Sharing a small corner in Museum Siam's estate, Siam Origins is a restaurant owned by Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine & Functional Medicine specialist Dr Piyanuch Rukpanich and run by the only female IRON CHEF Thailand, Thananya Kaigaew or Chef Gai, serving prebiotic and probiotic Thai folk cuisine.
Siam Origins is the perfect blend of medical and culinary sciences, thanks to Dr Rukpanich's knowledge of prebiotic and probiotic food and Chef Gai's expertise. As mentioned earlier, the food served at Siam Origins is Thai folk food across the country. Chef Gai put effort into travelling from the North to the South of Thailand and spending time learning how folk people in Thailand cook and prepare their foods.
If you're interested in trying Northern folk cuisine, we recommend Khao Raem Fuen Tod. This dish is made of Khao Raen Fuen, which is a local speciality from the Tai Lue ethnic minority group, who live in various areas such as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in Thailand, Yunnan in China, Luang Prabang in Laos, and Shan State in Myanmar. It's made of pea flour, which is boiled and left to settle overnight. Khao Raem Fuen Tod is a dish where the pea curd is deep-fried and served with a delicious sweet and sour sauce. The crispy exterior of the deep-fried Khao Raem Fuen gives way to a soft and chewy texture like mochi on the inside. Better eat it while it's still, or it loses its magic.
Another dish made from Khao Raem Fuen is the Khao Raem Fuen Yen, a traditional dish of Tai Lue. It is served cold. This dish consists of pea curds in clear tomato water mixed with pickled brine, sugarcane, and soybean paste sauce. The final touch is ground peanuts, white sesame, garlic crisp and fresh cabbage leaves as garnishes . We recommend mixing everything together before eating.
Sai Oua Jor is a marriage between Sai Uoa, a Northern Thai sausage, and Hoi Jor, a Chinese deep-fried sausage-like food. Chicken breast and straw mushrooms are blended with a traditional mix of Thai herbs, wrapped in tofu skin before being deep-fried and served with a green chilli relish called Nam Prik Noom. The tofu skin gives the dish a crunch, and the meat is juicy, umami and aromatic.
Khao Soi Gai or Chicken Khao Soi is one of the highlights of the North. The dish isn't too oily like most places. It's a dish of balance of flavours, creaminess and spiciness. The chicken is tenderised and almost dissolved into the soup. The textures of crispy noodles and the soft and chewy noodles give the sensation in the mouth.
Chef Gai's dish, Yum Som-o Plara Hom, is a fusion of Northeastern and Central Thai cuisine. The Soem-o or pomelo used in the dish is sourced from Nakhon Pathom, the ideal province for growing this fruit. Meanwhile, the fermented fish, known as plara, comes from the renowned province of Sing Buri in the Northeast.
Lhon Tao Jiaw, or Salted Soya Bean dip, is perfect for fresh and boiled vegetables, consisting of minced pork, minced shrimp, coconut milk, Thai pepper, shallot, palm sugar, tamarind water and salted soya bean. The dip is umami, sweet, salty, creamy, slightly spicy and aromatic.
From the Southwest, Yum Dawei is a traditional dish of the Mon ethnic group, consisting of shredded boiled chicken, banana blossom, Thai banana pepper, green aubergine and snake bean served with coconut cream and sauce based on Thai herbs, chilli, pepper and shrimp paste. Mixing everything is the best way to enjoy the dish.
Representing the South is Gaeng Som Pla Num Dokmai or Barracuda Gaeng Som. It is a sour and spicy fish Gaeng or soup with vegetables. This Gaeng is characteristic of its sour taste, which comes from tamarind. Chef Gai uses barracuda for its firm, lean meat and robust, rich, sweet flavours.
The desserts here are interesting. Back again with Khao Raem Fuen, the ingredient is very diverse. Khao Raem Fuen Ron is the pea-curd mousse pudding drizzled with caramel and garnished with mulberry.
Khao-mak Lumyai is longan with fermented sweet rice in coconut milk. This is a twist of Khaoneaw Peak Lumyai, longan with sticky rice in coconut milk. Khao-mak Lumyai is sweet, sour and slightly alcoholic.
If you visit Museum Siam, remember to drop by Siam Origins and fill your stomach with these dishes and more.
Siam Origins
Hours: Daily, 09:00 - 19:00
Reserve: +666 5939 7336
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siamoriginsbkk/
Location: Museum Siam, Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200
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