Benjarong brings ‘Royal Thai Food Festival’ to Chennai
From Thailand, with love: Chef Tharee Charupas hosts authentic festival
with dishes from Royal Thai kitchens
Benjarong is hosting the ‘A-harn Chao Wang, the Royal Thai Food Festival’ for the first time in Chennai at its TTK Road restaurant from the 11th to the 29th of July. The unique culinary feast will feature the most authentic Thai cuisine style to date, the ‘Royal Thai Cuisine’, which is still the style served to the current Thai Royal family. The cuisine reflects the splendid creativity invented by Thai noble women in the past and is a distinct art that has been handed down over the centuries through members of the noble families.
Specialist Chef Tharee Charupas, who has flown down exclusively from Thailand, will be hosting the festival along with Benjarong’s seasoned specialist Chef Ram Kumar. ‘Royal Thai Cuisine’, also known as A-harn Chao Wang in Thai, is a unique cuisine that involves an elegant, exquisite technique in the preparation, cooking and serving of dishes which set it apart from conventional Thai cuisine styles. The cuisine has its roots in the year 1351, during the establishment of the historical Ayyuthaya Kingdom, and was practiced by royal and noble families who have passed on the secrets of this style of cooking to the future generations.
The special menu includes a mix of specially created vegetarian and non vegetarian delicacies. Starters include Grathong Tthong Je (rice tartlets filled with corn,
green peas, water chestnuts), Tung Tong (crispy fried pouches stuffed with vegetables and water chestnuts) Goong Sarong (prawn spring rolls wrapped with wonton sheet, served with plum sauce) and Lah Thiang (aromatic prawns and minced chicken wrapped in egg net). Salads feature recipes created with exciting ingredients like raw mango, bean curd and bamboo shoots. Khao Mok which is a style of biryani with chicken or vegetables made in the Thai Royal kitchen influenced by Islamic kitchens, the Goong Ohb Woonsen or Stir fried prawns with mung bean noodles traditionally baked and served in clay pot and Hed Hohu Pahd Baigraprou which is Bean curd and mushroom cooked in chilly and holy basil sauce are a few of the star dishes to be tried on the main course menu.
Speaking about hosting the special festival Chef Charupas said, “I’m extremely delighted to bring the secret recipes of the Royal Thai Cuisine from Thailand to India. We hope that more people appreciate this rare and enthralling line of cooking that is practiced by few people across the world”. Décor and presentation being integral to the royal experience, the restaurant will be decked with flowers to create the perfect royal ambience. A live fruit and vegetable carving counter will present exquisite food decorations. The Royal Thai Food festival is sure to delight Thai food aficionados across the city in Chennai. Benjarong is located at No. 146 TTK Road, Chennai. Reservations for the festival can be made at 044 24322640.
