Ratana Bowden on why Thai cuisine isn’t as spicy as everyone thinks
Real Thai Kitchen has been open for a couple of decades, but its most recent owner, Ratana Bowden, took over in October 2012, and she’s doing her best to bring authentic Thai flavors to the menu. She used to own a restaurant in Bangkok, and now creates her own spin on popular Thai favorites—while also inventing a few of her own dishes.
What’s different about Real Thai Kitchen since you took over?
RATANA BOWDEN: The food is similar, but not the same. I have my own menu. I made the food more authentic Thai, more flavorful, but not too spicy. A dish I added was Trout in the Jungle. That one is deep-fried trout topped with mint, cashews, shredded green apple, onions and Thai sauce.
What’s a common misconception about Thai food?
Customers usually think, “Oh, Thai food is so spicy.” But actually 80 percent of the menu isn’t spicy. The noodle dishes aren’t spicy. The fried rice dishes aren’t spicy. The sautéed dishes, half of them aren’t spicy. For the soups, only one or two are spicy. Thai food isn’t boring, because there are many different flavors.
What’s the secret of a good Thai salad?
All Thai salads always have the four S’s in one dish: spicy, salty, sour and sweet. My favorite is the papaya salad. This one is the most popular dish for the people in Thailand. When you go to Thailand, you find carts that only sell papaya salad. People eat it when they want to be on a diet because it’s very healthy and there’s no fat in the dish.
What’s your approach to your Tom Kha (coconut soup)?
The original Tom Kha in Thailand is sour, salty and a little bit sweet. That’s how we do it here. There are lots of herbs like lemongrass, cilantro, galangal, and lemon juice to give it flavor. It’s mostly sour with the coconut milk, not spicy. If a customer needs it spicy, we will make it spicy.
You have something on your menu called “Good Company.” What is that?
That dish is one that I cook for my husband, and he loves it. It’s actually all kinds of mixed vegetables—bean sprouts, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and celery. You can mix with any meat you choose—that’s why I named it the Good Company.
1632 Seabright Ave., Santa Cruz. 427-2559. PHOTO: Ratana Bowden, owner of Real Thai Kitchen, with Trout in the Jungle and pumpkin curry with chicken. CHIP SCHEUER
