Edible insects are nothing new in Bangkok – find them in the street at kiosks and carts selling rod duan (spiced bamboo worms) all the way up to Insects in the Backyard, where the entire fine-dining menu is bugs.
But an upcoming event combines insect protein with something very new: 3D printer cooking techniques.
For Bangkok Design Week, research institute and insect farm Exofood Thailand has teamed with the design obsessives at FabCafe to win diners taste buds over consuming hexapodal insects (that’s entomology nerd talk for “six feet”).
“Through these neat and cutting-edge presentations, we want to encourage people to see that there are various ways you can enjoy eating insects,” said Athivach “Boom” Pongsattasin, Exofood cofounder.
Boom’s mission is not only to improve Thailand’s insect scene with technology but also develop more sustainable protein sources for the future.
“You won’t notice that these dishes are actually made from insects,” Boom said.
On their four-course tasting menu (THB590) Keeta, Kaha, Nawata (roughly translated to “insects, food, and innovation,” Boom and his team created dishes that highlight the nutritional value and diversity of the bugs.
The meal starts off with roasted pandan honeycomb. Thapakorn “Pong” Shinawasi, the chef overseeing this event, took inspiration from how honeycomb is wrapped with banana leaves before roasting.
But instead of the banana leaves, Pong wraps it with pandan to lend a green tint and refreshing aroma before topping it with a 3D-printed dome of sugary sauce, which will melt from the warmth of roasted honeycomb inside.
The second dish, red ant larvae salad, acts as a palate cleanser, featuring hard-to-find mae peng, a northeastern term for queen ants. Their sour acidity rinses out the sweet creaminess of the earlier honeycomb. More fun is added with crispy crackers made from larvae that squish and pop.
Inspired by traditional khan tok (dining trays), the main course sees maeng da (giant water bug) in a 3D printed gelatinous bowl and served alongside rice and indetectable cicada and cockchafer beetle bits. “Like other farm-to-table concept dishes, we want to bring the whole rice field to your table,” Boom said.
Surely, we can’t end the course without a dessert. Chef Pong sources palm weevils from Exofood’s insect farm and transforms them into delectable coconut ice cream. These weevils are not your typical palm-eating insect, Boom said. Instead of feeding them cassava, Exofood deliberately feeds them fruit, lending a unique taste. The white crumble underneath the ice cream is also made from mealworms.
Taste it yourself at the event starting at 6pm Feb. 11-13 on the third floor of Thailand Creative & Design Center, or TCDC, on Charoen Krung Road.
Seating is limited to 20 people for each round, and diners can book in advance via 083-6199983.
