How a Master Chef Catches Thailand’s Giant River Prawns for an Ancient Thai Dish - Made in Thailand

Just outside of Bangkok, Thailand, chef Chudaree “Tam” Debhakam is joined by her mentor, the legendary chef Prin Polsuk who is known for uncovering ancient Thai recipes and reinventing them. In this video the two fish for giant river prawns to make kanom jeen nam ya, a noodle and curry dish.
Credits:
Created & Directed by Paul Travis
Producers: Fern Sripungwiwat, Carla Francescutti, McGraw Wolfman
Production Consultant: Poonperm Paitayawat
Camera: Tin Guyson, Kingkan Siripiriyakul
Second Camera/Local Editor: Michael Towers
Translation & Content: Miki Thabbanthon
Editors: Carla Francescutti, Michael Imhoff
Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Development Producer: McGraw Wolfman
Supervising Producer: Stefania Orrù
Audience Engagement: Daniel Geneen, Terri Ciccone
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[@MarkWiens]

Yes, congrats Chef Prin and Chef Tam, this is fantastic!

[@TheTTstudio]

Look it's Mark Wiens!!!

[@bamrizal9677]

He's here

[@runwader]

any plans to revisit Ayutthaya (or elsewhere) for those giant prawns

[@Touchybanana]

If Mark Wiens commented about a chef(s) on another channel, you know that they're really good chef(s).

[@jamesphanna]

All I can picture is your face eating this prawn saying hmmmmmmm wowwwwww🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂

[@shawnwesson5667]

This is why a Pro is a master like this Chef. She's still humble to continue growing and learning from Her Mentor and open to new techniques and abilities to glean from The Master. Very Amazing Episode

[@thetipsycookery8268]

Agreed completely👍🏻

[@JP-jd8wr]

Huh? A Pro is a master? Lmao please explain this

[@jessejames1590]

she's beautiful

[@KhalilOmar]

Chef Prin, such a nice guy. Worked with him in Bangkok. A great mentor.

[@drskelebone]

Tam: "How do you feel?" Prin: "I feel hurt, because it pinched me." lololololol :D

[@sattakhim]

Thank you Eater for showcasing my country's cuisine. It is a pleasure to watch and appreciate my countrymen elevating and pushing the boundaries of our culture.

[@bobcharlie7982]

I hope to visit Thailand one day and try your food

[@oXWOAHXo]

Am I the only one that's in love with Chef Tam, she's GORGEOUS

[@abicooks]

Sameeee

[@nattapoom331]

คนไทยควรภูมิใจครับ นี่คือเป็นคลิปแรก ในช่อง นี้ที่เป็นภาษาไทย อาหารไทยไม่แพ้ชาติใดในโลกครับ คนทั่วโลกต่างชื่นชม แต่คนไทยหลายคนยังไม่ค่อยให้ค่าอาหารไทย ชื่นชม เชฟตามเก่งมากครับ ไม่งั้นคงไม่ได้ No.1 Top ChefThailand 1

[@NinisCooking]

I respect both of them because chef Prin and chef Pam are very creative chefs and I can see that, they have passion for what they're doing. Thank you so much Eater for this video!

[@tyton4032]

I love the fact they both speak Thai even though they are clearly fluent in English

[@LindsayDaly]

I love how they press the noodles just with two containers squished together and extruded through holes! Instantly more accessible than stuff that requires rigorous hand-pulling, or an expensive pasta arm!

[@mrdude88]

But the noodle doesn’t look as pretty as those with other method.

[@ShirleyTimple]

@@mrdude88 you're eating them, not hanging them on the fridge

[@monsieur.Chipmunk]

@@ShirleyTimple Presentation is also important, thus the small portions. If you came to eat here to be full, go visit a buffet instead.

[@ShirleyTimple]

@@monsieur.Chipmunk nobody said anything about gorging oneself on buffet tripe, i merely stated that pasta is meant to be eaten and appearance has nothing to do with that. What OP finds unappealing is based on their cultural norms, not the inherent beauty in the noodles in question. Try harder.

[@monsieur.Chipmunk]

@@ShirleyTimple You replied on a reply that writes "But the noodle doesn’t look as pretty as those with other method. " Do tell me how it's not about the inherent beauty in the noodles. Try harder.

[@NoahTeohZhengYi]

Thailand is filled with culture and tradition. Beautiful place.

[@cwg73160]

Every country is filled with culture and tradition.

[@Zipfei_Kloatscher]

And reasonably priced escort women. 🙂👍🏻

[@nattobaby]

@@Zipfei_Kloatscher you mean men

[@Zipfei_Kloatscher]

@@nattobaby If this is how you run, take the lady boys... 😅🤭

[@nattobaby]

@@Zipfei_Kloatscher whatever cant tell em apart these days

[@petrus666love]

As a retired British Chef you have my Admiration for your great skill, what wonderful technique and knowledge their is too learn and the young lady chef is so excited too be a student too this amazing Chef, I loved this thank you so much 🙏

[@thuwan.5471]

Glad to see Eater making some content in my country. Thai foods are very versatile. Each region has its own flavor to discover. Can’t wait for more video!!!!!

[@kavina.9014]

Alright, here's some extra Thai translation for y'all who are not too familiar with Thai words. All in chronological order. Isan อีสาน - North-East of Thailand Dok Ngiw ดอกงิ้ว - a red flower from a type of cotton tree Kanom jeen ขนมจีน - literally translate to Chinese snack, but it refers to rice vermicelli Nam Ya น้ำยา - the curry to go with rice vermicelli. To say a Thai dude doesn't have Nam Ya, you're calling him incompetent or an eunuch. Ai Hia ไอเหี้ย- a type of salamander Ayutthaya อยุธยา - a former capital an hour north of bangkok Muan (Roll) ม้วน/ม่วน - it means to roll but when you pronounce it in Northern dialect, it means fun. Pla chon ปลาช่อน - a snakehead fish Pla ma ปลาม้า - horse fish, literally. A Thai croaker Kapi กะปิ - Thai sjrimp paste Pla ra ปลาร้า - Thai fermented anchovies Karen กระเหรี่ยง - a Myanmar ethnic or a whiny middle-aged white woman with an suv.

[@bkkphoto]

🤣 Karen SUV!!!

[@user-qt2iu3sp1q]

Kanom Jeen is a mon(a very close ethnic of Thai )word. Ka-nom mean noodle and jeen mean boiled. So it’s actually mean boiled noodle not Chinese snack. A lot of Thai people nowadays don’t know this.

[@flipballaz93]

The last one got me

[@pannawatthamutok4295]

Please dont ever mention kanom jeen to Chinese people , they dont have that in China.

[@mailais3403]

Not salamander but monitor lizard btw

[@JamesLeow]

Thai food is one of the best in the world….I miss travelling there so much!!

[@philipwong454]

Love videos like this one. Thank you Chefs Tam and Prin. Love how you showed gratitude to the source of food and how sharing is an important part of 'eating'. Love it.

[@DestroBB]

This is one of my favorite episodes yet!

[@carlbrown2123]

Soon as I am able to travel I'm food touring Thailand. So much versatility

[@fmullet]

Asia in general

[@hyuuganatsume2621]

same.. cant wait for the border to open

[@Choopremo]

And she’s so pretty!

[@eyeofventure]

Very nice video. And it was very nice seeing the way they prepared the food in the ancient way from scratch.

[@RPS_FFRK]

That was a nice vid. So appetizing with all those spices

[@GC-ps9mn]

Please give us more of these videos. I love Thai food. It was cool to learn about the ingredients like this and both chefs I think work really well as presenters.

[@willcooper7528]

Awesome chef! Beautiful prawns too.

[@tomm2812]

Amazing. Food as well. I am immensely impressed. It was fun fishing for river prawn with you all. Learned something new. This woman loves and thoroughly enjoys her food. When I get to Thailand I hope to visit. Best

[@apiwatmoolnangdeaw3839]

There is a misunderstanding about the eggs of river shrimp. Actually, all visible eggs are assumed fertilised. The changing of egg colour indicates the stage of the embryo. See the paper "Patterns of Bacterial Community Composition and Diversity Following the Embryonic Development Stages of Macrobrachium rosenbergii" for a reference.

[@wtfwtfwtf1389]

Great episode!

[@woozertoo]

I just learned my first Thai profanity. Thanks, Eater!

[@recoil53]

ye-eye-lut = f*ck

[@fickblix]

ye-eye-lut = don't let it get away, the dude was saying f*ck

[@jacquelinewu3277]

Love chef Tam👩‍🍳!, can't wait to try her restaurant 😁😋

[@susanscovill6817]

Wow! These are vlogs that I especially wish we had taste vision. Cheers from Canader eh!

[@kulolo808]

River Prawns are life changing! If you haven’t tried these, you’re missing out🙌🏻🔥

[@tomgalang1970]

I love how it.. I love you Chef Tam

[@thesunrise1901]

Awesome!!!! สวยและเก่งมากครับ

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed the video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@SourDoughBill]

So beautiful to watch, wish I didn't have to focus on subtitles, but then the language is pleasing to hear as well.

[@skinnymicang3593]

Beautiful, humble and skilled chef 😍😍😍

[@ChickenAdobo-ky3vb]

She's the prettiest Master Chef I've seen so far. O.o

[@suryanau3769]

Amazing food.. looks so yummy

[@thanaang1455]

In general Thai foods are less oily than Chinese foods. Please do not debate which food in the world is better than others. This is just personal preference.

[@ronron1388]

Just wonderful. Wish both all the success n best wishes. So yummy

[@joekrle9521]

i dont know why this channel got recommended to me but i didnt regret it. subbed and got addcited

[@s_u_b_z_e_r_0896]

I love my culture foods just soo much we make from simple fresh ingredients 🇹🇭🇱🇦

[@iCrazy13]

This was the kind of thing I imagined in my mind when my mother would tell me bedtime stories of Vietnam and how the bun rieu sellers would make it in the morning: catching small crabs and pounding them, then picking the crab shells out of the paste, and so on. Thanks for the memory.

[@saosopheak22]

This is Amazing young chef

[@mylifeinsweden5725]

Very interesting Video!

[@grantgrant8554]

Definitely will visit when I'm there this December

[@dlawogus844]

So much passion and energy on her work. I don't have to try her food to know it's delicious.

[@nickyang1143]

That was excellent

[@moisespark6954]

The kitchen is soo cleann

[@beejaykurupakorn9129]

Congrats!! Yayy us! Go Thailand!!

[@MrMannyhw]

Sounds delicious.

[@thebudge333]

Fantastic.

[@zhalvia]

Fc ทั้งสองท่านเลยครับ 😍

[@jamesle8482]

Beautiful Job

[@dianalimuco]

The kitchen is gorgeous.

[@rizzles1985]

Love the humble feel!

[@jaelife324]

Fantastic

[@user-yo6nc7fo2j]

Amazing

[@DrummerAndyTaiwan]

Awesome content

[@beverlyteh4676]

Wow the skill and art of this! This is a skinny chef I would entrust my belly to :)

[@owenryan3868]

Very Cool, would have loved some more commentary on what was going in that paste!

[@makebistro]

The paste is made from chilis, lemongrass, galangal, fingerroot, cilantro root, garlic, shallots, and shrimp paste. Then it's pounded with the boiled freshwater fish pla ma and salted fish before being cooked in the coconut milk.

[@flordelizg.madrid5013]

That river prawn looks so tasty! Nomnom!

[@Zero55909]

แซ่บหลาย 😋

[@MrAndykoh]

Love it

[@Diverfarm]

Fantastic chef 👍⚘🌾🌻

[@LIONTAMER3D]

Thai food has no equal, it's simply magic

[@maniswolftoman]

Did you see the tutorial on how to make coconut milk by hand? Probably my favorite part in a video I loved from start to finish.

[@christiantaylor1109]

woah what a dish

[@PunyapatFungtammasarn]

สุดยอดครับ

[@aldoshimabukuronakahodo4348]

Amazing country and very good to eat traditional food

[@dismusicscrackk]

I know she mainly likes working with giant river prawns but damn she can work with my not so jumbo shrimp anytime, chef Chudaree!!

[@aimeeeeetran]

YaaaaY! Chudaree!!!!

[@isidoresoriano3648]

Chef Tam is beautiful. And so is the food.

[@papa-uy1wf]

รอมานานกว่าจะมีวัตถุดิบไทยกับเชฟคนไทย...ชื่นชมในความสามารถคับ

[@painmaster4010]

น่ากินสุดๆ

[@plantybara]

Omg I had these in Vietnam on the river delta, they are the sweetest, tastiest and largest freshwater prawns I've ever had.

[@panan66]

เชฟเก่งทั้งคู่เลยค่ะ👏👏😊

[@pseudomyn]

yessss give me that SEA representation thank you very much!!!

[@jadenslife.5324]

I’m Laotian but wow, need to visit Thailand to eat these river prawns.

[@bmanisap1]

Sap sap great cooking Chef!!

[@NEWCOOKINGUSA]

Cooking Yummy 😋 good video l like

[@Qub3rs]

I'm watching this and thinking to myself, "How can I get my hands on that instead of sitting here eating my instant ramen like a chump?"

[@ghpjerry]

For years my buddy had been begging me to go eat Thai with him & that once I had it I wouldn't go back to Chinese food. He was partially right, I still eat Chinese food, but opt for Thai 80% of the time. I told him I'd have no idea what to order & he explained it like this; Start with Pad Thai or Drunken Noodle, those are like the Big Mac of Thai food, then experiment from there. Either of those dishes with beef & scallops are my favs.

[@preezyp]

that is great brother. i hope you try Phat Ka Phrao or Stir-fried holy basil. It’s really great.

[@damnitschris_]

I suggest try authentic Chinese food like pecking duck, congee, dumplings, char siu

[@foongjunemeng8935]

Wait till you try Malaysian food.

[@ghpjerry]

@@preezyp I looked that up, it does sound great! I will try it. I'm so lucky, the best Thai place in my Tri-County area is 2 minute walking distance. I live in a Lake community & everything is in walking distance, longest walk being 10 minutes at most. TY

[@ghpjerry]

@@damnitschris_ TY. I have had the 1st 2 you mention & are delicious...Chinese food is great. We have an amazing hole in the wall place that's less than 10 minutes that has the best Chinese food around!

[@mitzm7385]

Similar prawns called "golda chingri" are found in the Bengal region of India a part of which is now Bangladesh. They are commonly cooked in coconut milk called "malaikari".

[@dsmvfl363]

I was about to mention the same thing, as a Bengali, Thai food is some of my favorite cuisine because of it’s unique uses of ingredients I grew up with

[@SUKISUKIxSF]

Not to take away from her skills as a chef, but she is beautiful

[@elmagicstik6424]

You go girl..!!

[@wolfingitdown2047]

The master here is whoever writes your captions. Beyond intrigued

[@ginsushi4758]

สุดยอด​ครับ🇹🇭🇹🇭😊😊

[@matthewjay660]

Very pretty quote at the end; it speaks to my culinary student’s heart.

[@dleef911]

Her skill and passion make her more beautiful than she already is

[@Your_Face]

Simp

[@cookinginvein]

Thailand is full of women chefs who rightfully should be more recognized for their hardwork and talent. 👏👏👏

[@queenslimclermont]

I love watching Chef Chudaree “TAM” Debhakam! 🌈🌈 she was on MIDNIGHT ASIA

[@kaisign1405]

life is learning, the day you stop is the day you gone from this earth keep it up

[@ThorS.W]

น่ากินจริงๆ

[@korapanherrin6668]

Look yummy 😋

[@Pool_PCR]

Yummy food.

[@sabh0494]

Yummyy😍😋😋

[@CaptainC0rrupt]

Loving her appetite.

[@PKNWP]

The book of recipes that Chef Prin references is from 1908, the translator gives these recipes a false air of mystified lineage when they keep calling them "ancient recipes" when even the chef himself simply calls them "old".

[@uzi9587]

I get where ur coming from but cooking recipes that are almost 100 years old can be considered ancient cause recreating flavour from the past ages can be incredibly difficult

[@aongsaendoo589]

Have to put it this way. The ancient Thai don’t usually wrote anything down except a story about the King, Royal family, Religion and Mythology. So, the cooking recipes always stick with an oral tradition that pass down generation after generation until the spread of printing press in Thailand. Anyway, there are some recipes that can be traced back to the early Rattanakosin kingdom, some can even traced back to the ancient Ayutthaya and Sukhothai kingdom because the mention of those recipes in some script, poem or writing of the foreigner in those period (just mentioned, not the detail of the recipes).

[@leroysama9138]

Well…1908 …that’s quite ancient for me..it’s before even my old grandmother birthday…so yea, ancient to me. Besides, the Thais don’t really note down much of these during ancient times. And they had many wars and many things were lost and destroyed during time by fire or looting, so many of so called writings and notes are gone.

[@kittenastrophy5951]

@@leroysama9138 In the past ,paper wasn't widely available or not at all like nowaday. They recorded anything deems important such as religious things on the palm trunk tissue as a paper. the writing was more difficult than a pen and ink jotting down. Documenting anything was not the thai way of life in the ancient time as it's not meaningful for them.

[@leroysama9138]

@@kittenastrophy5951 yup…many other ancient countries as well. They adopted verbal ways to pass down knowledge and etc.

[@swicheroo1]

River prawns are also found in Vietnam. I have so many good memories of going out drinking and eating them over hot coals--charred. I could kick myself for not going to Ayuthaya to feast on them the times I have been in Thailand.

[@hunnidracks3235]

wow