From Nan to Betong: Apec 2022 gala dinner menu captures Thailand’s many flavours

The menu was created to “connect the local with the global”, with ingredients sourced from every part of the country, the Foreign Ministry said.

Delicacies featured in the Carte du jour range from Nan in the North, plentiful Central provinces and the Northeast region of Isaan to the Andaman island of Phuket and the southernmost town of Betong.

Balancing the planet and people

The menu also aims to shed light on the many royal projects, community-based enterprises and local farms that have helped make many farmers and villagers self-sufficient.

For instance, decades of dedication to sustainable development by different sectors helped turn the arid Thung Kula Ronghai (fields of the crying kula) in the Northeast into a land of plenty. The area, which was once a desert, is now known for its famously fragrant jasmine rice.

The desert fields were transformed under the sufficiency economy principles initiated by King Rama IX and reflect Thailand’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The menu

Amuse-bouche

Krathong Thong: Wafer-thin golden pastry filled with a smooth velouté sauce and topped with fine caviar from Doi Inthanon – Thailand’s highest peak.

Starters

Welcome to Thailand

• Northern Temptation: Lanna crispy khao soi-flavoured rice noodle

A crispy sphere of noodles that serves as a perfect foil for the savoury flavours of khao soi – a quintessential dish from the North of Thailand.

• Central Voyage: Ayutthaya tom yum-flavoured river prawn croquettes

Inspired by “tod man kung”, a speciality of the Central Region, Thai river prawns are cooked with tom yum herbs and curry paste before being fried as croquettes.

• Come to Isaan: Charcoal-grilled Wagyu from Korat with a spicy dipping sauce

Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) province in the Northeast is known for its Wagyu beef, and here it is charcoal-grilled and served paired with the traditional fiery naam jim jaew dipping sauce.

• Sailing South: Betong-style marinated grilled chicken

A signature dish from Thailand’s southernmost town of Betong, the grilled chicken is marinated in the unique goleh coconut-laced spice mix.

Salad

Yam Yai

Organic salad vegetables are paired with grilled free-range chicken, seven-colour Phuket lobster and duck eggs from Suphanburi cured in fleur de sel from Phetchaburi. The greens come from community-based enterprises from across Thailand.

Main course

Sustainable Thai dishes

• Vegetable Ratatouille

Created with carefully chosen fresh vegetables from Royal Projects.

• Pon Yang Kham Two-Beef Massaman Curry:

Voted as one of the most delicious dishes in the world, this dish is packed with delicious flavours from the slow-cooked beef shank and flash-cooked strip loin from Pon Yang Kham Cooperative in Sakon Nakhon, shallots from Si Sa Ket and a Thai red wine reduction.

• Phuket Organic Pearl Grouper with Tom Kha Sauce topped with Makrut Lime Leaf Foam:

The grouper is served with a mixed mushroom consommé and a kaffir lime leaf foam.

• Thung Kula Ronghai Jasmine Rice and Nine Varieties of Brown Rice

Jasmine rice from Thung Kula Ronghai is layered with nine varieties of brown rice baked with fragrant lemongrass and topped with crispy green rice flakes.

Dessert

• Moh Gaeng Mille-feuille:

Traditionally a baked custard, this centuries-old recipe is given a new life as a layered mille-feuille garnished with a filling of taro, lotus seed, palm sugar and coconut cream served with a passion fruit and longan blossom honey sorbet.

Petits Fours

• Khanom Dara Tong

• Fragrant Pandan Piak Poon Pudding

• Lychee Macaron

• Khanom Mali

• Chiang Mai Chocolate with Thai Brandy and Black Galangal

Thai Fruits

• A variety of seasonal Thai fruits are delicately hand-carved and served to deliver a fusion of flavours that delight the senses.

Coffee or Tea from Nan

• Fleur du Nord Northern Thai Organic Assam Tea

• Premium Organic Coffee Blend

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Table Decoration

While accompanying King Rama IX around Thailand, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother took note of local handicrafts and Thai people’s artistic nature.

Inspired by this, Her Majesty established the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupation and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) to promote local arts and crafts to create a supplementary source of income for villagers.

The foundation also trained its members in the skills of crafting gold and silver nielloware, damascene inlay, gold and silverware, Yan Lipao basketry and weaving, among others.

The training centre in Chitralada Villa later became the Queen Sirikit Institute, where master artisans created fine pieces, which were featured in exhibitions around the world, adorned dining tables at state dinners and are now on display at the Arts of the Kingdom Museum in Ayutthaya.

At the gala dinner, silverware embellished with decorations of families of elephants and deer, Yan Lipao basketry, handwoven Thai silk and handmade traditional ceramics will adorn the Apec Leaders’ Table.

This table decoration aims to embody Her Majesty’s devotion to the Thai people and her work which has elevated the quality of life for many in the country. Her Majesty the Queen Mother also laid the foundation for Thailand’s work towards achieving UN SDGs, such as no poverty, gender equality, responsible consumption and sustainable production, which have been also been applied to the government’s BCG economic model.