The first thing you see upon stepping inside Villa Amanzi Kamala is the grand and luxurious 180-degree view of the ocean. Surrounded by modern furnishings and a large expanse, you feel as though you’re floating above the water in your own private paradise.

Below you are the games room in which a large boulder the size of a hill rests – untouched from the original place Mother Nature left it in. This forms part of the villa and leaves you breathless. On the 2nd floor, aptly-equipped bedrooms fill a large hallway. You will want for nothing.

But the real draw of the venue is the modern kitchen, where your chef will be able to make you anything you ask for. We interviewed Villa Chef Thietam to get his insights into cooking in this beautiful villa.

Elite Havens:  Hi, Chef Thietam. How did you learn to cook?

Chef Thietam: I started when I was 18 years old; I’m 35 now. I was working with people who knew how to cook, and I learned to cook from them and then I started cooking on my own. And later on, I worked in hotels so I learned to cook from there too.

Elite Havens: Why did you cook these dishes for us today?

Chef Thietam: These are our most requested dishes. Our villa guests usually ask me to prepare these.

Elite Havens: Are these your specialities?

Chef Thietam: In addition to these dishes, my speciality is actually fusion food. Usually, when you go out, you will see things like prawn or chicken Pad Thai but I like to make scallop Pad Thai. It’s not traditional. We don’t really have scallops here, we have to import them. So when people serve scallops here, they’re usually just sauteed with garlic and pepper. But for me, I like to cook them Thai style, so I use them in Pad Thai instead of prawns.

Elite Havens: What did you prepare for us today?

Chef Thietam: Thai beef salad, crab meat in yellow curry, and crispy pork.

  • Thai Beef Salad

  • Crab Meat in Yellow Curry

  • Crispy Pork

Elite Havens: What do you do in your free time? Do you eat out?

Chef Thietam: I like to fish and I like to look for fresh ingredients and then I like to go home and make new dishes for my family. And if I make something good, I can recommend it to the guests.

Elite Havens: Why do you think that good food is important for our villas?

Chef Thietam: When the guests come to stay here and they see beautifully plated food and try delicious food, they can take pictures and post these pictures on social media. 

Elite Havens: What do you think makes a good cook or chef?

Chef Thietam: First of all, you have to love what you do. This love will come out in your work. You should also have an open mind so you can learn new things and improve your skills, don’t just stick to what you know. So you can learn from another chef or you can research to learn new things.

Chef Thietam’s Crabmeat in Yellow Curry

Ingredients:

  • Crabmeat 300 g
  • Cha Plo leaves (Thai herb) 80 g
  • Coconut milk 1 litre
  • Sugar ½ tbsp
  • Fish sauce ½ tbsp
  • Kaffir lime leaves 10 g
  • Peppers
  • Galangal
  • Lemongrass
  • Garlic
  • Shallot
  • Turmeric
  • Salt

Instructions:

  1. Add chilli, peppers, galangal, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, turmeric, salt into a mortar and blend until it smooth.
  2. Stir-fried yellow curry with coconut milk and then add remaining coconut milk continue with seasoning salt, sugar and simmer to about 5 minutes.
  3. Add Cha plo leaves and crab meat, add kaffir lime leaves and serve with rice vermicelli.

Treat your taste buds to authentic Thai food prepared by our professional chef. Learn more about Villa Amanzi Kamala here.