A right right royal muse
Meet the chef who inspired Chakri Palace to change its menu.
CHEF McDang is not one to be easily intimidated. More than a dozen pair of eyes and cameras were trained on him in a recent cooking demo, yet the 62- year- old possessed enough chutzpah to thrust his bare, unwashed hands into a bowl to toss some salad.
“It tastes better this way,” he joked, as several journalists exchanged looks.
Those who knew McDang, however, knew that whenever he was around, some misbehaving was in order.
The Thai chef, who is known for expounding the rules of Thai cookery with the same unbridled enthusiasm, is among the most irreverent yet respected authorities on Thai food in the Western world.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, he’s appeared alongside Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsey on television, self- published his books, and publicly trashed his fellow countrymen for not taking more pride in their eating culture (“They don’t know jack s** t,” he was quoted on CNN as saying).
McDang’s influence in Malaysia however, has been minimal until several weeks ago, when owner of Chakri Palace Caleen Chua announced that the Thai restaurant, which was opened by her father Datuk Gary Chua in 1999, will be revamping their menu for the first time in 16 years. And it’s all thanks to McDang, whom Chua met last year.
In a bid to rejuvenate the family business, the 27- year- old travelled to Bangkok to seek McDang’s help. The chef, who was discharged not too long ago after contracting a stomach virus from eating raw crabs, gamely brought Chua to a hawker centre in the city’s outskirts to get her acquainted with authentic Thai food.
McDang explained: “Ï want to make sure people get to know the real McCoy, as well as the cuisine that has evolved over the past few decades, touched by increasing Western influence and a broader perspective of the world.”
He also gave Chua a copy of his book before she left for KL. Titled The Principles Of Thai Cookery, it articulates what he was trying to say all along that one cannot cook Thai food without first understanding its culture, history and ingredients. “What has struck me about Thai cuisine
lately is that few people – including Thais – have a concrete grasp of what is really is. It seems to me that what we are at a kind of crossroads for Thai food identity spurring people to develop their own understanding of what Thai food is like.
They think there’s chilli and coconut milk in everything. And don’t get me started with pad thai which, in my opinion
is the most b** tardised dish out there,” said McDang, adding that one of the most underrated Thai dish out there had to be the yum makeua yao, or thai grilled eggplant salad.
Real Thai food, in his opinion, is a delicate balance of flavours. “
It derives its salinity from fish sauce as opposed to soy sauce; its acidity from sour fruits instead of vinegar; its sweetness
from palm or coconut sugar. And you can’t cook Thai food without a pounded paste of nine herbs and spices It is indispensable to all traditional Thai dishes.”
Any passion and knowledge McDang.
has about Thai cuisine can be attributed to his upbringing. Born into royalty ( his great, great grandfather was King Rama IV) and growing up in the palace, McDang – whose real name is ML Sirichalerm Svasti – got a first- hand experience of the traditions and artistry that go with cooking top- flight Thai food.
“The royal kitchen was run by my great aunt,” he said. “I remember paying her a visit while I was young and seeing her preparing a Thai mackerel. She had to painstakingly debone the fish with a pair of tweezers and reassemble it before serving it on a silver platter.”
McDang also got a taste of real world cuisine through his father, MR Thanadsri Svasti, who was the very first food critic in Thailand. Svasti, who is divorced from McDang’s mother, would frequently bring his son out on eating expeditions.
“He’s my mentor,” said McDang.” He was – and remains – a pioneer in the realm of food education in the country. He is a brilliant man, able to phrase very complicated concepts and ideas about food into language that is readily accessible and engaging for the layman.”
For Chua, McDang’s involvement, however slight, has opened her eyes to a whole new world.
“It showed me that Thai food is much, much more than green curry and steamed fish. It’s really diverse. Even the beef curry is different from what I’ve eaten in Malaysia,” she said. “It made me want to ensure that our new menu stayed true to the original Thai tastes.”
With this in mind, she immediately set to work with Chakri Palace’s executive chef Korawit to come up with the new menu items.
It took them three months to come up with the new dishes – like wingbean salad with king prawn, imperial mieng kham scallops, deep fried fish with pad cha sauce and glutinous rice balls dessert – so chosen because all the ingredients used are authentically Thai.
The savoury items, especially, are characteristic of Thai food because they contain a bit of everything – sweetness, saltiness, sourness and spiciness. To amp up the health factor, Chakri Palace will also be introducing a range of organic vegetables. And in true Chakri fashion, no MSG or artificial preservatives are used in any of the dishes.
Meanwhile, McDang, who was invited as a special guest to the restaurant for the launch of its new menu last month, was beaming at the cameras. The self- professed “food diplomat of sorts” was in his element – laughing, joking and exchanging friendly banter with the media as he had done a million times before.
“I believe our food is our people’s most brilliant invention,” he said, once alone. I am privileged to be able to export my love of Thai food to people across the globe.”