“There are many stories you can tell about Amy Chanta, the beloved Sydney restaurateur who helped Australians fall in love with Thai cuisine,” writes Lee Tran Lam in Gourmet Traveller‘s tribute to the late chef. Chanta, who passed away in March 2020, was formative in shaping the Sydney’s Thai food scene in its early days, and after establishing her first Chat Thai restaurant in 1989, went on to build a restaurant empire that has become synonymous with Thai hospitality and cuisine in the city.
But she was also a migrant, a single mother, who scraped together enough money as a garment outworker to bring her children from Thailand to Sydney in the 1980s. Her daughter, Palisa Anderson, would eventually enter the family business, establishing the Thai-café mash-up that is Boon Café, and Byron Bay property Boon Luck Farm. Here, Anderson combines food and family, and shares some of her favourite recipes from, and stories about, her late mother.
Padt cha bpla (stir-fried fish with holy basil, wild ginger and green peppercorns)
Padt cha bpla (stir-fried fish with holy basil, wild ginger and green peppercorns)
“I think this stir-fry would be my mum’s desert island dish,” says Anderson. “Green peppercorns, grachai (wild ginger) and apple eggplants were among the first crops I planted when we started Boon Luck Farm six years ago.”
bpla neung manow (steamed fish with spicy chilli and lime dressing)
Bpla neung manow (steamed fish with spicy chilli and lime dressing)
“When we ate whole fish my mum would always leave the meaty bits for me and take the head for herself, which I thought at the time was a loving sacrifice. But now I know the head holds the sweetest and most tender bits,” says Anderson. “I imagine this to be the secret self-care baton that mothers pass on to each other through the ages.”
khao padt bpla khem (mackerel fried rice)
Khao padt bpla khem (mackerel fried rice)
“This salted mackerel version of crab fried rice was my mum’s go-to dish when she craved rice,” says Anderson. “Of the many lessons I learnt about Thai food from my mother, the one recurring and valuable tutelage is that sometimes simple really is best.”
padt pedt gai (stir-fried spicy chicken wings and bamboo shoots)
Padt pedt gai (stir-fried spicy chicken wings and bamboo shoots)
“On our many R&D trips to Thailand over the decades, Mum’s preferred eateries were always the humble raan khao gaeng, which loosely translates to rice and curry shop,” says Anderson. “She always chose the same thing shop to shop, setting the bar of her favourite institutions based on these favourites of hers.”
Choo chee pumpkin
Choo chee pumpkin (roasted pumpkin with curry sauce)
“Mum loved pumpkin soup – the ’90s café kind with croûtons. But she never made non-Thai food at home,” says Anderson. “I reckon this is my mum’s concession to pumpkin soup.”
Kor mhu yaang with nahm jim jaew (grilled pork neck with smoked chilli sauce)
Kor mhu yaang with nahm jim jaew (grilled pork neck with smoked chilli sauce)
“Growing up, Mum had the evening off on Mondays, which meant she could take her time preparing and experimenting,” says Anderson. “Sometimes I would eat the same dinner for weeks on end until she nailed the recipe, such as this pork neck.”
Bua loy (warm coconut cream pudding with taro dumplings)
Bua loy (warm coconut cream pudding with taro dumplings)
“Dessert most nights was fresh fruit,” says Anderson. “Bua loy, however, was a Monday night special. I would help my mum roll out the little balls to resemble lotus seeds. An eternity to make for a few mouthfuls of heaven.”
