sugar. Other regional influences on Thai food came form India, Japan, Persia and predominantly China. In most cases original recipes were altered and transformed to suit The Thai palate.

"This is our fourth Thai Food Promotion but this one is special as the chefs have flown in directly from Bangkok. In the past we had chefs in Jakarta preparing Thai food," explained Romy Herlambang, the hotel's communications manager, helping herself to a little more of that irresistible spicy salad called Somtam Gai Yang.

At another table, Tongha Thai Kongsupol, a Thai who has lived for many years in Jakarta could not have enough of the legendary Tom Yam, the spicy seafood soup. The beautiful mother-to-be whispered that she had two helpings of the soup as it was so good.

A senior diplomat from the Thai embassy declared the dishes as authentic as the ones cooked at home in his mother's kitchen.

As people become more conscious about what they eat, Ekarat explained that the generous use of ginger and garlic helps to lower blood pressure and lemongrass is soothing to the heart. The hot peppers titillate the senses and contain capsaicin, a biologically active ingredient beneficial to the respiratory system, blood pressure and heart. The chilly pepper's other therapeutic claims include being a carminative and antiflatulence agent and digestant.

To add a little of visual flavor to the fare, Romy was assisted by the Thai Women's Association in decorating the hotel's coffee shop with quaint handicrafts and gigantic Thai statues. At the entrance is parked a boat on a raised stand that is loaded with fresh vegetables and fruits like mangoes, durians, custard apples, guavas, pomelos and plenty of flowers -- a reminder of the breathtakingly beautiful floating markets of Thailand.

As hungry diners tuck into the rich spread, whether it is the Sino-Thai noodle dishes or the fragrant rice, their pleasure is enhanced by the plaintive Thai music playing in the background.

This vicarious trip to the heart of Bangkok is possible to experience till Aug. 2.