Issue 34

Growing health concerns are driving consumers to be more mindful when buying food – from organically grown, to gluten-free and GI-certified. GI rice from Thailand may be the answer to consumers’ needs.

Geographical indication or GI is a sign that reveals the origin of a product – whether it is a province, region or country. In Thailand, GI rice can be found in only a handful of places such as Sung Yod Rice in Phatthalung Province, Khao Wong sticky rice in Kalasin Province and Thai Hom Mali Rice from the area of Thung Kula Rong Hai in the Northeastern region.

Rice has always been an important export for Thailand. According to the Thai Rice Exporters Association, in 2014, 10.97 million tons of rice worth 174,855 million baht was exported from the country, a 65.9% growth compare to 2013.

Promoting GI rice for domestic consumption and export has many benefits for the rice industry, from the preservation of tradition varieties to encouraging farmers to grow different types of rice to maintain the selling price of the crop.

“We want people to be aware of the areas that grow GI rice, we want to raise [selling] prices for farmers so they continue to grow traditional varieties,” says Rawisara Nakeerak, an officer at the Rice Department. “If farmers see the success of initial groups of farmers [who grow GI rice] they will want to do it too. Organic farmers faced difficulties at first but now others farmers are more interested in growing their crops organically, which is also good for farmers’ health in the long run. Consumers are now willing to pay more for GI and organic produce.”

Many companies are also linking with farmers in the five provinces covering the area of Thung Kula Rong Hai to package and distribute GI rice.

“We’ve been working with the Rice Department to improve the lives of farmers in Thung Kula Rong Hai; the department tests the quality of the soil and advises farmers on growing their crops, and we buy the rice from farmers,” says Tewarit Seemakhan, International Sales and Marketing Office of J.P. Rice International.

The GI sign helps consumers find the origin of the rice that they are looking for, according to Seemakhan.

“Some people would say they tried delicious Thai Hom Mali Rice in restaurants abroad, but they don’t know where to find it themselves. The GI certificate shows that our rice is 100 percent from Thung Kula Rong Hai and has a consistent quality,” he says.

Seemakhan also explains that as the soil in Thung Kula Rong Hai is dry and high in salt content, the rice has to have long roots to benefit from the nutrients in the soil, yielding a better taste, fragrant scent and a unique glutinous texture.

Their rice is exported to Belgium and China, with growing interest from Taiwanese importers. “Now many foreign importers are eager to buy organic rice and GI rice from Thailand, they are confident about the quality of Thai Hom Mali Rice,” says Seemakhan.

Words by Sirinuch Borsub

Issue 32

A family in Nakorn Pathom has discovered a way to preserve the goodness of fruit and vegetables by transforming them into crunchy snacks.

Healthy eating does not need to be a difficult process. Many snack brands in Thailand are following the global trend towards health food by producing a variety of ready-to-eat snacks made from Thai-grown fruit and vegetables.

Sa-ard Juengsamarn, founder of Pritip snacks established the Sanamchan community enterprise in Nakorn Pathom Province in 2005 determined to produce healthy snacks.

“We started with okra chips, buying the fresh produce from farmers in the area,” he says. “The okra is then cooked in a vacuum oven at 60 degrees Celsius, so it retains the taste and vitamins while losing 90% of the water content.”

After receiving good feedback from customers for the crunchy okra chips, Juengsamarn then rolled out other vegetable and fruit chips such as broccoli, shitake, banana, jackfruit and pumpkin.

Though most of its products are sold in Thailand, this April Pritip launched Daijie, a crispy mushroom snack, in Singapore as part of its plan to expand overseas.

“We’ve also been to many tradeshows such as those held in Vietnam, India, China and Japan,” says Kalaya Juengsamarn who manages the business with her husband. “The best-selling product is the okra. Most customers don’t know okra at first, but once they taste it, it always sells out first.”

She adds that okra chips, unlike fresh okra, are much easier to eat whilst retaining the nutrients and fibre of the fresh vegetable. The popular okra chips have additional vegan-friendly flavours like seaweed, wasabi, Tom Yum and Laab added to them.

“Okra is a rich source of fibre and vitamins and really helps to ease constipation,” says Kalaya Juengsamarn. “It’s like a Thai way to detox your intestines.”

Her husband adds that all produce is grown in different parts of Thailand, from pumpkin in Chiang Mai province to mango in Kampangpetch province. Pritip also works with other community enterprises to process surplus raw fruit and vegetables each season.

The brand is now working hard to gain more internationally-recognised certifications in order to enter overseas markets.

“I think that Halal certification is important; we’re working on getting the certificate for that,” says Juengsamarn. “People are also very keen on following health food trends, and that’s where our products will answer their needs.”

Words by Sirinuch Borsub

Issue 33

Thai Hom Mali Rice is renowned around the globe for its quality. Horizon Thailand talks to restaurateurs to discover the secret of its success.

Blessed with its fertile soil and fine climate, Thailand is one of the world’s leading exporters of rice in the world. Thai Hom Mali Rice is especially popular.

According to figures from the Ministry of Commerce, the export value of Thai Hom Mali Rice from January to May 2015 to ASEAN, USA, Europe and Japan totalled 18.3 billion baht.

Thai Hom Mali Rice is equally appreciated by locals and foreign diners alike. It is a key staple in restaurants across the country and around the world, and has received numerous compliments from foodies.

Christopher Tan, managing director of Singapore-based ThaiSelect restaurant Nara Thai Singapore, says that Thai Hom Mali Rice is used in many of the restaurant’s signature dishes, such as Khao Phad Samunprai (Thai herb fried rice) and Khao Phad Sapparod (pineapple fried rice.)

According to Tan, the quality of the rice speaks for itself. “Nara Thai brands itself as an authentic Thai Restaurant. Of course it has to use Thai Hom Mali Rice. Also, it tastes better and is more fragrant and fluffy,” he says. “Customers have commented that our rice is not mushy – it is fluffy and you can feel each grain in your mouth. It is also fragrant and light.”

Rinee Sriraksayothin, of Thai-based Mango Tree restaurant, agrees. “At Mango Tree, we want to ensure that our customers have a dining experience with authentic Thai cuisine by using Thai ingredients,” she says. “We choose Thai Hom Mali Rice due to its fragrance and distinctive taste. Our signature dish featuring Thai Hom Mali Rice is Khao Ob Sapparod – baked rice with chicken in a pineapple boat.”

Supa Yanyonglert, owner of traditional Bangkok restaurant Tamnanthai, concurs about the popularity of Thai Hom Mali Rice. “Our foreign customers always ask about the rice served at the restaurant,” she says. “What they really like, apart from the quality, are the taste, texture and aroma of the rice. Thai Hom Mali Rice is easy to cook and has the perfect texture for making fried rice dishes too.”

Tamnanthai’s signature rice dishes include Khao Kluk Kapi – fried rice with shrimp paste and Khao Phad Nam Liab – fried rice with salted black olives.

For more information, visit www.narathai.com.sg, www.exquisinethai.com, www.tamnanthai.com

Words by: Manisa Phromsiripranee, Photos courtesy of Nara Thai Cuisine Singapore, Mango Tree on the River and Tamnanthai Restaurant

Issue 31

The thought of creating authentic Thai cuisine could be intimidating to some, but with courses offered by professionals, cooking can be made easy.

Wandee Culinary Art School is well-recognised for being the first Thai cooking school accredited and approved by the Ministry of Education to offer a complete Home Economics course. Established in August 1993 by Wandee Na-Songkhla, the school has also been approved by the Ministry of Labour as an institute for cooking personnel working abroad.

“Our main objectives are to create standards for Thai recipes and to provide the correct methods of cooking,” says Na-Songkhla. “We offer hand-on cooking classes for beginners and to those who want to enhance their knowledge of authentic Thai cooking. We encourage students to be creative in the kitchen. Some of the real practices include preparing ingredients, cooking or carving, flower decoration and serving etiquette.”

Na-Songkhla also suggests potential substitute ingredients easily found in grocers, which is especially useful for those working abroad. “Of course, not everything can be replaced but nowadays Thai dried herbs and ingredients can be found just about anywhere, which makes it a lot easier to cook authentic Thai dishes,” she says.

According to her, what distinguishes the school from other cooking institutes is its adaptability. “The curriculum here is flexible so learners can choose what and when they would like to learn,” she says. “We offer private lessons and group classes. In addition, the curriculum has served as a model for many cooking institutes.”

Students also have opportunities to train at Thai restaurant as well as working overseas upon graduation. “Many of our graduates have been recruited by Thai restaurants abroad, such as restaurants in Sweden, Malaysia and the UK. We are proud to be a part of promoting Thai cuisine to the world,” she says.

Apart from the Ministries of Education and Labour, the school also works closely with the DITP. “The school has been granted the ThaiSELECT logo, which guarantees that we only offer authentic Thai cooking classes, and the ingredients used for preparing dishes here are authentic as well,” she explains.

Courses are available to both local and international chefs. “Our international students come from many countries, mostly from Japan,” says Wichuda Na-Songkhla, Deputy Managing Director of Wandee Culinary Art School. “Japanese people like the art of food – from selecting fine ingredients, to preparation and serving – which is in common with the preparation of Thai recipes. In addition, they appreciate the art of fruit and vegetable carving.”

According to Wichuda Na-Songkhla this year the school will add food paring classes. “The courses will help students to identify which foods go well together,” she says. “Food pairing is rather a new topic and can help enhance the flavour of the dishes. I believe it will be useful for our students.”

For more information, visit www.wandeethaicooking.com

Words by: Manisa Phromsiripranee