No one does tongue-tingling Thai quite like Ian Kittichai. The sensational chef behind Issaya Siamese Club, Bangkok’s beloved wine n’ dine garden villa, is known for serving up rich traditional Thai flavours with razzle-dazzle plating skills borrowed from the French.
With a remarkable career spanning three decades and continents, including a stint at the Four Seasons Bangkok and a star turn on Iron Chef Thailand, Kittichai is just getting started. We caught up with the culinary maestro — fresh off an Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants win and in between masterclasses at his cooking studio — to nab the recipes for one of his standout dishes. Aroy!
Banana Blossom and Heart of Palm Salad
Serves 4
Dressing
Ingredients
500 ml tamarind juice
50 ml coconut cream
40 g palm sugar
100 g chilli jam (roasted chilli paste in oil)
15 ml soy sauce
Directions
Bring tamarind juice, coconut cream, palm sugar, chilli jam and soy sauce to a boil. Remove from heat.
Turmeric Cream
Ingredients
110 g fresh coconut cream
5 g turmeric powder
5 g cornstarch
Directions
In a saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil until thickened, stirring constantly. Set aside.
Salad
Ingredients
100 g banana blossom, diced into 2-cm pieces
1 L cold water (for preparing banana blossom)
30 ml lime juice
50 g heart of palm, diced into 2-cm pieces
30 g shallots, thinly sliced, deep-fried
30 g toasted coconut, thinly shredded (substitution: toasted coconut flakes)
5 g dried red finger chilli pepper flakes
30 g roasted peanuts, chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves, veins removed and finely chopped
1 butterfly pea flower, torn (optional)
5 g Chinese broccoli flowers (optional)
2 g red finger chilli peppers, deseeded and julienned
How to Clean and Prepare Banana Blossoms
1. Prepare a bath of cold water. Add 30 ml of lime juice to per 1 litre of water.
2. Take banana blossom and peel away and discard the outer red petals and the small white strips of banana flower along with them.
3. Cut off the tip and the end of the blossom. Split the blossom in half lengthwise, then cut the pieces in half again, resulting in a quartered blossom.
4. Place the four pieces into the water bath to prevent the pieces from oxidising and turning black.
5. Proceed to peel and clean each layer of the blossom, again making sure to discard the small white strips of banana flower inside.
6. Dice the cleaned leaves into 2-cm squares, and return the pieces to the water bath as you continue to chop the rest of the leaves.
7. Once finished, drain the excess water and continue to prepare the salad dish.
Directions
1. Cut heart of palm into 2-cm squares.
2. In a saucepan, heat banana blossom and heart of palm with dressing until warm. Remove from heat.
3. Toss in deep-fried shallots, toasted coconut, chilli flakes, roasted peanuts and half of the kaffir lime leaves and mix together.
4. Transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle some turmeric cream, and garnish with assorted flowers, red finger chilli peppers and remaining sliced kaffir lime leaves.
Can’t get enough of Thai food? More top sup spots await in our LUXE Bangkok Guide
