The true essence of Thai cuisine is known to lie in the sheer dedication it extends to the customers’ tastes and the feeling of togetherness that it reinforces. It was this sense of communion that was present in the air on June 17, at Trapeze — Kitchen & Bar, at the dining experience for celebrity Chef Tukta’s Signature Thai Menu organised in collaboration with the Gourmet Design Company. The guests brought together by Young Leaders Forum found themselves in the ambiently lit dine den on Park Street, where they indulged in the masterfully concocted cocktails that were crafted especially for the event. Trapeze was decked from head to toe in twinkling lighting and exotic decor as it prepared itself for the evening dedicated to the pop-up event. The Telegraph gets you the action.
In conversation with The Telegraph about the uniqueness of Thai cuisine, Chef Tukta spoke at length about the importance of hygiene and food safety. “In Thailand, we start by cooking for our family, and we want to keep them safe before anything else. That’s why, with Thai cuisine, taste comes second and hygiene comes first.” Extracts from the chat...
What would you consider your area of expertise in Thai cuisine to be? How long have you been working with it?
I have basically been working for 30 years now, give or take. It was not as convenient as it is right now in the beginning, because we did not have the right kind of equipment to cook. But I would say my area of expertise with Thai cuisine would be Pan-Thai food, as that is what I have been working on for the most amount of time.
What is your favourite part of the cooking experience?
So in Thailand, most Thai people do not work with vegetarian options. But as my grandmother was a Hindu from Chennai, we eat vegetarian food. So whenever we cook, we have to cook for ourselves. I’d say this would be my favourite part of the cooking experience.
What is your favourite ingredient to work with?
Most of the time, we use traditional Thai ingredients. Whenever we go outside the country, we bring our ingredients with us. We also prefer cooking in our kitchens, as we Thais really value hygiene over anything else. We worry about the health of our patrons because without them, we wouldn’t be here.
So you mentioned Thai ingredients are your favourite to cook with...
I’ve always observed many places are unable to make authentic Thai cuisine mainly because they have to get their ingredients from the market. But in our catering, we grow theingredients ourselves. We’re especially particular about peanuts and chillies. We prefer to not keep any of our ingredients in stock, as all our food is made to order.
Would you say, then, that Thai cuisine is more about other people (the patrons) than about the person who’s cooking?
I think so. We view all of our customers and the people we feed as our own family, and it follows that we want to protect them and keep them safe. This is why we have such an intensive focus on the quality and freshness of ingredients. We’ve been to many places that can make amazing food, but they lack an eye for hygiene. For Thai food, the taste is always second, and cleanliness is always first.
Do you have your personal creative spins on some dishes that you’ve cooked?
See, in Thailand, we don’t really consider a dish to be a chef’s signature dish. Our main priority is to cook exactly what the customer wants, however they want it. In a way, all our food would thus be our signature dishes. We respect the guests the most, because they spend their time and their money on our culinary experience.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
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