The Thai that binds

She’s more than a diplomat’s wife — she’s a Thai that binds people and cultures.

The statuesque Madame Monthip Upatising or Madame Bee, wife of Thai Ambassador Thanatip Upatising, is also an expert cook. In fact, she gave cooking lessons last year to Madame Akie Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, when her husband was ambassador to Tokyo.

She taught Mrs. Abe how to cook Tom Yum Kung soup, Beef Green Curry and Pad Thai.

Madame Bee is showing the world that the strongest spices can be tempered, and that different flavors can and do complement each other. And that the fastest route to friendship starts in the kitchen.

Barely six months in Manila, Madame Bee has gotten the very private Ballsy Cruz and Pinky Abellada, sisters of President Aquino, to attend a cooking class in her home in North Forbes Park.

Ballsy, who works with the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation, and Pinky, with AGAPP (Aklat, Gabay, Aruga tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa, of which she is chairperson) have largely kept away from the public eye, doing things under the radar. They’ve kept out of politics.

They take turns as “first lady” during state functions, as their brother is a bachelor. Ballsy recently stood in as first lady during the state luncheon for Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha last Aug. 28.

Under the guidance of Madame Bee, the sisters have been cooking up something in the name of diplomacy and friendship. Like the late former President Cory Aquino, Madame Bee’s mother cooked for her family when Bee was growing up.

 “So I did not feel the need to cook when I was a teenager. But when I married a diplomat, I had to learn!” Madame Monthip, who keeps trim by biking around North Forbes Park for exercise, says.

During the Thai Prime Minister’s visit, her kitchen prepared a banquet for 200 people in the embassy residence — with no outside caterers! Madame Monthip gets help from Top, a young chef from Thailand who works at the residence.

The secret behind the popularity of Thai food is no secret at all: herbs and spices.

During her cooking demonstration, Madame Bee used a lot of lemon grass, kafir leaves, lime, Thai fish sauce, tamarind paste and palm sugar. She does not measure ingredients strictly — everything is according to taste. Hence her kitchen table has several tasting cups and spoons for food tasting. She also has a pack of hand wipes within reach.

Of Filipino dishes, she likes halo-halo while her husband likes lechon.

The consummate hostess, Madame Bee had herself driven to the Dangwa bus terminal to buy flowers for the lunch she was going to host for the Aquino sisters after the cooking class. She made sure there were yellow roses, which she pointed out to Ballsy and Pinky. (Yellow is the color most associated with their mother.)

“I love Filipinos because they are always smiling, always happy!” she says. “That’s why they look young for their age.”

Madame Bee makes cooking up a storm look easy. When making green curry, she prefers to use beef (sirloin) as the local chicken is not so firm. For great consistency, she first uses freshly-squeezed coconut milk, then just tops the dish off with creamy coconut milk from a pack. When cooking with basil leaves and other vegetables for curry, she doesn’t stir the dish because the basil leaves sprinkled on top will get soggy. How to test if the curry is cooked just right? Prick the eggplant. If it is soft enough, the dish is ready to be devoured.

In making papaya salad, pound the papaya so the juices will blend with the spices and scoop up the juices at the bottom of the mortar and pour over the papaya.

Madame Bee taught the Aquino sisters and their friends how to cook Tom Yum Kung soup, Beef Green Curry and Pad Thai and how to prepare Papaya salad.

Lawyer Camille Laguda gamely volunteered to be guest chef for the Tom Yum (she first found it too sweet and Madame Bee easily corrected the flavor with fish sauce) while her aunt Tinay Lopa made mouthwatering beef curry (tip from Madame Bee: season the beef as you sauté it so it will soak in all the flavors). Ballsy Cruz next volunteered for the Pad Thai and made one fit for an upscale restaurant. Pinky was the finale with the Papaya Salad, which she ground and mixed in a wooden foot-high mortar. It was zesty and appetizing.

***

We weren’t served what we cooked. Instead, Madame Bee and Chef Top prepared Vermicelli Salad, Chicken in Coconut Galangal Soup, Steamed Seafood in Red Curry, Beef in Green Curry, Fried Prawns  topped with Tamarind Sauce and rice. For dessert, we had water chestnuts coated with tapioca flour in coconut milk, topped with crushed ice and a plate of  mung bean paste coated with agar, sweet egg thread and sorted fruits. With coffee, Madame Bee took out some cookies from Tokyo — her former home.

But the finale came from Ballsy and Pinky — a cake to celebrate Madame Bee’s birthday today.

As I write this, Madame Bee will be entertaining her friends from the diplomatic circle in Tokyo, whom she has invited to the Philippines.

She’s truly a Thai that binds, and oh, so beautifully!

Pad Thai Goong Sod (Thai Fried Noodles with Shrimps)

(Madame Bee’s recipe)

Ingredients (one serving)

5 peeled Thai shrimps

1 tsp. chopped garlic

3 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. tamarind juice

1 tbsp. finely chopped shallot

1 tbsp. salted turnip, finely chopped

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

50 grams palm sugar

10 grams dried shrimps

50 grams firm tofu, thinly sliced

150 grams thin noodles

100 grams bean sprouts

20 grams chives, cut in one-inch lengths

1 egg

1 lime, halved

Directions:

1. Soak the thin noodles for five minutes in water before cooking to soften.

2. Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a pan, fry the garlic and shallot, then add the thin noodles and sprinkle with water until the noodles are soft.

3. Add the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind juice. Stir quickly to prevent the noodles from sticking together.

4. Heat another 1 tbsp. oil and add the salted turnip, tofu, shrimps and dried shrimps. Stir and mix together with the noodles and push to one side of the pan leaving space to heat the remaining 1 tbsp. oil.

5. Crack the egg into the pan and spread thinly. Mix in the prepared noodles, add chives and bean sprouts. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with roasted peanuts, squeeze in the lime, and garnish with the uncooked chives and bean sprouts.

Tips:

• Gradually add the cooking oil.

• Constantly check the noodles while cooking, if they are still dry and hard, sprinkle with water and add more oil.

Health benefits: Protein, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorous, iron and Vitamin C.

Preparation: 15 mins.; cooking: 10 mins.; spicy level: 2 out of 5 (You may e-mail me at [email protected].)