I had my first spicy food when I was two years old, says Bangkok-born chef Suwisa Phoonsang.
Phoonsang is currently the head chef at Naga, a regional Thai restaurant in Brisbane but her first exposure to full-blast chillies took place in Thailand, where she grew up.
Phoonsang didn t experience the fiery ingredient by accident, either she actually sought it out.
Her parents had taken her to a local market in the country s south. As they stopped to have some food, she pointed out something she wanted. It was gang tai pa with khanom jeen one of the spicy dishes in the south of Thailand , Phoonsang explains. She compares it to a curry-style soup.