Page 39 - TomYumKung

M.L. Parsan Svasti

โ€œWhen I was younger, my tomyum kungโ€™s broth was clear. Dad (M.L. Thanadsri
Svasti) would tell me that the herbs were lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
Galangal is used in fish tomyum to cut the fishiness, as it was done in the old
days. If it was tomyum kung, river prawns were used because prawns were
abundant. When the river floods, the prawns get seasick and float up for an
easy catch.

โ€œIn my childhood, Dad would always teach me how to make the best
tomyum. We season the broth in the bowl: squeeze in some lime juice, add
some fish sauce and chilis at the bottom of the bowl, then ladle the broth over
them for the aroma. Never season and stir everything in the pot while it's on
the heat.

โ€œCooking has its logic, unless you want your โ€˜Fusionโ€™ food to turn into
โ€˜Confusionโ€™ food. Let me give you an example. Many people are now
reinterpreting local cuisines, and, from what I see, most chefs who really know
the roots of those particular foods are successful doing it. We need to be
informed. Cooking has its own dynamics that we need to be attuned to in
order to understand where certain foods have evolved from.โ€

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