Tempting taste of Thailand

The Shada Restaurant is one of the oldest Thai restaurants in Bahrain and has been attracting diners for more than 20 years.

The restaurant was originally located in Umm Al Hassam, near the British Club, but moved to Mahooz seven years later where it continues to flourish to this day.

When owners Mohammad Ayab and wife Sarah first opened the restaurant there were only two other venues on the island offering Thai cuisine.

Mr Ayab said: "When we started we were catering mostly to a local clientele and adjusted some of the recipes to suit their taste at the time. Nowadays we offer a full range of authentic recipes as diners have become well educated about Thai cuisine."

The restaurant's lunchtime buffet feasts are one of the most proved popular eating out experiences in the kingdom. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays an array of Thai and Chinese recipes such as tom yam soup, deep fried crab and prawns, tempura, wontons, canton noodles, baked duck siam and many more are available for BD6.

Mr Ayab, 56 from Umm Al Hassam, says the venue has attracted a loyal following. He said: "We have customers who used to dine with us in their youth and who still patronise our restaurant to this day ... and some of them are now grandparents!"

It's not only customers, members of staff have grown with the business too. Sarah said: "One of our team has been with us since the beginning, in fact, her mother and I are old friends from back home in Thailand!"

Some faces come and go ... and some come back again. Master Chef Jatupun Amtip, 30, was recommended to the restaurant by a former chef and first joined the team in Bahrain six years ago. He returned to Thailand to complete his culinary studies before taking up the hot seat again. Mr Ayab said: "Chef Jatupun's recipes were very popular with our customers and we are really glad to have him back."

Shada, which refers to the Thai crown, has also received several accolades including certificates of excellence from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industry in Thailand.

The Ayab family share one of the restaurant's favourite dishes with GulfWeekly readers.

Chicken Green Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken 500gm

Chilli paste 200gm

Coconut milk 1,000gm

Eggplant 400gm

Green and red chilli 30gm

Sweet basil 40gm

Kaffir lime leaves 2gm

Palm sugar 30gm

Fish sauce 80gm

Chilli paste ingredients:

Hot chilli 30gm

Chilli 10gm

Lemon grass 15gm

Galangal 7gm

Kaffir lime skin 8gm

Garlic 60gm

Shallot 40gm

Coriander seeds 5gm

Cumin 2gm

Pepper 3gm

Sweet basil 20gm

Salt 5gm

Shrimp paste 10gm

Vegetable oil 150gm

Preparation:

Pound all the chili paste ingredients together, fry with oil and keep aside. Then fry the mixture with coconut cream until some fragrance develops, add chicken and fry until browned. Add coconut milk, season with sugar, fish sauce, eggplant and stir until done. Add some more coconut milk, chili, Kaffir lime leaves and sweet bail. Serve with rice.