Born in Liverpool to a Thai father and English mother, John Chantarasak would class himself as ‘mixed race’ growing up – a melting pot of different cultures distilled into a unique individual.
Thailand has always been in his life, as a child the family would travel to Bangkok to visit his father’s childhood home and he has memories of eating his grandmother’s cooking surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles.
"Everyone would chat away while plate after plate of amazing food was brought to the table, with vibrant, inviting colours and wonderful aromas,” he recalls. "I would know nothing about the dishes I was spooning into my mouth, or what all the different ingredients were dancing across my tongue.
"I loved the mysterious nature of it all; the exotic flavours that felt like the dial was turned up eleven, sometimes almost unbearably spicy, savoury dishes with a sweetness you might normally associate with a dessert.”
Fast forward and after training at Le Cordon Bleu in Bangkok, John worked in the kitchens of David Thompson, whose restaurant Nahm is one of the most highly regarded Thai restaurants in the world.
John’s reputation has grown through numerous sell-out popups and residencies across the UK, Europe, North America and South-east Asia. Possessing the perfect mix of authenticity and knowledge, John has now put his recipes on paper with Kin Thai, a cookbook collection of 80 delicious recipes to shine a light on lesser-known Thai dishes.
Meaning ‘Eat Thai’, the book has chapters structured by the type of dish from snacks and relishes to curries, stir-fries and salads. Readers gain an insight into how to successfully achieve Thai cooking at home from roast duck and lychee red curry to sweet treats to tempt all taste buds.
Gaeng daeng or red curries make up the largest range in the Thai culinary repertoire with their single most defining characteristic being that they are red in colour from the use of dried chillies. They are nearly always fried in separated coconut cream and can contain any number of protein and vegetable combinations.
"This recipe is a favourite of mine and pairs roasted duck meat with sweet-tart lychees. The curry is married together in a sauce that is seasoned with fish sauce, palm sugar and a touch of tamarind water and the resulting dish is complex and balanced,” John explains.
For the ideal starter try his recipe for oysters with Nahm Jim sauce.
"I’m a huge fan of oysters and we usually have them on the restaurant menu - sometimes steamed and adorned with toppings; sometimes charcoal-grilled in their shells over hot coals; sometimes battered in rice flour and coconut cream, then deep-fried; but simply serving them raw with a spicy dressing has to be one of my favourite food pleasures.”
Nahm Jim is a traditional Thai sauce that marries spicy, sour and salty flavours together in perfect harmony. There are many different versions of this sauce, but in this recipe John uses sea buckthorn, a native orange berry, to bring sourness and a background tropical fruit flavour.
If you are unable to source sea buckthorn juice (it’s usually available at health food stores or online) then use lime and orange juice, at a ratio of five parts lime juice to one part orange juice.
Based on the deep-fried bread sticks found in the food markets and street corners of Chinatown, normally cooked during the early morning or late afternoon hours, everyone will enjoy these dough sticks with pandan custard.
Traditionally, pa thong ko are simply enjoyed dipped into a bowl of sugar, although some more elaborate vendors serve these golden dough sticks with a coconut cream custard flavoured and coloured with pandan leaves.
John also offers up tips for essential cupboard items for Thai cooking, along with buying the best ingredients and equipment you will need to cook and master recipes to impress family and friends.
