happy new year!

Happy New Year! 

I know (again) I have been very quiet. I have been kept too busy with work in the past months. If you like to know whats happening in my kitchen on a daily basis. Please, feel free to follow me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/RiyaKitchen

My personal facebook page is also open to public.

www.facebook.com/riya.sawamiwas

Have a very yummie 2013, everyone!

Love

Riya

one of the best

Riya's Kitchen is again rated one of the best food blogs in Bangkok by BK Magazine.

I am flattered. Many Thanks!

Riya

my apologies

My apologies for being so quiet lately. I have been ill for a whole month now (I have the big "V"!) and I just started my new job a month ago and then last week my darling friends came to visit me in Bangkok. I was so exhausted and fully occupied. I hardly could find time for myself and my beloved food blog. 

However, I have loads of recipes waiting to be posted on here. Next month, when everything is back to normal and I am more settled with life. I promise to post more of new recipes.

Thanks for reading my blog and please stay tuned!

Riya 

a busy bee

Currently, I am as busy as a bee.  I know I have disappeared for almost a month now as I have been kept very busy with work since mid of last month.

I have lots of recipes waiting to be posted on here but I couldn't find time at all. Later this month, I will definitely have all of them uploaded.

Thanks for reading my blog and, please, stay tuned.

:)

A breath of fresh air

A Breath of fresh air...

What an exciting month this September is to me...
Bangkok is full of happening events and new interesting resetaurants...

Dean & DeLuca finally find it's way to be here in Bangkok. Wow! I do love thier small tins of herbs & spices to bits. Now they are here for me to pick them home, lovely. These small lovely tins are not only good, flavourful, aromatic but hey are also very difficult to find here in Bangkok... something like "Moroccan spices, Cajun spices, herbes de Provence, Fleur del Sel, ect,.
I always love having a cup of "Cafe au lait" at Dean & DeLuca. Now, one doesn't need to be in New York to have one! Wicked!

Nahm by Chef David Thomson is opening on September 2nd, 2010 at the Metropolitan Hotel. he has been testing his menu every night for weeks. Laurence (my colleague) who is a good friend of DT is invited to dine there tonight. (Off course, I am not jealous at all.) He promises to email the pictures and everything esle to me. Very nice of him, indeed.

The Bangkok 11th Annual of World Gourmet which organizes by the Four Seasons will start from September 6th to 11th, 201. The Michelin-starred & award winning chefs will parade in the Four Seasons here in Bangkok. I can't really wait...

Oh well, there is a bright blue sky after the big storm... My darling Bangkok... I do love you.

god bless thailand

God Bless Thailand

This weekend is very difficult for Thai, especially, ones who live in Bangkok.

I hope that all the red-shirts understand how to protest peacefully. I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but everyone needs to be civilized & needs to respect others.

I love my B Town and my country.

God bless Thailand.

my girls-trip in phuket

Phuket

My 1st time in the past 4 years that I had a girls-trip, its fun & fantastic!!!
I will post later about food & restaurants in Phuket.

honey

I am a big fan of Honey. I always have 6-8 bottles in my kitchen

I notice that honey from European countries & from Asia are not the same in colour nor favour. I guess becasue they are from different type of flowers.

Honey is complex in flavour, texture and aroma and like wine, takes time to appreciate, with the complexities transforming as it matures.

I trend to like "Bees online" from New Zealand. I adore all of their honey- related products. Their own "bees online cafe" in their farm cooks very interesting concept of food with a touch of honey in every dishes. The food are very very delicious - I still dream about their food from time to time.

Central Food Hall used to import this honey brand into Bangkok. But its not popular - I guess Thai prefer thier own honey.

"Chiva Som" ( very famous spa located in Hau Hin) manages to put orange zest into thier honey. I really like it.

Honey goes very well with Tea. I like having Tea in the afternoon and I replace honey for sugar.

Honey can be served with Cheese in a Cheese Plate.

Note : never serve honey to babies, toddlers or kids.

how many cookbooks can we own in a life time?

How many cookbooks can one own in a life time?

Since I moved into a new house, I noticed that I own many cookbooks. Then I started to count how many do I own and I found out that I own 78 cookbooks (20 Thai Cookbooks + 58 of none Thai : those well-known writers & chefs.

Then it gets me thinking – how many can we own in a life time?
I guess I would probably own more than 500 copies.

Anyway, with all of what I have, which one is my most favourite? Oh well, I can’t be able to answer this question as I love them all.

I don’t randomly buy a cookbook. I bought what I really like and what I really want to read & be very interested in.

To name a few - I find "Nigella Lawson” witty, funny, honest, simple and very informative. I like it that she is not a professional/ trained chef, she is simply someone who happens to love food... just like me.

“Jamie Oliver” & “Delia Smith” are something very essential.

I adore “Nobu Matsuhisa” as I love Japanese food to bits – their food is very artistic yet tasty.

I always love "Donna Hay" as she is a very stylish food writer. Her food always simple, clean & tastful.

I have loads of Thai cookbooks which I will pass on to my daughter – if I happened to have one!! (I always secretly hope for a daughter, to be honest.)

Anyway, I read all of my cookbooks, as I am Thai who is very keen to learn to know better when it comes to Food. I, naturally, don’t know by heart about foreign food like Italian, Vietnamese, French Food etc., I need to learn to know them better and deeper if I want to be able to cook. So, I read a lot!!

To be honest, I don’t seem to follow their instruction. I only look for ingredients and then I will just go for it.

Internet is a good source when it comes to recipes : good food websites & blogs. I often check BBC Food where you can search for loads of recipes from those famouch chefs & happening food writers in England.
I am a big fan of those famous bloggers : chezpim, chubbyhubby, 101 cookbooks, wellfed, rice and noodles, & Real Thai Recipe : an american who seriously knows about Thai food better than me!!

Magazines are informative and the pictures (that they put all of their effort into) are worth buying. Don’t ask me how many copies of magazines I have….

Anyway, let me know if you have any good cookbooks to recommend.

happy holidays

Time of celebration has begun…

We are non-religion type of people but we love celebrating.
Simply get the joy and fun out of X’mas & New Year.
... have I mentioned the presents? :P

Loads of Champagnes and Chocolates!!
Be very Happy.

This week is going to be hectic as there will be loads of dinners. After next week, most of my mates will be off for long holidays.

I will probably be off to Phuket after the election.
I will not write nor cook till next year. (We will see)

Happy Holidays.

what makes a good dinner?

What is a good dinner?

To me … is absolutely not a fancy one at those fancy restaurants.

I admit that I adore going out to experience the buzz and the vibes from those fine dinning restaurants and I very much enjoy going to try those none-fancy restaurants where they always cook the best simple food which you never can be able to cook by yourself.

I love dressing up nicely and getting to be serviced and being served/offered with many kind of attractive & splendid dishes and the food that the taste can take your breath away



But when I am asked about the best dinner, those times I have spent in those fancy restaurants outside of my house never come to mind.

It’s always the memories of those normal dinners which we had/shared at home. Nothing fancy, there were just our everyday simple diners.

Sometimes on special occasions like: X’mas Eve, Mates Birthday, etc,. We managed to make it special by using our fancy cutleries and fancy dishes and decolating with loads of flowers and scented candles.

In our every dinner, we always have a candle with whatever flowers we have from our garden…



…and open a good bottle of wine. I personally like many range of wines (I am not an Expert). Not necessary expensive ones. Onc glass of red wine a day is good for your heart.

(Taste is individual: what I like is not necessarily the best)

I am very found of

• Italian wine. : “Mazzei in Tonterutoli Dal 1435 ( Castellina in Chianti)” which I have recovered when I dined at “Giusto”
• Chilean wine: Porto 1998-1999 Cabernet Sauvignon isn’t too bad. (I remembered that the Big boss (a very rich French man) dined at my home once and he managed to get a whole case (12 bottles) for me.
• French wine : St. Emillion (Chateau Canon La Gatteliete) and I have fond a good one which is not expensive at all (“Chateau La Coste 2002 ) at Villa
• Australian wine : I seem to like “Shiraz”

Anyway, my point is good dinner (to me) is always about – good simple /home-cooked meal with good wine sharing with our beloved good mates and family.

Its best value is the joyful, meaningful and happy times that we happily share.

: )

into riya's kitchen

Into Riya’s Kitchen.

As I have an email telling me that how he thinks my food looks pretentious and not looks much like authentic Thai.

Oh well …. What can I say…?
As I have said in the Greeting Line of my Blog that all recipes are my very own home cooking Thai recipes cooked straight from my very own kitchen.

Of course, my food is not going to be 100% authentic Thai as I am a product of my time. A modern time, I can say, that everything is so fast and easy and not too complicated. In my time, nobody is going to waste a whole day preparing a meal. In my time that we are all exposed into other’s cultures and seeking for the best products & ingredients to try.

I am a person who is not well nor professional trained to be neither a chef nor a professional cook. I am just a woman in her 30s who happens to love cooking and love going out to experience the vibes from those fancy and none-fancy restaurants.

I very much & evenly appreciate food for the eyes and food thats good for health despite the authentic taste.

I am a very open-minded person who happens to appreciate food from every corners in this world – Thai is my most favourite, please pass to me the Fusion, can’t have enough of Japanese and would go for Indian any days and always have room left for others. Let alone, those fancy desserts.

All of my food recipes are solely from my experience and my personal preference. I happen to dislike “Coconut Milk” – so, you hardly see recipe with coconut milk as I hardly cook it. I like organic and healthy food: so, you will see loads of grilled and salad dishes. I happen to hate the foods (exclude desserts) that taste so sweet: therefore, you will never see anything that tastes sweet or a recipe which will be very sweet.

My food's presentation is not going to look like those authentic Thai ways of presenting Thai food that you have usually seen in those stereotype pictures nor those street foods that you have seen from around the streets in your neighbourhood.
My presentation’s my very own way of creativity & uniqueness.

To sum it up: this is my kitchen. I cook what I like to eat.

“Food is Culture: It changes over time.”

BTW: thanks for all comments, they are very much appreciated.

happy b'day

Happy B' Day to Riya.

: )

sweet of you.

1 day before reaching 32

another year passed by...
getting another year older...
life goes on....

Welcome to Riya's Kitchen

My name is Riya.

Cooking is my passion.

In this blog, you will find my home-cooking recipes (mostly, thai food - Riya's style) and my recommendaton for you to find "good places & good foodie" - my favourite dish from my favourite restaurants in bangkok and around Thailand.

Welcome to Riya's Kitchen.

: )