Arun’s Thai cuisine still dazzling eaters after 33 years
‘Imake food for the people. Arun makes food for kings.” That’s what a friend of mine, who owned five Thai restaurants, told me years ago when I said I was going to Arun’s. The fact is, Arun may make food suitable for a king’s taste, but he loves feeding everyone.
Arun Sampanthavivat (try to say that three times!) started life on a rubber plantation in Thailand. His family stressed education, so Arun got degrees from a university in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as in Hamburg, Germany, then Tokyo, Japan, and finally came to Chicago for Asian Studies at the University of Chicago. All perfect knowledge to start a restaurant, right?
From academia to restaurateur
It was actually a group of Chicago friends who thought so because of Arun’s cooking. They decided to open a restaurant together, convincing Arun that Chicago needed to learn about high-quality Thai food. Arun agreed to join them, but before the restaurant opened, everyone else had to drop out for various reasons and Arun was left alone. He persevered, opened Arun’s in Albany Park in 1985, and except for closing briefly last year for renovations has been wowing Chicagoans with his incredible food for 33 years.
From the first day to this day, Arun has been self-taught. He tells me the story of how he learned about food, sitting beside his grandfather. Arun was the first male grandchild, so he was welcomed to eat meals with his Chinese grandfather who had a very discriminating and specific palate. Grandfather had an arranged marriage with a Thai beauty and, though they lived in Thailand, grandfather always refused to eat Thai food. Perhaps in defiance, his Thai wife refused to eat Chinese food. So, the family had two separate kitchens, and little did Arun know, that started him on a lifetime of appreciating the nuances of different Asian cuisines.
In Arun’s kitchen surrounded by his longserving kitchen team, Arun showed me how to make dumplings (with a calamari mousse filling) for a delicious salad and a dish featuring deep purple-skinned Japanese eggplant, combined with vegetables, hand-formed shrimp balls and peppers. (Arun also taught me how to make a delicious shrimp curry dish which we will share with you in another episode of “Food We Love.”)
Arun is back in charge of his kitchen these days, after welcoming some partners who specialize in Thai restaurants, including Kittigron Lirtpanaruk and Paul Schermerhorn.
Together, they are bringing back the Arun’s that’s listed in the New York Times bestselling book “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” in which Arun is given this compliment: “Great chefs go to him to be dazzled.” For more on this dazzling chef and his recipes, watch the video on the Sun-Times website.
ARUN’S BASIL EGGPLANT Ingredients
2 eggplants, diced
1 cup all-purpose flour
Corn oil, as needed
2 tsps. shallot, minced
2 tsps. cilantro stems, minced
½ tsp. white pepper (black if preferred)
2 pieces red finger hot peppers, chopped
2 tsps. fermented black beans
¼ cup water
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup sweet basil leaves
½ cup scallions, cut lengthwise into 1-inch pieces tbsp. red sweet pepper, shredded
Directions
Cut eggplant into 1-inch-thick pieces. Dust and shake pieces with all-purpose flour to coat. Deep fry in hot oil about 1 minute, set aside. Blend shallot, cilantro, white pepper, red finger hot peppers and fermented black beans into coarse paste. Over a medium fire, heat 2-3 tbsps. of oil in skillet. Cautiously, add paste and water. Stir fry quickly, bringing out aroma. Gently stir in eggplant, then season with fish sauce and sugar. Add sweet basil leaves, scallion and red sweet pepper.
Transfer to serving plate. Enjoy!