User talk:Tanchanoks

Ran Chuan Curry

Ran Chuan Curry or แกงรัญจวน (Beef Curry Seasoned with Fermented Shrimp Paste) is spicy, sour, sweet and salty beef curry seasoned with no more than fermented shrimp paste. It should be served steaming hot and must possesses three distinct flavors, similar to Tom Yam soup. These modest ingredients and an intense flavor curry emerge from a story about love, things lost in translation and leftovers.

ORIGIN

Ran Chuan Curry was created by the kitchen masters of Royal households from the uneaten food returned to the kitchen from grand events, combining pieces of meat and leftover Fermented Shrimp Paste or กะปิ

One day, the kitchen had prepared food for former court staff and at the end of the dinner, there remained quite a large amount of a dish consisting of beef stir fried with basil. No one dared to throw it away.

Fermented shrimp paste (kapi) rests at the base of the Thai culinary tradition. It is widely used in curry pastes, stir-fried recipes and chili dipping sauces. This hot, sour, sweet and salty sauce is commonly served with raw or cooked vegetables

It was mentioned by culinary authority ML Neuuang Ninrat (1913-2010) (หม่อมหลวงเนื่อง นิลรัตน์) in a memoir describing her life in the royal court of King Rama V and VI. In her book “Life in the Palace (ชีวิตในวัง )” ML Ninrat describes how her grandmother, Princess Sabaai Nillarat (มจ.หญิงสะบาย นิลรัตน์) created this dish.

Princess Sabaai, who was the head chef for the royal cuisine of King Rama V, asked Jeg Ngee her Chinese assistant, to separate the meat from chilies and basil. Then the Princess mixed it together and added leftover fermented shrimp paste. She also added slices of lemongrass, shallot and garlic to the pot. Everyone enjoyed this curry dish. Princess Sabaai Nillarat called it “Ran Chuan Curry” or in Thai “แกงรัญจวญ” which means “to yearn for”.