Hello, it's View from Point of View Channel.
You know what, one of the most requested topics I get is ...
Stories about Thai food!
But as you all know, my family members are Chinese.
So, the sources of the information are based on books.
And when it comes to food and culture
sometimes books aren't enough.
And sometimes we need an expert to do the explanation.
So, since you guys have been requesting the topic about Thai food
Today, I'm here to meet this Thai gastronomy expert, Chef Pom
I've invited her to this restaurant, Attarote
Okay, she's now waiting for us inside
Let's go inside
But before we get to Thai gastronomy
don't forget to follow all my social media accounts
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So you guys don't miss any of the videos and updates from Point of View Channel
Okay, are you guys ready to go in there with me
and listen to the story that's both entertaining and educational?
If yes, let's follow me inside!
So now, we are already with Aa Pom
Sawaddee ka Aa Pom
Sawaddee ka
Today I need your help with Thai gastronomy
because I'm not knowledgeable at all
I just eat whatever I can
Don't call this a help, let's say that it's more of a discussion
I'm lucky
that my family consists of people from different generations
And many of them value home-cooked meals
Back in the day, we didn't eat out at all
And by having people from different generations in the family
what difference does it make to eating? Compared to eating at a restaurant nowadays
Actually, that is Thai way of life
I'm not talking about the present
So, in one household, there's more than one generation
Is it what we've seen in Thai melodramas?
exactly
Like, grandparents holding their grandchild with children running around
Let's talk about standard Thai families
which are based on agricultural society
Grandparents stay at home, parents go to work,
The children, if they are still young, they are staying with their grandparents
but if they are old enough, they will be studying at the temple
Quality time with family is actually mealtime
Everyone sits in a circle during the meal
One difference is that nowadays we are serving food in Western manner
Starting with an appetizer
then soup, main course and dessert
But that's not right
Imagine what would happen if we serve Thai food that way
Can we slurp Tom Yam like soup?
No, the spiciness would be fatal
So, actually, Tom Yam is a part of the meal (Sum-rub)
Thai people in the past had their meals in Sum-rub
Sum-rub, if we're talking about its literal meaning
It's a set of dinnerware
But if we're talking about having a meal in Sum-rub
The word Sum-rub refers to the balance of the meal
The balance for three people in three different ages
So that they can have a meal together
So, one set of meal must be for everyone?
At least one of the dish
Oh, so if it's just one menu, not everyone can eat it
this one is for the kids and that one is for adults
Then how can it be quality time for a family?
Okay, I see the point
The first generation can eat this, the second and the third can eat those too
Everything on the table has the harmony and the balance
Basically, is it like mix and matching?
Yes
Grandparents, for example, their teeth aren't that strong anymore
Also, they can't have anything that's too spicy
In the past, people's teeth in their 30s-40s might already become weaker
This happens to me too, actually
I always choke on something for no reason these days
Only a faint smell of chili down my throat
can really make me cough to death
But I used to be able to bite into fresh chili pepper effortlessly
So, the middle generation or the parents, they can still have those chili peppers
But for the grandparents, it's impossible
So what can they still eat?
They can still have fried food, soup or Tom Yam
to make it milder
so their teeth can take it
Does this mean that their food is similar to that of the children?
Yes, they are similar but kids can eat beef, pork and chicken of which the texture is harder
But the grandparents can't do that anymore
Instead, they can still have ground pork or something like that
but the kids can devour the whole piece of pork ribs without any struggle
Actually, we call a bowl of Paloh sweet braised pork and flavored boiled eggs
because Thailand doesn't have Paloh spice
Oh, so Paloh isn't Thai food?
Paloh is actually from China, it means five spices
But to braise sweet and savory pork with flavored boiled eggs
we get used to calling this dish Paloh
but there isn't any Paloh powder in there
neither black soy sauce; but it's in dark color because it has been simmered in sugar
At the same time, the grandparents can have the eggs in this dish
but they might not be able to chew the pork
So the pork is for the children
But how do sweet braised pork and flavored boiled eggs work?
When the parents need something to cool them down from the chili paste
they can turn to this dish instead
It's like everything in the set is there to complement each other
Exactly, this is Thai people's way of life
So this means that our most important meal is dinner?
And the concept of having a grand breakfast isn't really a thing?
That one is for taking care of your health
for people in these days
We have already had some rough ideas about food
We will then take a look at the real food
Starting with snacks, not an appetizer but a dish that's served between meals
then all the food in the set (Sum-rub)
Let's hear all the interesting things from Aa Pom
For today, we've ordered this snack dish
"Miang" is really interesting
"Miang" actually means the food that we need to chew
And what are the ingredients?
We can cook Miang sauce
by simmering sugar, fish sauce, coconut... depends on the recipe
After we finished simmering, keep the sauce in a jar
crispy toasted coconut chips and dried shrimp are already prepared
Onion, chili, ginger and things like this are already in the household
The things that we can use to make Miang are
wild piper leaves, coral leaves, lotus petals
but the filling is the same
It's like we already have everything
but today we find lotus petals
so we stuff what we have inside
Yeah, imagine we have some guests over in the afternoon
Hey, are you guys hungry? Try this
delish!
The dish isn't usually plated like this
Everything will be put on the plate and we can pick up what we want to have
We can eat and chit chat
It's a lovely time
It's like we're accommodating whoever that visits us
After you, Aa Pom
Okay, when we're eating this
To make it fit easily in one bite
Actually, Thai people are polite
we need to eat with certain manners
such as folding the leaf into a cone
In fact, we have to fold the leaf before adding the filling
Like what I said before, it usually isn't plated like this
When we finish making a cone
put some roasted coconut in there
then dried shrimp, lime, chili
and then the sauce
Each family has different recipes
Add the sauce to make it more flavorful
This method makes it easier to pop the wrap in the mouth
Excuse me, but I need to do something
which is removing the chili
Hold the cone tight and put it in there
What we feel in our mouths
is the saltiness of dried shrimp
umami of Miang sauce
sourness and the fragrance of lime,
So you get them all in just one bite
That's right, in just a bite, and there's also old ginger
What is it for?
Whenever Thai people consume fat, such as that from coconut
they'll put some ginger in to treat the stomach pain from fatty food
So it's like they've already prepared for this
If we're eating something greasy, we also need to put something to counteract the fat
Can you see any of these diseases in Thai people?
High blood pressure, dyslipidemia
even if we've eaten coconut milk for a long time
pork belly as well
Also shrimp's head oil
I've heard that in Ayutthaya period, we just ate the head oil and threw away the meat
I can remember when my father was still young
His place was near Chao Phraya River
We could just swim in the river back then
My father told me that when he jumped into the river
he could see some freshwater prawns cling on the poles at the stairs
They were so big
and they used to be easy to find and not that overly expensive
It's like 1,600 THB per kilo these days
That's right
So, after we've had the snacks
and talked a little bit
The real meal is finally served
Aa Pom, what do we have here?
For today, I have them arranged this
to show what eating in Sum-rub is like, remember what we've talked about it earlier?
Yes
So, there are spicy food, fresh vegetables
Fried mackerel
Probably all three generations of people can eat this dish
All of them?
So, for this dish, the kids can eat the fried mackerel
or rice with mackerel
They can't take the chili paste yet
The parents can have any of this
The grandparents might need to eat some soft vegetables and dip them into the chili paste a bit
In this case
the kids can also get to learn to eat spicy food
Oh, they can try the chili paste
Yes, they would see how much they can take
Thai people start to be familiar with the smell of shrimp paste
which is commonly found in Thai cuisine
So telling them to avoid eating spicy is actually wrong
because they won't be able to eat that when they grow up
If they want to try, let them, so they know what spicy is like
The kids need to face it by themselves
I want to say something, parents these days are overprotecting their children
Sometimes you don't let your children learn how to lose
or to be wrong
Your children can be wrong
Your children can lose
Because when the day that you can no longer protect them arrives
they won't be able to take it on their own
Then whose responsibility it is?
It's true, this is a really good remark
See? This is like a lesson disguised in food
This is a dip
We call this a dip
And what else do we call dip?
Lhon is also a dip made from coconut milk
But today we're having a traditional one, which is Kapi paste (shrimp paste)
We eat it with fried mackerel, fried vegetables, fresh vegetables and blanched vegetables
there's also sesbania flowers
Since the shrimp paste is already spicy
the soup that'd be the perfect pair can be made from coconut milk
Today we have roasted duck in red curry
And why is roasted duck in red curry the only soup we put pineapple in?
Hmm, no idea
It's because, in the past, the meat of domestic ducks and chickens is tough
Ohh
They've been running around every day
That's why their meat is tough when butchered and grilled
How can people fix that?
We can use pineapple to make duck meat tender
This is Thai wisdom
Some enzyme in pineapple makes the meat tender
If you see any roasted duck in red curry with some pineapple that still looks too fresh
it's not a good one
It takes time to let the pineapple do its work with the duck meat
then we can season it after that
So we need to slow cook it and then add the seasonings afterward
And all the food, whichever it is,
has some kind of evolution
So, these days, we're also using lychee sometimes
or grapes and other things
But can you see?
There's always some pineapple in the bowl
To make the meat tender
There needs to be some pineapple
If not, then it's wrong
And since the soup is already spicy
This dish is also hot
That's why we have this dish to balance the taste, stewed pork belly (Hong pork)
This stewed pork belly (Hong pork) is like Phuket's braised pork
It's a combination
between Thai sweet braised pork and Paloh
There's a lot of Chinese people in Phuket
But there are still these "Three companions" , three necessities of Thainess
which are coriander root, garlic and whole pepper
I really like the name "Three companions"
Yeah, we just call it "Three companions" because it's convenient
coriander root, garlic and pepper, that's too long
"Three companions", that's it, we get it
And in Phuket stewed pork belly (Hong pork), we can also add Paloh spice
Paloh spice consists of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom and pepper
The word in Chinese means five spices
Oh, so it's five spices
Chinese spice is Paloh indeed
Then we cook it until it's tender
but the sugar in Hong pork or Paloh will turn the skin of the eggs and the pork
Anyway, this dish consists of both eggs and pork
which the children can have
and the adults can also have it to lessen the spiciness
Like, oh, it's too hot, I gotta eat this
So the meal is heavy enough
Let's make it lighter with spicy salad (Yum)
In the past, we always had banana blossom in the household
So we use it to make the spicy salad
But why did we order this banana blossom spicy salad today?
It's because we already have this chili paste which is spicy and sour
It's already hot
The banana blossom salad's taste is milder
because we also add some undiluted coconut milk
or coconut milk and roasted coconut
So this is the kind of freshness that isn't too much
And we can wrap it up with clear soup
Whatever kind of a clear soup it is
it's for soothing our throat
So grandparents can swallow more easily
or else some rice that's too hard could get stuck in their throats
Okay, so, can I ask you a question?
I can see that we already have a set of spoon and fork
But, from what I've read, Thai people in the past ate with their fingers, right?
Yes, that's right
But it wasn't because we didn't have the spoons
For these dishes, they also used serving spoon
But sometimes they'd use their finger, such as when tearing off the mackerel meat
or when picking up the vegetables
Oh so it's clear now
I've always been wondering how could they have the soup while eating with their fingers
They also used the serving spoon
If the family members are very close
they can also use the same spoon to eat
Maybe this sounds rather unhygienic for us
but it's because of their familiarity
and there weren't as many bacteria as nowadays at that time
Apart from that
they can also use the serving spoon to pass the food into their own spoon
Now I want to ask for something
I've been curious about this all my life
How did they eat with their hands?
Let's try it then
The first thing to do is washing our hands
So we need a bowl of water to wash our hands
If we were at home, we might just run to use the water jar
Then we'll put the rice into the plate
Rice is the only thing that's exclusive to you on the table
We're scooping the rice into our plate
And if any family has a rice paddy
Freshly harvested rice will have a sticky texture
For fried mackerel and chili paste
the first thing we do is to tear off the fish meat we're going to have
Thai people in the past didn't really mind using hands to eat
The problem is I don't know how to do it
Don't use any part below the first joint
You mean this part right?
See? I only use the first joint
This is no joke, I'm so done
Be more graceful
Then try mixing it with the rice
Use only one hand, keep the other behind the back
then use the tip of your finger
When you finish mixing them together, add the chili paste
So we already added the paste
Try it
It's okay, it's your first time
We need to hold it like this, using all five fingers
then pick up the rice like this
Hold it like this and make it tighter
It's falling out
It won't, just press it on the plate
Okay, press it on the plate
Oh, how many bites is that?
That's enough
Then we hold it up like this
Use your thumb to push it in
See your hand as a spoon and put it in your mouth
And we can have vegetables as an accompaniment
At that time, Thai people didn't have that much soup
Now let's have the roasted duck in red curry
and then Paloh stewed pork as an accompaniment
The soup makes the rice less firmed, so you need to press it harder
We need to mix it first, then press it
That's right, make it firm
No need to get all of that
then put it in your mouth
Why is your elbow that high?
Try to be more gentle
Put your arm beside you
Then...
And that's it
If you feel that the red curry is too spicy, you can get the eggs
Thank you
Then you can have it with rice
For some people, there's no need to eat with their hands for every single bite
We might have to eat like this
Then you can pick up the rice late
Hey, lower down your elbow
Press it first, press it. This isn't sticky rice
Are there different ways to eat with our hands?
For those who are well trained
they can't use any part below the first joint
they can't make any other part dirty
So the grip needs to be like this
to keep the rice from falling out
We can see if anyone is an elite by looking at their hands
It's not always the case
For beginners, just try to keep the part below the second joint clean
And when it starts to get difficult to swallow
We can have the soup, that's all
This is how Thai people eat
So you said earlier that this is what commoners eat, right?
Then how is the royal cuisine different from this?
So there's the word 'Wang' (palace)
So it's a house where royalties live in
Wang is actually royal language
A place where the royalties, from the king's grandchild and above, live in is called Wang
As for royal Thai cuisine
The Grand palace, for example, is the place for minor wives
They all have their own villa and workers
When they don't want their workers to spend time doing nothing
So, what are they gonna do?
Let's take a look at this dish
See? This one isn't really commoner
It's more like royal
These Centella leaves are carefully wrapped in a tiny bouquet
something like this
Vegetables also come in small pieces, no need to keep biting it
The commoners would just pick them up from their backyard
then they'd eat the whole thing
They'd just bite into a whole cucumber
It's possible too. It's like feeling the freshness
But for the royalties, they need to be graceful
So they need the food to be in one bite
Oh, so it'd be rather awkward for them to pick up the food with their hands
So the food is already arranged into pieces
That's right, so we can just eat it in one bite
And there's one more thing about commoners' food
it's gonna be extremely spicy and salty, scrumptious!
But for royal food
People like to say that royal food is sweet
That's not true
Royal food is flavorful
and mild-tasting
There's a flavor in every bite
For those who are familiar with commoner's food, they'd say that it's tasteless
That leads to the belief that royal food is sweet
which isn't true
because, as you can see here, this dish is sour and salty
This red curry has a salty taste
But this one is salty and sweet
Each dish has its own leading flavor
Or else why would they arrange the food in Sum-rub
So they already thought it true
that there should be this dish to pair up with the other
We can't just order any dish without thinking
And is there sour and sweet taste in clear soup?
It only has a salty taste
Since it's a soup for us to sip when we have trouble swallowing
there's no need to be an explosion of flavor
It's only for cleaning your throat
The royalties also have this kind of food
This one is already deboned
So this one is actually considered for royalties since the bone is already removed
The bone was removed from the whole body
then they reassemble the mackerel
This is meticulousness
It means that they have a lot of time to prepare such detailed dish
Can commoners do this?
No, they need to work
They don't have time to focus on food details
Working is more important
So their happiness lies within their dinner time
They could just pick the cucumbers and eggplants from their backyard
Clean and eat it fresh
Sweet and scrumptious
No need to waste their time with detail
Now I understand a lot more about Thai cuisine
Thank you Aa Pom so much for sharing your knowledge with us today
But I want to tell you guys one more thing
I actually have seen you in another role, apart from being a chef
I'd been to Concert in the Park event
And I saw you singing
If I want to hear you sing again, what do I have to do?
At the moment, I'm getting back to performing in musical
Wow, musical?
Yes, the upcoming play is "Love Recipe The Musical"
I'm not the main character
but the song I got is pretty difficult to sing
I'm also not sure if they think that I still always sing like the good old days
It's a bit of a struggle
But I'm trying to do my best
Only 6 days and 10 rounds
For those who want to hear Chef Pom sing
you can't miss this musical
because this isn't just a musical, but a musical about food as well
You can check the description box down below for more information
I want to thank you one more time
for all the information you're sharing with us today
If you guys like this video
If you want me to take you somewhere
If you want me to interview someone
please comment down below
and don't forget to click LIKE to show your support
and SHARE to invite your friends to watch my videos
See you next time, bye-bye
Sawaddee ka
Hey, have you missed hearing my voice?
Feels like I didn't talk much in this video
because I was busy being fascinated
This is a very useful knowledge that we can't find anywhere else
First of all, I want to thank Attarote restaurant on Soi Sukhumvit 39
for these amazing Thai dishes today
and also for letting us use the venue
Apart from this, if you guys want to keep up with Chef Pom's work
don't forget to go see Love Recipe The Musical
from September 27 to October 6, 2019
Rounds on weekends are also available
Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon and Sunday evening
Only 10 rounds, guys!
Make sure to not miss it
If you're interested, please find the information in the description box
Chop chop, reserve the seats!
Goodbye for now
Bye-bye
Sawaddee ka