Could someone possibly confirm whether SONG KHRUEANG (ทรงเครื่อง) means 'to add flavour/taste'?

Thank you for your help.

I think ''ทรงเครื่อง'' means 'to decorate' or embellish.

ใส่ is 'to add' in the case of food.

รสชาติ is 'flavour' in reference to food.

Dear Merylhighground,

Thank you for your help, but I need to know if the word SONG KHRUEANG itself actually does mean 'to add flavour/taste'.

. Made of superior ingredients.

Like as I'm doing right now for you only, almost true.

Edited May 12, 201610 yr by evilebxxx

Dear evilebxxx,

Thank you for that information and for the very interesting video.

SONG means (amongst other things) "to balance" so SONG KHRUEANG means "to balance the ingredients".

From the Matichon Dictionary, page 411:

"ทรงเครื่อง ก. แต่งตัว, มีเครื่องประดับ เช่น พระพุทธรูปทรงเครื่อง, โดยปริยายหมายถึงสิ่งที่มีของประดับหรือเครื่องปรุงเป็นพิเศษ เช่น ปลาร้าทรงเครื่อง. . . "

I believe this is support for Oxx's explanation.

Dear Oxx and DavidHouston,

I apologize for the delay in my response, however I seem to have missed this. Unfortunately I am unable read and understand the Thai in DavidHouston's post (Google Translate doesn't help), however I understand that SONG KHRUEANG means 'to balance the ingredients'.

Could it also mean 'rich ingredients/made of superior material' as evilebxxx indicates (and is also show in the Longdo dictionary)?

Thank you for your help.

Could it also mean 'rich ingredients/made of superior material' as evilebxxx indicates (and is also show in the Longdo dictionary)?

Not really. Longdo is simply displaying information from LEXiTRON and is misrepresenting it. LEXiTRON gives "many materials, rich ingredient, made of superior material" as related terms - not as synonymns. The LEXiTRON definition is

(ADJ) extra-ingredient เกี่ยวกับสิ่งที่มีของประดับหรือเครื่องปรุงเกินปกติ

My rough translation:

Concerned with things which have decorative or seasoning properties usually.

I'm now tending to think that "decorated" may be closer to the mark than balanced, as MerylHighGround originally wrote. Some dishes using the term are

เต้าหู้ทรงเครื่อง (tofu) http://www.ezythaicooking.com/free_recipes/Thai-rich-tofu_th.html

ผักกาดขาว ม้วนหมูบดทรงเครื่อง (minced pork stuffed cabbage leaves) https://cookpad.com/th/recipes/722522-ผักกาดขาว-ม้วนหมูบดทรงเครื่อง?ref=search

มะม่วงกรอบทรงเครื่อง (green mango) http://www.healthandcuisine.com/6421/recipe/มะม่วงกรอบทรงเครื่อง/

ไข่ดาวทรงเครื่อง (fried eggs) http://www.thaifoodcookbook.net/thaifoodrecipes_th/thaifood_eggsmenu/eggsmenu_khaidaosongkrueng.html

หมูทรงเครื่องทอด (deep fried pork) http://th.openrice.com/th/recipe/หมูทรงเครื่องทอด/3825

I think this really is a term that needs a native speaker's help. Where's Mole when you need him?

Edited May 18, 201610 yr by Oxx

Dear Oxx,

Thank you so much for that. You have really gone to a lot of trouble researching this!

My Thai is at a very basic level, so it is difficult for me to research and I have to rely on dictionaries, google, etc.

Thank you for the links. I could not copy and google the egg recipe and the deep-fried pork would not open, however I looked at the ingredients in the tofu, cabbage and mango recipes. Common amongst all of them was garlic. Next would be oyster sauce, but I don't know if that provides any clues.

Mole, we need you! Thanks again Oxx, for all your help.

I am pleased to advise that I have found out what SONG KHRUEANG means, in relation to cooking. I decided to ask Pai, a Thai cooking teacher who lives in the US. She is a Thai native and also has an excellent command of English, as well as being well-versed in Thai cuisine. She has a fantastic cooking site called Hot Thai Kitchen. Here is a link for her site:

http://hot-thai-kitchen.com/

Her reply was:

That word doesn’t really mean anything in particular. When added to a dish name, it suggests that the dish has more ingredients and garnishes added to it than a regular version. People just like to add it to the dish name because it makes the dish sound more fancy, decked out with lots of toppings. It’s like saying “deluxe”, you know, here’s a cheese burger, and here’s a “deluxe cheese burger” which maybe has mushrooms, bacon and a bunch of other fixings.

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I think this solves our problem.

Thank you all for your help.