I moved to northern Thailand about six months ago and have been learning to cook Thai from my village Yais. 😋 Sometimes it is hard to communicate (am learning Thai), so I use your recipes to look up something I might be losing in translation when making a recipe. You are an incredibly useful and authentic bridge/supplement in my learning. Thank you!
This look so good. I am going to make it sugar free and peanut free because of allergies. Other than that, it looks and sounds amazing. Thank you much for posting another winning recipe.
when i first started traveling to Thailand in 1988 i was an Executive Chef for a very popular restaurant in a ski resort town in New England. between seasons i was fortunate to have a 1 and a 2 month-long break twice a year to travel, explore, and recharge. after 9 trips in 3 years i moved to BKK and opened an American cuisine restaurant.
a few years after moving there the restaurant was sold and i accepted a position in Pattaya as an Executive Chef/F&B manager. we had chicken sate on most every buffet, on barfood menus, and also for pool service. the guests keep asking for it, so it keeps getting served. but like you say, its not traditional, and it actually is borrowed from a different cusine altogether.
now, 35 years later, i go into American grocery stores with foodbars and they all have some kind of weird Thai dishes i have never seen in Thailand. they have taken a poor version of sate peanut sauce and put it on noodles and salads. no problem, just please remove the word Thai from your advertising. so sad this is done with most every other cuisine as well..
Once i had been to Thailand i began going back to visit for a total of 3 months a year. One of my employers kept asking me to put Thai food on the menu and i refused becuase i felt that i did not know enough about it at the time, and i did not wish to bastardize the cuisine i loved. besides that, back in the early '90s, there weren't any Asian gracerers or Internet shopping for me to source ingredients, especially the fresh herbs and veggies. He never understood why i fought him so hard to not serve something i felt wasn't authentic.
so, i understand exactly how you feel. like yourself, i finally caved. i returned form Bangkok after one break and the one owner had gone and had menus, business cards, and matchbooks printed that all saids, "Now serving authentic Thai Cuisine". so i was now trapped, forced into it. just recalling that history aggravates me. for the next few years, once a month on my day off, i would drive 4 hourrs to the Boston, go to Chinatown, and get what i needed.
so i learned how to make a few items, and that was my start. now, when i need to touchbase and refresh my memory, i come here. your recipies are authentic, easy to understand.
thanks for all the hardwork it takes to do what you do.
Hi David, wow, what a story you shared! And how aggravating they tricked you into cooking things you didn't feel ready to do! Thank you for your respect for Thai cuisine, we need more people like you in the food industry. I love what you said here, "no problem, just please remove the word Thai from your advertising". 100% agreed!
Weird. I never knew that Chicken Satay is not considered Thai I love getting it from the little kiosk in the bottom of the mall nearby. I make it a lot for the fam too - using the Lobo package... 555. I love sending people to your site when they ask how I make my Thai food (I first learned from the AMAZING little old lady down the street... who had to shut down because the cooking had damaged her eyes. But, you're my second favorite teacher!
Chicken satay was definitely my gateway drug for learning to cook Thai food as a college student. I didn't know how to cook but volunteered to host a Thai BBQ for forty other students. I was on the phone the whole time with my mom guiding me every step of the way from buying ingredients to doing all of the prep. I ended up introducing people all over the world to Thai food by cooking for them. Thank you for the recipe! Hope it helps other people get introduced to Thai food and cooking.
I moved to northern Thailand about six months ago and have been learning to cook Thai from my village Yais. 😋 Sometimes it is hard to communicate (am learning Thai), so I use your recipes to look up something I might be losing in translation when making a recipe. You are an incredibly useful and authentic bridge/supplement in my learning. Thank you!
Aw thank you so much Alexis! And have fun with all the Yais in Thailand!!
This look so good. I am going to make it sugar free and peanut free because of allergies. Other than that, it looks and sounds amazing. Thank you much for posting another winning recipe.
when i first started traveling to Thailand in 1988 i was an Executive Chef for a very popular restaurant in a ski resort town in New England. between seasons i was fortunate to have a 1 and a 2 month-long break twice a year to travel, explore, and recharge. after 9 trips in 3 years i moved to BKK and opened an American cuisine restaurant.
a few years after moving there the restaurant was sold and i accepted a position in Pattaya as an Executive Chef/F&B manager. we had chicken sate on most every buffet, on barfood menus, and also for pool service. the guests keep asking for it, so it keeps getting served. but like you say, its not traditional, and it actually is borrowed from a different cusine altogether.
now, 35 years later, i go into American grocery stores with foodbars and they all have some kind of weird Thai dishes i have never seen in Thailand. they have taken a poor version of sate peanut sauce and put it on noodles and salads. no problem, just please remove the word Thai from your advertising. so sad this is done with most every other cuisine as well..
Once i had been to Thailand i began going back to visit for a total of 3 months a year. One of my employers kept asking me to put Thai food on the menu and i refused becuase i felt that i did not know enough about it at the time, and i did not wish to bastardize the cuisine i loved. besides that, back in the early '90s, there weren't any Asian gracerers or Internet shopping for me to source ingredients, especially the fresh herbs and veggies. He never understood why i fought him so hard to not serve something i felt wasn't authentic.
so, i understand exactly how you feel. like yourself, i finally caved. i returned form Bangkok after one break and the one owner had gone and had menus, business cards, and matchbooks printed that all saids, "Now serving authentic Thai Cuisine". so i was now trapped, forced into it. just recalling that history aggravates me. for the next few years, once a month on my day off, i would drive 4 hourrs to the Boston, go to Chinatown, and get what i needed.
so i learned how to make a few items, and that was my start. now, when i need to touchbase and refresh my memory, i come here. your recipies are authentic, easy to understand.
thanks for all the hardwork it takes to do what you do.
Hi David, wow, what a story you shared! And how aggravating they tricked you into cooking things you didn't feel ready to do! Thank you for your respect for Thai cuisine, we need more people like you in the food industry. I love what you said here, "no problem, just please remove the word Thai from your advertising". 100% agreed!
Weird. I never knew that Chicken Satay is not considered Thai I love getting it from the little kiosk in the bottom of the mall nearby. I make it a lot for the fam too - using the Lobo package... 555. I love sending people to your site when they ask how I make my Thai food (I first learned from the AMAZING little old lady down the street... who had to shut down because the cooking had damaged her eyes. But, you're my second favorite teacher!
Chicken satay was definitely my gateway drug for learning to cook Thai food as a college student. I didn't know how to cook but volunteered to host a Thai BBQ for forty other students. I was on the phone the whole time with my mom guiding me every step of the way from buying ingredients to doing all of the prep. I ended up introducing people all over the world to Thai food by cooking for them. Thank you for the recipe! Hope it helps other people get introduced to Thai food and cooking.
Aw so glad to hear! Thank you!
It is a thing if you live in the Muslim community like I did. Although I must say I prefer beef satsy
Yes, and I did mention that in the email :) Muslim and touristy spots ;)