New flavours of home down under

As a German-born Australian chef living in Sydney, Martin Boetz finds that the authentic flavours of Thai food that he creates transcend cultures. As one of Australia's leading chefs, Boetz is telling food lovers that it's the freshness of the ingredients and the balance of flavours that makes Thai food world-renowned. He has his own Longrain Restaurant and Bar in Sydney's Surry Hills, and his first cookbook, "Modern Thai Food", to prove his point.

"Modern Thai Food" is a light interpretation of Thai food with a modern twist. It features simple recipes for 100 of Boetz's favourite dishes from his famous Longrain Restaurant. These include such delicious dishes as oyster poached in coconut cream and Thai herbs, grilled beef salad with Thai dressing, green curry shrimp with basil and green papaya salad. The book will appeal to both first-timers and those familiar with Thai food as the recipes - mostly salty and sour - are designed for moderate western or Asian palates.

Longrain and Martin's food have gained recognition from internationally acclaimed chefs such as David Thompson, who is the author's mentor.

"Boetz's food is a 'singular blend of Thai and modern Australian food'," writes Thompson in the book's foreword.

The secret of Thai food lies in its herbal and spicy touch, Boetz says, something that has taken him nine years to master, the first few years of which were under the guidance of Thompson when Boetz was a cook at the former's Darley Street Thai in Sydney and later at Longrain, where he developed his own style.

When opening Longrain in 1999, Boetz says he structured dishes in the way he felt comfortable preparing them.

Back then, he was attracted to Thai food by the freshness and flavour of lime juice, lemongrass, holy basil, ginger and krachai (Chinese keys). "These ingredients were something I hadn't tasted before," Boetz said in an interview with The Nation at Longrain.

"I like spiciness in dry spices. They are very good to work with, as in chilli paste that truly fits the local palate here."

Over time the recipes and the dishes in the menu evolved, and now Boetz says he has found his own style, free of Thompson's influences. 

Boetz's Thai food uses traditional Thai ingredients that are grown in Queenslands' organic farms, and later hand-selected and delivered directly to Longrain.

"The book features traditional Thai recipes adapted to my own and Longrain customers' taste even though Thais will get good ideas from the book. But I tie them down quite a lot for the western palate. In Sydney, people like it hot, but in Melbourne [where the second branch of Longrain is located] it's more of the European palate."

Boetz's modern twist reflects well in his fine matching of drinks with Thai dishes. In the book, a selection of cocktails and wines, as recommended by Sam Christie, who co-owns Longrain, adds to the food's modern touch.

Roses marry well with the strong flavours of the food. Sparkling Red is a good accompaniment to dark or more complex spiced curries such as the Mussaman or peanut curries. Boetz runs the kitchen in a western style and devises his own recipes too. His somtam dish goes with coconut rice, instead of glutinous rice as in Thailand.

"A modern twist is about my own flavour that I enjoy eating."

He adds that once a year he visits Thailand to taste types of local market food to make sure his Thai food is on the right track. On his last trip to Thailand, on a tour led by Thompson, Boetz found nam phrik in a local market too hot to handle. But with the right seasoning, flavours change, he has learnt. 

"When something is too hot, add some sugar. When something is too sour, add some salt, sugar and chilli. If something is too salty you can either rescue it by adding some lime juice or throw it out and start again!" he says with a grin, adding he didn't throw out that many dishes in his early days.

Boetz makes sure the seasoning is right on the table for customers to personalise their dishes. His customers range from Asians to famous faces such as British celebrity cook Nigella Lawson, a regular at his restaurant. They all enjoy Boetz's signature dishes such as egg net rolls with pork and shrimp and braised beef ribs with sweet Thai dressing. "We've got quite a positive feedback even from Asian customers," Boetz says, adding that the consistency of ingredients, the atmosphere and friendly staff help draw regulars.

These customers are also the readers of his book. Boetz recommends that first-timers try cooking simple dishes such as yellow curry chicken with sweet potato. Just relax and enjoy the experience, he says.

 "Make sure you use the ingredients in the recipe," he says.

"Modern Thai Food" (Periplus Publishing) is available at leading bookshops.