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[title]KHAAN Bangkok, the eatery in Soi Somkid off Ploenchit Road, seeks to present Thai flavours in an altogether different way. The restaurant’s name alludes to the tiger, the Chinese zodiac sign of head chef Aom Sujira Pongmorn. She and her team are making their mark on the city’s culinary landscape with reinterpretations of classics from the royal kitchens, Thai street food and many other traditional dishes from all parts of the country.
Time Out Bangkok recently caught up with the chef to talk about her culinary concepts and goals.
could combine the two,” Pongmorn says. “However, many told me it would be impossible, a mistake–if you focus on royal cuisine, it should only be royal cuisine. If you focus on street food, it should just be street food. But I couldn’t agree. In fact, in the case of royal cuisine, I think some of the recipes are getting lost precisely because people say we shouldn’t change or touch them. Personally, I think the two styles are compatible and I want to show that at KHAAN Bangkok.”
Thai fine dining is known for dishes that often require many steps and processes. However, the chef wants to change this perspective and make it more accessible. “You know street food already, but like royal dishes, I believe that some of our roadside favourites could disappear because times are changing with stricter rules for vendors. City authorities are constantly trying to make everything so organised by tinkering with hygiene and zoning laws, which runs the risk of the street food scene losing its inherent charm altogether,” she laments. “I want to preserve our culinary heritage and develop it by showing that street food can exist comfortably in a fine dining context.”
“Our focus is also on spotlighting local produce. We source our ingredients from the far north, deep south, central plains and the east of the country”, Pongmorn explains, citing KHAAN Bangkok’s signature dish of rice paddy crab.
The charming story of how this creation came about stems from the chef's experience during a visit to Sing Buri province a few years ago. “Many Thais don’t know that we can cook rice paddy crabs in a different way. Most eat them in somtum as a fermented flavour kick, but there is another option. A while back I went to Sing Buri to visit a farm where the farmer fed me rice paddy crabs that he’d grilled over charcoal. I’d never eaten them like that before. In effect the crabs had been poached in their own fats and had the wonderful tenderness and aroma of grilled prawns. They were exquisite with a chilli sauce and sticky rice. When I got back to Bangkok, I recreated and refined the dish and today it is our most popular signature.”
In fact, Pongmorn insists that the rural folklores and traditions behind eclectic Thai dishes are given prominence in her menus.
“We want to show the world that Thai food is so much more than the staples you find in Chiang Mai, Bangkok or the southern islands. Every corner of this country has its own unique flavours and food stories, dishes like khao pan pak (vegetables wrapped in rice flour) from Uttaradit, for example. I want people at home and abroad to know that we have fascinating fare still to discover.”