If you're wondering about her signature dish, the proper answer is crab and macadamia milk, a blue swimmer crab paired with super luxurious macadamia milk and served in ice with jaggery emulsified together with a long peppercorn oil on the bottom.
We're talking about Garima Arora, the 33-year-old chef running Gaa in Bangkok, the first Indian female chef to gain a Michelin star in 2018. Garima's cuisine is modern eclectic, and her dishes fuse Thai local produce with Indian technique.
Arora started out as a journalist before discovering her love of the culinary arts, training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and graduating in 2010 before spending her formative years at Noma in Copenhagen and refining her skills under chef René Redzepi. In 2016 Arora moved to Asia taking up the position of sous chef at Gaggan's eponymous restaurant in Bangkok, before opening her own place, Gaa just a year later, in the same street where Gaggan is located.
Last year, Garima was named the Best Female Chef title ahead of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards ceremony. Accepting the prize, Arora said: “This award is a validation of our team’s hard work and commitment to excellence. I am honoured that chefs and respected industry peers voting on this award recognise and appreciate our efforts.”
Below, you can feast your eyes with some of her most beautiful creations. Enjoy!
Bitter Green Fleabread
Blue Swimmer Crab Long Peppercorn and Macadamia Milk
Corn with Corn Milk
Liquid Banana Bread
Marian Plum Tomato Fennel
Pork Rib
Savory Betel Leaf
Strawberry Caviar How Wor Oil
Unripe Jackfruit Roti Pickles
