<p>I've been in the restaurant business for about 22 years now, both as a Chef and as a Restauranteur. So I'd like to take this opportunity, in this CI Talks episode, to share with you my difficulties, the inspirations I have had, and all my past pushes I've done to better myself in order to succeed in the restaurant business or the restaurant industry in Thailand.</p>
<p><strong>Hi, my name is Chalee Kader.</strong><br />I'm a Chef and Restaurateur.</p>
<p>I've always enjoyed cooking. I've always enjoyed getting into the kitchen, whether at a young age with my family, cooking for friends. After the financial crisis, I was sent away to a family friend in San Francisco to live there, and he had a restaurant where I could work at and I started doing everything from washing dishes to being a busboy.</p>
<p>I've never actually taken culinary classes. I've always wanted to, but while I was in the States, I did go and check out some schools and it was a bit too much for me to afford. I couldn't get a loan as well to actually go and get a degree in culinary so I just had to work in restaurants and try to gather enough experience. In 3 or 4 years I got to hop into the kitchen and do some cooking or hang out with the chefs in there and I felt that this is something I really want to do.</p>
<p>Once I came back to Bangkok, I also tried to pursue this career but it was a bit difficult to jump in right away, so I worked for a food import company for a few years before getting the opportunity to go work at the French Embassy in their kitchen.</p>
<p>The reason I wanted to open a restaurant is, I think, I had a passion for it and I had the energy and the fire to cook and show people what I can do in the kitchen. Right now I have around 4 restaurants that are still going on.</p>
<p>To be able to run different concepts and different businesses at the same time, you're going to need help, you're going to need people around you that understand what you want and also can live and breathe the same air that you do, can make the decisions for you and are not shy to actually put up their word when they want to say something that is in their mind, to actually help you.</p>
<p>In order to develop new ideas and new concepts, you need to be unique and you have to have your own identity. You need to stand out and not be a knock-off of something else or be a copy of something else. You need to be original and that originality with your ideas that you are confident with surely make your business more successful.</p>
<p>I have 5 tips for you guys to take away in order to open your own business or your restaurants.</p>
<p>One, I think you need to have <strong>a strong and solid idea</strong>, an idea that resonates with you, something you're proud of, you're confident with. This will be the spark of your passion, and make you want to do it and be happy doing it because it's coming from you.</p>
<p>Two, you're going to need <strong>a strong business model</strong>, a strong marketing plan which will then help your proud idea or your passion follow through nicely. Without a strong business plan and without a good target through your marketing plans, you will struggle a lot to find a proper identity for yourself and for your brand.</p>
<p>Three, <strong>your brand needs a proper identity</strong>. It needs to be what you are special for that people can relate your brand with. I think having a proper brand identity will give you this mark in whatever industry you're going to be at.</p>
<p>Next one, four, <strong>you need to have focus</strong>, certain focus to the brand. It's easier to understand, it's easier to relate. People outside looking in will know exactly what you're selling, what you're trying to do with the brand and what your brand is representing. And that's very important for people to understand.</p>
<p>Five, <strong>you need to be able to take criticism</strong> to harness your ego in a way that you're not overly confident. I'm not saying that you have to listen to everything that people tell you and people criticize you over and critique you over, but I think having some sort of filtration on those things is good; taking the good out of the criticisms you get in order to make yourself better, make your business better.</p>
<p>But if you have too much of an ego and you're too confident, sometimes when you try to blind all these things out, it could ruin it for you in your future or in your career as well. The most important thing about being a chef is, I think, to be focused and then to have a solid and a concrete idea backed up with a good business model.</p>
<p>In order for you to succeed, you can't really go onto a business which is just passion and you can't just go into it blindsided too much. I think you need to put all those things into a solid block and make sure it's strong enough. After you have that, you need to put in your 100%, or more than that, day in and day out, making sure your business is going to work.</p>
<p>Ultimately the joy of cooking, whether it be in a proper restaurant for business or even at home is, I think, the happiness that you can send through, the energy you can send through to whoever is eating your food. I think if you can feel the joy and the happiness from the table, from the people that are around you eating, I think that's the ultimate goal of cooking.</p>
<p>CI Talks - Stories That Spark Change.</p>

Find out more about running a successful restaurant business with Chef Chalee Kader on CI Talks. Get 5 tips that will help you climb the ladder to success as a restaurateur in Bangkok or beyond.

Running a Successful Restaurant Business Script

<p>Thai Rice Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms Recipe by Chef Ping Surakit.</p>
<p>Today, I am cooking Thai Rice Soup with Pork Ribs and Shiitake Mushrooms (Khao Tom Kradok Moo), a dish that is easy to cook and works really well in the New Normal. It can be kept for a few days and the soup stock can also be used to fry, or to create other dishes. The rice can also later be fried or used in other menus. OK, let&rsquo;s start!</p>
<h2>INGREDIENTS</h2>
<h3>The Base</h3>
<ul>
<li>1 teaspoon Black Pepper</li>
<li>2-3 Coriander Roots</li>
<li>2-3 cloves of garlic</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Soup</h3>
<ul>
<li>Coriander Root Paste (prepared before)</li>
<li>1 liter of water</li>
<li>1 teaspoon salt</li>
<li>1 teaspoon sugar</li>
<li>50g Shiitake Mushrooms</li>
<li>500 g Pork Ribs</li>
<li>Chinese Dried Radish</li>
<li>Garlic</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Rice</h3>
<ul>
<li>Coriander Root Paste (prepared before)</li>
<li>3 tablespoons of oil</li>
<li>Add 1 cup of water to cover rice</li>
<li>150 grams of jasmine rice</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of salt</li>
</ul>
<h3>Finishing Touches</h3>
<ul>
<li>Coriander Leaves to taste and for garnish</li>
</ul>
<h2>Method</h2>
<p>How to cook Rice Soup with Pork Ribs and Mushrooms</p>
<h3>Make the Soup</h3>
<p>Start by blending one teaspoon of pepper, 2-3 coriander roots and 2-3 cloves of garlic together in a mortar. With your pedestal, pound the mixture until you have a coarse paste. Then separate the paste into two equal parts. Use one for frying with the rice and save the other one to use with the soup.</p>
<p>To make the soup, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add a pinch of salt for seasoning. Then add a little sugar to balance the flavor of the shiitake mushrooms, pork ribs and salt (the classic Thai sweet and sour taste). These flavors work really well together. Then add the shiitake mushrooms followed by the pork ribs.</p>
<p>Leave the stock to simmer for up to an hour on a low heat (just off boiling) so that the ribs are tenderised and release their flavors which combine with the mushrooms.</p>
<h3>Make the Rice</h3>
<p>In another saucepan, we will stir fry rice, with coriander roots, garlic, pepper and oil (vegetable or sesame). Put in a good &ldquo;elbow&rdquo; of oil.</p>
<p>Add the fragrant jasmine rice, and cover it with just enough water. With a medium heat on the stove cook the rice, stirring regularly. This is the way to cook Jasmine rice without having to drain off any excess water. Add a pinch of salt to flavor the rice.</p>
<h3>Combine the Rice &amp; Soup</h3>
<p>As the rice continues to cook, keep adding your soup a little at a time whilst gently but constantly stirring the rice.</p>
<p>After 4 to 5 minutes, your &ldquo;Khao Tom Kradok Moo'' should be ready to serve. Sprinkle with coriander just before serving; how much is up to you but I personally like coriander, so I put in a fair amount.</p>
<p>And there we go. Here is Khao Tom Moo (Thai rice soup with pork), Chef Ping Surakit style.</p>
<h2>Leftovers</h2>
<p>Once the soup has completely cooled, pour any leftover soup you have into a zip-lock bag. Then both of these can go into the freezer. Another food idea for this New Normal.</p>

Learn how to cook Khao Tom Kradok Moo with Chef Ping Surakit on CI Talks. Add Rice Soup with Pork Ribs & Mushrooms to your Thai food menu.

Khao Tom Kradok Moo Recipe - Chef Ping Surakit | CI Talks

Khao Tom Kradok Moo Recipe

<p>In this New Normal, many of us have been working from home. This has changed our lifestyles significantly. A lot of people have taken up cooking but some are not quite sure how to do it.</p>
<h2>Chef Ping Surakit Khemkaew</h2>
<p>Executive Chef</p>
<p>Hello, I am Ping, Surakit Khemkaew, an executive chef and restaurant consultant. Today on CI Talks, I will share my experience of over 10 years as a chef and also some ideas for those who want to enjoy cooking.</p>
<h2>Become a Chef at Home</h2>
<p>Today, I am cooking a dish that works well with the New Normal, and that is rice soup porridge. It can be kept for a few days and the soup stock can be used to fry, or to create other dishes. The rice can also later be fried or used in other menus. OK, let's start!</p>
<h2>Rice Soup with Pork Ribs and Mushrooms</h2>
<p>Start by blending coriander roots, garlic and pepper together in a mortar. One teaspoon of pepper. 2-3 coriander roots. 2-3 cloves of garlic.</p>
<p>Pound coarsely and divide the mixture into two parts. One is for frying with rice while the other is for the soup.</p>
<p>To make the soup, I put some salt into the water. I only want salt to give out a standard or a very basic taste. Then put in a little sugar. Sugar will help balance the sweetness of shiitake mushrooms, pork ribs, and salt. They go well together. Then, put in shitake mushrooms followed by pork ribs.</p>
<p>Simmer on a medium heat for thirty minutes to one hour. This is to tenderise the ribs.</p>
<h2>How My Culinary Journey Began</h2>
<p>It all began when I signed up to a cooking course; similar to other chefs out there. I started from scratch. No basics. No restaurant of my own. And no connection.</p>
<p>My turning point came whilst I was still attending the course. I came across an advert to enter a cooking contest and this piqued my interest. A friend of mine on the same course came to me and suggested that we both enter the competition. Oh man, it was the moment. I was so passionate and eager. Let's do it!</p>
<p>That first contest I entered with my friend, we both got the same number of medals. Since then, I have been in many contests. I have also gone through various stages of change as a chef. I met Chef Chumpol and I wanted to learn from him, even to have the opportunity to work with him.</p>
<p>Chef Chumpol invited me to work at Cielo, as Executive Chef. This was another turning point; taking that step forward to becoming an executive chef. The experience of cooking a lot of dishes, and learning many cooking techniques, has allowed me to really advance as a chef.</p>
<h2>A Passion for Cooking</h2>
<p>For over 10 years, I've been with food all along. I've never been bored. There are always things to learn in the world of cooking.</p>
<p>Food is like maths. A dish, to me, is a math problem. When I'm done cooking a dish, I'm also done solving a math problem. Cooking new stuff is like solving new math problems. The answer to every problem is taste. When I compare the two, I like them both. Be it maths or food. I've always been quite good at both of them.</p>
<h2>The Answer to Every Cooking Question is Taste</h2>
<p>&hellip; In another pot, we will stir fry rice, coriander roots, garlic, pepper with oil. Put in a fair amount of oil. After putting in the fragrant rice, pour water just to cover the rice. The heat will help speed up the cooking of rice. Keep on stirring until the rice is cooked. This is how to cook rice without draining water. You can add some salt to flavor the rice.</p>
<p>Now you see. The rice is beginning to cook. Pour in some soup and continue to stir. After 4 to 5 minutes, it should be ready. Lastly, sprinkle with coriander. This is all up to your taste. I personally like coriander, so I put in a fair amount.</p>
<p>Here we go. Here is my own style of Khao Tom Moo (Thai rice soup with pork).</p>
<p>If you have leftover soup, you can store it in a zip-lock bag, but do wait for it to cool first.. Then both of these can go into the freezer. Another food idea for this New Normal.</p>
<h2>The Basics: 5 Things To Know Before You Start Cooking</h2>
<p>For those of you who think that cooking is difficult. I have 5 takeaways to help make your culinary journey easier.</p>
<h3>1. Know Your Cooking Equipment</h3>
<p>First, you need to know your equipment; electrical appliances, stoves, or basic tools at home.</p>
<p>For instance, if you only have a stove, it's easy to make stir-fry, soup and curry dishes. But if you want to bake or roast pork or beef without an oven, you can still use a pan. It all depends. But you need to understand your basic equipment and know how to use it.</p>
<p>For sure, every house has a pan. So stir-fried, fried and roasted dishes are the easiest. But you can still use different cooking techniques.</p>
<h3>2. Create A Meal Plan</h3>
<p>Second is about shopping for ingredients. There are two ways.</p>
<p>One is shopping with a menu plan in mind. You just need a piece of paper and list all the ingredients. Creating a list of ingredients saves time and money because when you know what to buy, you will go to the right place to get everything you need at once.</p>
<p>Another way is when you don't know what to cook. Just go and buy the things you want to eat. Because they are what you like, you'll finish them all. The challenge you will have is how to cook with these ingredients. There are 3 types; proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Stick to these three food groups.</p>
<p>But there is a downside to the second way though. There may be times when you are just about to start cooking and suddenly realize that you don't have all the ingredients. Not fun because won&rsquo;t be able to cook the dish you like. So be careful.</p>
<p>I suggest you plan ahead. It saves time and money.</p>
<h3>3. Choose The Right Menu</h3>
<p>Third, choose the right menu for the situation. For example, easy-to-cook menus are great for the New Normal. Stir-fried meat with holy basil (Pad Krapow) is a classic that requires only stir-frying. Clear soup broths are also another easy menu. I used to cook a lot of this as well.</p>
<p>For stir-fried holy basil with meat, you cook it once in a large pan and, after it cools down, divide it into 5-7 portions. Then you can have that for 7 days. This is a great solution when it's difficult to go out or you're tired after work. It's also a nice, easy menu when staying home.</p>
<h3>4. Food Storage and Preservation at Home</h3>
<p>Fourth, know how to store food safely and so it lasts longer. This is as important as the rest.</p>
<p>When you buy a lot of ingredients, divide them into portions and freeze them. Defrost the ingredients before you want to use them. Then they will be fresh again. This means that you can buy more ingredients and extend their shelf life.</p>
<p>However, there is a trade-off when cooking with frozen food; it can taste dry. Frozen food loses its moisture. When we take food out of the freezer to cook, meat especially can be quite dry.</p>
<p>Fermenting and pickling can also help to preserve the food. Salting and pickling can be used instead of freezing. When food is salted or pickled, it prevents harmful bacteria from growing and is the traditional way to keep perishable food longer.</p>
<p>Greens (vegetables) can normally be kept for up to three days. If you wrap them in foil though before you put the vegetables in your fridge, it helps to control the temperature and prevent frost damage from the fridge. By doing this you can keep vegetables fresh and edible for up to 5 days. This is another technique to preserve food ingredients.</p>
<h3>5. Keep Your Kitchen Clean</h3>
<p>Fifth is about keeping your kitchen and workspace clean. Actually every chef emphasizes the importance of this point. Cleanliness affects the food. If the food is not clean, it won't last and can also become harmful to our health.</p>
<p>If your kitchen and workspace is not clean, your food can become contaminated with harmful bacteria and dangerous to consume. Contaminated food can cause diarrhea and other serious medical conditions and ailments.</p>
<p>In this New Normal, I want everyone to keep clean. Cleanliness is crucial in cooking.</p>
<h2>Chef Ping's 5 Key Takeaways</h2>
<ol>
<li>Know Your Cooking Equipment</li>
<li>Create A Meal Plan</li>
<li>Choose The Right Menu</li>
<li>Food Storage and Preservation at Home</li>
<li>Keeping Your Kitchen Clean</li>
</ol>
<p>I hope that my 5 key takeaways that I have shared today will help motivate you while you are working from home, to get interested in cooking. If you've tried your hand at cooking but the outcome wasn&rsquo;t successful, I hope that my video talk will inspire you to get better at it so that you can enjoy cooking everyday.</p>
<p>Don't forget to follow and subscribe to CI Talks.</p>
<h2>STORIES THAT SPARK CHANGE</h2>

Become a chef at home with Chef Ping on CI Talks. Get tips on how to Improve your home cooking & a learn how to cook Thai rice soup with pork.

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