Chef’s Talk | Stories from Krua Tor Khao, Navela Hotel Ratchaburi
Some dishes begin with a carefully planned recipe. Others grow from recognising the value of what is already close at hand. Krua Tor Khao’s homemade vegetable tofu with chilli and salt began during the hotel's quietest days, before becoming a dish that guests return to order again.
How it began during lockdown
During the COVID lockdown, Navela Hotel Ratchaburi welcomed fewer guests, but the vegetables in Vela Garden continued to flourish. The team shared some of the harvest with the community and gave the rest to the chef to explore new dishes and make the most of the fresh ingredients.
At the same time, the chef was looking for something the kitchen could prepare in-house to add protein to a meal. Experiments began with tofu made from soybeans, mixed with finely chopped vegetables from the garden, eventually becoming Navela’s homemade vegetable tofu.
A simple dish the hotel team came to love
When the vegetable tofu was tossed in a hot pan with chilli and salt, its aroma and balanced spicy, savoury flavour turned an experiment into a favourite among the hotel staff.
After lockdown restrictions eased, the chef added it to the menus at Krua Tor Khao and Vela Pool Bar. Guests enjoyed its simplicity: the texture of the homemade tofu, vegetables in every bite and the moreish chilli-and-salt seasoning.
The homemade vegetable tofu also found its way into other dishes, including Navela Pad Thai, served with soft tofu, and homemade vegetable tofu with mapo sauce for those who prefer a richer flavour.
More than a signature dish: a memory for the kitchen team
For the chef, this dish is a lesson in simplicity: care for ingredients and attention at every stage can give an everyday dish a special story.
The kitchen team also recalls with pride that the homemade vegetable tofu was once included in a meal prepared for Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It remains a treasured memory for the people who helped create the dish.
From vegetables growing in Vela Garden during the hotel's quiet days, homemade vegetable tofu with chilli and salt has become a dish that expresses Navela’s identity through simplicity, care and the chef’s dedication.
On your next visit to Ratchaburi, taste the story for yourself at Krua Tor Khao or Vela Pool Bar, Navela Hotel Ratchaburi.