The clock on the wall turned 10am. The ambience around the student centre building at a Nairobi university was dormant and calm, except a training kitchen where groups of young people, all wearing aprons and caps, busily made a dish. Some measured ingredients while their buddies read recipes out loud; others putt meat into the pot. The scene was almost chaotic with sounds of utensils clanking and bite-sized meat sizzling on frying pans.
Smells -- rich with spice -- that sneaked from the training kitchen triggered the interest of passersby, students and staffers of the Department of Hospitality at the United States International University. The cooking process, part of the culinary workshop Thai Taste@Nairobi, organised by the Thai embassy in Nairobi in collaboration with the Office of Commercial Affairs early this month, was well under way. At times, the young chefs turned to each other and a tete-a-tete consulted to make sure they did things right.
"Please taste this for me," a young male chef said, handing a spoon to a Thai observer, asking her to try the choo chi pla, or fried fish in red curry sauce, he had just made. The chef held his breath, waiting for the reaction. His eyes flashed with delight when the observer assured him in an approving voice that the dish was delicious, as it should be. The chef was among some 60 participants registered for the two-day workshop that was held under the "Thai Kitchen To The World" initiative of the Thai government, in its endeavour to promote Thai cuisine abroad.
The workshop was conducted by Assoc Prof Surachai Jiewcharoensakul, a Thai culinary expert now retired from Kasetsart University. He wrote a book, Science And Art Of Thai Cuisine: World Heritage Of Eating Culture.
"Be careful, don't put too much chilli paste, or your curry will be too salty!" Assoc Prof Surachai warned the participants how to handle the chilli paste.
"You have to bear in mind that manufacturers of chilli paste put a lot of salt into the stuff to preserve it, so use it carefully. Besides, the paste is quite expensive." he said. The professor raised the level of his voice to make sure all the workshop participants heard his advice. He went from one kitchen hood to another to see if each of the groups could follow his instructions.
* Lorretta Akinji, right, and her buddy chef present the dishes they made. ** Prof Surachai and his student chefs. *** Lorretta Akinji shows her dish after the workshop. **** Three young chefs with their dishes.
"When you put the chilli paste on the pan, you keep stirring and stirring. You may wonder how to know when it is right. Aroma! You will know from the aroma that comes out," he said.
He instructed the participants to pay attention to the balance of taste, which is a key to Thai cooking.
"It can be achieved by using a little bit of sugar. We don't use monosodium glutamate," he said.
In order to succeed as a chef cooking Thai dishes, Surachai said, the students need to cook fast and attend to every detail so the food is delicious and looks good with garnishment.
The selected dishes for the workshop include green beef curry, tom yum gai (spicy chicken soup), chicken with cashew nuts, and choo chi pla kapong (perch topped with red chilli paste sauce).
Thanit Ngansampantrit, head of the commercial-affairs office in Nairobi, said the four dishes for the workshop were selected because of the availability of ingredients in Kenyan markets, as well as the probability that local eaters would welcome them after they know the dish.
Chicken with cashew nuts may be close to Chinese cuisine, but it was selected for the workshop because there is a huge supply of cashew nuts in the local market, said Thanit. The recipes for the workshop are a bit different from that of the Chinese, as the Thai version uses chilli paste. Kenyans do not use cashew nuts as an ingredient.
Thanit said he was impressed with the strong welcome by the young chefs. All 13 cooking stations in the workshop room were fully occupied.
"Their enthusiasm is amazing," he said.
The participants were from some 20 local eateries in Nairobi that incorporate Thai dishes in their menu. The number is on the rise. Yet the choices are still limited to Thai beef salad and chicken curry. Only a few offer pad Thai to their patrons.
There are only three Thai restaurants that offer authentic Thai food -- two in top hotels -- in Nairobi.
Thanit noted that Kenyans and Thais eat in a different way. Most Kenyan dishes are meaty, cooked by a simple method: roasting. And a large number of locals do not eat fish or seafood.
"For that reason, chicken was picked for tom yum instead of prawns, in the workshop," he said.
Green curry and choo chee were the choices, as most Kenyans are not familiar with spicy food.
Thai food is more well-known among expats, since Nairobi, with a Unep office and a large number of non-governmental organisations, considers itself an international city, and for this reason those in the food industry welcome more diversity.
However, quite a few eateries, especially those with Kenyan chefs, still cannot offer dishes that are up to the expectations of Thai people. This is why Thanit's office arranged for the workshop, the first of its kind in Nairobi. The trend is encouraging, said Thanit.
"Kenyan importers order more ingredients for Thai food like fish sauce, chilli paste, pad Thai sauce, etc," he said, adding that the increase in importation is an opportunity for those in food and food-related industries.
Lorretta Akinji, a chef from a top Thai restaurant at the 5-star Sarova hotel in the heart of Nairobi, said she's quite familiar with Thai food, as her workplace, Tai Chi, offers a wide range of Thai dishes.
"Green curry is quite popular among our customers," she said.
Chef Akinji admitted that most patrons who picked Thai dishes are Indians and Europeans, and they always ask for authentic ones. She believes there's a chance Kenyans will become fans of Thai food if they try it.
When asked if Thai food is too spicy for local people, she nodded. "But the chefs can adjust it." In fact, all the chefs at her restaurant will do their best to ensure that those who order authentic food get what they want. "I always talk to the customers about how Thai food, with herbs and spices, is good for the health," she said with a broad smile.
Another participant added that Thai food can go well with ugali, staple food made of corn for Kenyans and people in some East African countries.
"Thai food, despite being spicy, is a bit light when compared to Kenyan cuisine," said another chef.
"It's good for local eaters to try new food," he said.
Prof Gadwin K. Njen, who teaches hospitality at the university, said he is a big fan of Thai food. "I love Thai food and can cook some at home." He closely observed the workshop, helping taste the dishes for the young participants. About one-third of the total were university students.
The professor agreed with chef Akinji that Kenyans who have a chance to taste Thai food would love it, like he does.
One problem about Thai cuisine, said Prof Njen, is its high prices, and some Kenyans may not be able to afford it. "There is an impression that Thai food is expensive and ingredients are rare and costly. For this reason some Kenyans may be hesitate to order," he said. If the price factor is fixed, Thai food should be more popular among locals.
The professor said he was glad the university is a partner to the workshop, and since food is part of hospitality, the university wishes to see an increasing Thai culinary presence in its curriculum in the coming years.
"We should do [the workshop] more, in the future," he said.
