Thai suki facts for kids
Thai suki, often just called suki in Thailand, is a fun and tasty Thai dish. It's a type of "hot pot," which means you cook your food right at your table! Everyone dips thin slices of meat, seafood, noodles, dumplings, and fresh vegetables into a pot of simmering broth. After cooking, you dip your food into a special spicy sauce before eating it.
Even though it's called "sukiyaki," this Thai dish is quite different from Japanese sukiyaki. It's actually more like Japanese shabu shabu or Chinese hot pot.
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How Thai Suki Started
Thai suki came from Chinese hot pot dishes. These were served in restaurants that were popular with the many people of Chinese background living in Thailand. In those early days, a pot made of aluminum was heated over a charcoal fire right on the dining table. All the raw ingredients were brought out on one large plate for everyone to share.
The Birth of Modern Suki
In 1957, a restaurant called Coca opened its first place in Bangkok. They offered a new version of the Chinese hot pot. They gave it the Japanese name "Sukiyaki." This name was very catchy because a Japanese pop song called "Sukiyaki" was a huge hit around the world at that time.
This new Thai version of hot pot became super popular! Soon, other restaurant chains started opening their own "suki" restaurants all over Bangkok and other cities. Each new restaurant tried to make its own special dipping sauce to attract customers.
What Makes Thai Suki Special?
When you eat Thai suki, you get to choose from many different ingredients. Each serving is usually quite small, which lets you order and try lots of different things!
The Famous Dipping Sauce
The spicy dipping sauce, called nam chim suki, is made for Thai tastes. It often has a lot of chili sauce, fresh chili, lime juice, and coriander leaves. This gives it a unique and delicious flavor.
Cooking at Your Table
The raw ingredients are served on small plates. You cook them yourself in a stainless steel pot that sits on your table. This pot is heated by gas or electricity. Usually, an egg is cracked into the broth at the very beginning of the meal. This makes the broth richer and adds to the flavor.
Popular Suki Restaurants
Today, the MK Restaurant chain is the most popular suki restaurant in Thailand. They opened their first restaurant in 1962 in Siam Square in Bangkok. Now, they have about 430 restaurants across Thailand and 23 in Japan!
The Coca restaurant chain, which started it all, is also growing fast around the world. They serve Thai suki in 24 locations across Asia and Australia. They even plan to open more restaurants in the US and Europe. Other well-known suki chains include Texas and Lailai.
