Cooking Thai from the suite kitchen.
A short, opinionated list of dishes worth trying on the Thermomix TM7 in the suite — with the Makro shopping list to take with you.
The setup
The suite kitchen has a Thermomix TM7 on the counter, signed in to Cookidoo — Vorwerk's guided-recipe library. Pick a dish on the screen and the machine walks you through it step by step, adjusting time and temperature as it goes. It is, genuinely, the easiest way most travellers will ever cook a Thai curry from a paste they made themselves five minutes earlier.
The closest Makro is in Chalong, about 20 minutes by car — it's the wholesaler the local restaurants buy from, and everything on the shopping list below is reliably stocked. The smaller Tops Market at Cape Panwa Plaza covers basics if you don't want to drive. For the truly fresh aromatics (galangal, lemongrass straight from the field, banana leaves), the morning market at Rawai Beach or the larger Kathu Fresh Market are worth the trip if you have a morning to spare.
Recipes change over time — search Cookidoo on the TM7 screen for the dish name (Thai or English both work), and the current version appears with step-by-step instructions. Quantities below are the ingredients to have on hand; the machine handles the proportions.
Dishes worth trying first
-
Green curry (gaeng khiao wan)
แกงเขียวหวานไก่
The benchmark Thai curry — coconut, basil, aubergines, chicken or prawns.
Why the Thermomix: Builds the curry paste from raw aromatics in 30 seconds, then cooks the curry at a controlled simmer so the coconut milk never splits.
Search on Cookidoo: "Green curry" or "Thai green curry"
Ingredients
- Green chillies (bird's eye + serrano)
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Kaffir lime leaves + zest
- Coriander roots
- Coconut milk (Aroy-D or Chaokoh)
- Thai sweet basil (horapa)
- Chicken thigh or whole prawns
- Pea aubergines or Thai aubergines
- Fish sauce
- Palm sugar
-
Massaman curry (massaman nuea)
มัสมั่นเนื้อ
Slow, fragrant, Persian-influenced beef curry with potatoes, peanuts, and cardamom.
Why the Thermomix: Toasts whole spices, blends the paste, then slow-cooks the beef on reverse stir for two hours — exactly the technique that makes massaman work.
Search on Cookidoo: "Massaman" or "Massaman beef curry"
Ingredients
- Stewing beef (chuck or shin)
- Massaman curry paste (or whole spices to build it)
- Coconut milk + coconut cream
- Potatoes (waxy)
- Roasted peanuts
- Tamarind paste
- Palm sugar
- Fish sauce
- Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise
- Bay leaves
-
Tom kha gai
ต้มข่าไก่
Coconut chicken soup, galangal-forward, brightened with lime at the end.
Why the Thermomix: Holds the broth at exactly 90°C so the coconut milk stays silky and the galangal infuses without bittering.
Search on Cookidoo: "Tom kha" or "Coconut chicken soup"
Ingredients
- Galangal (kha, not ginger — Makro stocks both)
- Lemongrass
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Chicken thigh
- Straw or oyster mushrooms
- Coconut milk
- Bird's eye chillies
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Coriander
-
Tom yum goong
ต้มยำกุ้ง
Hot-and-sour prawn soup. Clear-broth (nam sai) or creamy with evaporated milk (nam khon).
Why the Thermomix: Same temperature control as tom kha — but where it really shines is making the chilli jam (nam prik pao) from scratch for the creamy version.
Search on Cookidoo: "Tom yum" or "Tom yum goong"
Ingredients
- Whole prawns (head-on, for the broth)
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Kaffir lime leaves
- Bird's eye chillies
- Straw mushrooms
- Fish sauce
- Lime juice
- Coriander
- For nam khon: evaporated milk + Thai chilli jam
-
Khao soi
ข้าวซอย
Northern Thai coconut curry noodles, topped with crispy egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, and lime.
Why the Thermomix: Builds the khao soi paste from scratch (the hard part of this dish), then holds the coconut-curry broth at temperature while you fry the noodle topping.
Search on Cookidoo: "Khao soi"
Ingredients
- Egg noodles (fresh, for boiled + crisp-fried)
- Chicken legs
- Coconut milk
- Dried red chillies
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Turmeric (fresh)
- Coriander seeds
- Cardamom pods
- Pickled mustard greens
- Lime
- Fish sauce
- Palm sugar
-
Larb gai
ลาบไก่
Isaan-style minced chicken salad — toasted rice powder, herbs, fish sauce, chilli, lime.
Why the Thermomix: Chops the chicken to exactly the right texture (5 seconds, speed 7 — better than supermarket pre-minced), then toasts the sticky rice for khao khua in a clean bowl after.
Search on Cookidoo: "Larb" or "Larb gai"
Ingredients
- Chicken thigh (whole, to chop in the TM)
- Sticky rice (raw, for toasting)
- Shallots
- Spring onion
- Mint
- Coriander
- Lime juice
- Fish sauce
- Roasted chilli powder (prik pon)
-
Red & green curry paste from scratch
พริกแกงแดง / เขียว
The reason to own a Thermomix in Thailand. Better than anything jarred, including the good ones at Makro.
Why the Thermomix: This is the original Thermomix party trick — a proper Thai curry paste from raw aromatics in 30 seconds, no mortar required.
Search on Cookidoo: "Red curry paste" / "Green curry paste"
Ingredients
- Dried red chillies (red paste) OR fresh green chillies (green paste)
- Lemongrass
- Galangal
- Kaffir lime zest
- Coriander roots
- Garlic
- Shallots
- White peppercorns
- Cumin + coriander seeds
- Shrimp paste (kapi) — the small purple plastic tub at Makro
- Salt
-
Mango sticky rice
ข้าวเหนียวมะม่วง
Steamed glutinous rice, warm coconut-cream sauce, a perfectly ripe nam dok mai mango.
Why the Thermomix: Steams the sticky rice in the Varoma basket while the coconut sauce reduces in the bowl below, finished at exactly the right consistency.
Search on Cookidoo: "Mango sticky rice" or "Khao niao mamuang"
Ingredients
- Glutinous (sticky) rice — soak overnight
- Coconut cream
- Sugar
- Salt
- Nam dok mai mangoes (yellow, fragrant)
- Optional: toasted mung beans or sesame for the top
-
Coconut jasmine rice
ข้าวมันกะทิ
The everyday upgrade — jasmine rice steamed in coconut milk + pandan.
Why the Thermomix: Steam basket, set and forget. Pairs with everything on this page.
Search on Cookidoo: "Coconut rice"
Ingredients
- Jasmine rice
- Coconut milk
- Pandan leaves (bai toey)
- Salt
Or have it delivered.
If you don't want to drive to Chalong, Makro PRO — the Makro grocery app — delivers the same range to the door. Pick the suite address at checkout, schedule a window, and a driver brings the lot. Most aromatics and pantry items are listed in English alongside Thai.
You can also browse the catalogue and check stock on the Makro website before you order.
Scan with your phone camera to open the app, or tap the badge on a phone.
The Makro shopping list
One trip to the Chalong Makro — or one delivery order from the Makro PRO app — covers everything for the dishes above, with enough left over to cook a few more. Aisles roughly group as below; the app uses similar categories.
Fresh aromatics — the foundation
- Lemongrass (takhrai) — Bundled, fresh — usually 6-8 stalks per pack
- Galangal (kha) — Looks like pale ginger; sharper, more piney
- Kaffir lime leaves (bai makrut) — Smaller pack — freeze the rest
- Kaffir limes (makrut) — For zest, not juice
- Thai bird's eye chillies (prik kee noo) — Tiny, very hot — count carefully
- Serrano or large green chillies (prik chee fah) — For green curry paste — milder
- Coriander with roots attached (pak chee) — Roots go in pastes, leaves go on top
- Thai sweet basil (horapa) — Aniseed-scented — for curries
- Holy basil (krapow) — Peppery — for pad krapow
- Spring onions, shallots (small red), garlic
- Fresh turmeric (kamin) — Pencil-sized roots, stains everything yellow
- Pandan leaves (bai toey) — For coconut rice + desserts
Pantry — fish sauces, pastes, dried spices
- Fish sauce (nam pla) — Megachef or Squid Brand — both good
- Light soy sauce (si-ew khao)
- Dark soy sauce (si-ew dum) — For colour, not seasoning
- Oyster sauce — Maekrua or Lee Kum Kee
- Shrimp paste (kapi) — Tra Chang in the small purple tub — essential for curry pastes
- Tamarind paste / pulp — For pad thai + massaman
- Palm sugar (nam tan peep) — Soft cakes in cylinder — break with a knife
- Dried red chillies (prik haeng) — For red curry paste
- Whole spices: white peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise
Coconut
- Coconut milk (Aroy-D or Chaokoh) — UHT cartons — Aroy-D unsweetened is the benchmark
- Coconut cream (hua ka-ti) — Thicker — for mango sticky rice + curries that need cracking
- Young coconut (ma-praow on) — Optional — for fresh juice / desserts
Rice & noodles
- Jasmine rice (khao hom mali) — 5kg bag — Royal Umbrella or Golden Phoenix
- Glutinous / sticky rice (khao niao) — For mango sticky rice + larb
- Fresh rice noodles (sen yai / sen lek) — For pad see ew / pad thai
- Fresh egg noodles — For khao soi
Proteins
- Chicken thigh (boneless) — Better for curries than breast
- Whole prawns, head-on — Heads in the broth = depth
- Stewing beef (shin or chuck) — For massaman
- Pork belly — Optional — for moo hong / pad krapow moo
- Firm tofu — For vegetarian versions of any of the curries
Garnishes & extras
- Pickled mustard greens (pak gaad dong) — For khao soi topping
- Roasted peanuts — Unsalted — for massaman + pad thai
- Dried shrimp (kung haeng) — For som tam if you go there
- Mangoes (nam dok mai) — Yellow, fragrant — ripe ones give to gentle pressure
- Limes (manao) — Smaller and more aromatic than Western limes
A few notes
- Heat is yours to set. Thai cooks add chillies to taste at the table — work conservatively on the first pass and add more at the end. The Thermomix doesn't care; you do.
- Palm sugar tastes nothing like white sugar. If the recipe asks for palm sugar, use palm sugar — Makro's soft-block cylinders are the right thing. White sugar will make the curry taste flat.
- Shrimp paste (kapi) makes the dish. A tiny amount transforms a curry paste from "spice paste" to "Thai curry paste". Don't skip it. The smell is strong; the result is not.
- Don't substitute ginger for galangal. Different plant, different flavour. Makro stocks both clearly labelled.
- Leftover aromatics freeze well. Lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal — bag and freeze the rest. They keep their flavour for months and go straight from frozen into the TM bowl.