Nostalgia for New Year
Traditional dishes abound in the Rattanakosin New Year menu at the Blue Elephant
YOU’D be hard-pressed to come up with a better New Year feast than the one chef Nooror Somany Steppe is cooking at the Blue Elephant, complete with delightful mieng and succulent massaman beef curry.
The Rattanakosin New Year menu stretches across five courses with its oft-forgotten but fondly recalled traditional Thai dishes that are sure to please the palate, and the evening is accompanied by soothing live music.
The appetisers include Zakouski with green melon, topped with crispy fish, and Crispy Roses, in which rose-shaped rice paper is stuffed with tasty minced chicken, crabmeat, perfume mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
The mouth-watering starter platter features Lotus Petal Mieng with pink lotus leaves enveloping condiments such as caramelised sweet sauce, lemongrass, shallots, coriander leaves, Thai saw coriander, dried shrimp and roasted peanuts.
Golden Bird Nest is made of fried sweet potato topped with a tasty fry of scallops, corn seeds, lotus seeds, bell pepper, onion and quail eggs.
While the mieng is quite spicy, the “bird nest” is there to cool things down with lots of different textures and flavours. Both are so pretty that you won’t be able to resist taking a quick snap to share on Facebook.
Next up is Coconut Soup, rich in coconut milk seasoned with Thai herbs and a dash of roasted-chilli paste to add extra zing.
The main course curry collection comes in all tastes, textures and colours. There are the well-balanced and hearty Massaman Beef and Lotus Seed, the tasty Sea Bass Rolls and the chunky stir-fried crab claws with crunchy water bamboo.
The highlight is probably kaeng noppa gao, a thick herbal curry with golden chicken-neck meat and nine vegetables – hence the “gao” in the name. It’s all topped with sweet and sour tamarind sauce.
It’s a bit like gaeng pa, or “forest curry” as some call it, but smoother in the mouth and with a sweet-and-sour aftertaste. This is a very pleasant dish that’s not too pungent.
The main course is served with Tri-Colored Herbal Rice – jasmine rice steamed with herbs, rosella flowers, pandanus leaves and saffron. Also on the side is fiery Kaffir Lime Chilli Dip and caramelised shredded beef.
Cap the banquet off with something from the Pearl of Rattanakosin array of Thai desserts before the clock strike midnight.
Diners also get a chance in a lucky draw to win a pair of return air tickets to Phuket, sponsored by Thai Smile, and two nights at the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket on Karon Beach.
One night only
>>The Rattanakosin New Year menu is available on December 31 only. It costs Bt3,850. Add Bt600 and you’ll get a glass of champagne.
>>The Blue Elephant Cooking School & Restaurant Bangkok is next to the Surasak BTS station on Sathorn Road.
>>Reservations are a must at (02) 673 93538 or [email protected].
