Suananda – Ayurvedic Haven in Bangkok

By
Asaree Thaitrakulpanich
|
December 7, 2024
8 min
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Before plant-based frozen hamburger patties and hot yoga were a trend in Bangkok, a quaint eatery was already serving up the freshest Indian vegetarian food you could find. Nestled in a verdant garden café in the heart of Sathorn, Suananda has been a culinary haven since its introduction in 2009.

Over a decade later, Suananda still welcomes guests with not just Indian, but international vegetarian delicacies. In a lush enclave on Pan Road, a mere stone's throw from the lively Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu Temple, Suananda draws in expats, locals, and tourists alike. They find themselves seated beneath the swaying palm trees, beside the gentle, trickling waterfall, catching up over a dish of millet crepe filled with spinach and paneer.

Suananda is just a short walk from Saint Louis BTS station. Look for the mural representing the five Ayurvedic Elements, and turn into a little alley roofed by the green shade of vines, leading to a cosy house with open-air dining underneath the tropical almond tree.

The soul of Suananda is the Chansirchavala family, in particular the matriarch, Sukesh Chansrichavalai.

“Our family has been vegetarian for five generations,” says Shireen Chansrichavala, Sukesh’s daughter.

“Opening this restaurant had always been my mother’s dream, because we know how to cook nutritious vegetarian dishes from a diverse range of cuisines.”

A fan favourite of backpackers and expats since its early days, Suananda specialises in providing Ayurvedic cooking, and yoga classes. Shireen’s mother, Sukesh Chansrichavalai was the founding life force behind Suananda. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit words “Su”, signifying “good,” as well as the prefix of her name, and “ananda” translating to “ultimate bliss.”

While Sukesh emigrated from Northern India almost 40 years ago to Thailand, Shireen’s father was born in Thailand. Their story unfolds as a celebration of their cultural heritage, seamlessly integrating Thailand’s diverse cultural groups into their offerings, featuring Burmese, Thai, Western dishes and even Japanese soba, all crafted with an Ayurvedic touch.

Yoga for the Mind and Body

Long before yoga became a staple in every Bangkokians Tuesday morning routine, Sukesh was already teaching authentic Hatha yoga, accumulating thirty years of experience.

Sukesh offers personalised 10-class yoga courses, where participants gain knowledge centred on Asanas (physical postures) and Pranayama (breath control) specifically tailored to their unique bodies.

“Hatha yoga is about being in the present moment with proper breathing and meditation,” Shireen says. “It’s not about forcing or pressing yourself into poses that you can’t do.”

If you’d rather do yoga in a class setting, free yoga classes are also offered from 7am to 8am on Mondays, led by Sandeep Chatterjee.

Suananda also extends its holistic Ayurvedic retreats in Chiang Mai under the name Mahi Retreat. Founded in November 2019, Mahi Retreat provides participants with a four to five-days holistic experience on a scenic 30 rai landscape. Sukesh offers intensive yoga and Ayurvedic sessions complemented by Ayurvedic meals.

Participants can even opt for a one-day yogic detox, where they are guided through the process of drinking saline water, and doing specific yoga postures that facilitate the expulsion of water through the digestive tract.

“It’s actually quite packed, since we want people to get the most out of the retreat,” Shireen says.

Balancing Doshas on a Plate

Sukesh, who crafted Ayurvedic vegetarian meals for her family, dreamt of offering the same high-quality, holistic, and healthy food to the public. Before the vegan trend gained momentum, Suananda was a hidden gem known mostly to backpackers and expats. As wellness and veganism gained traction globally, including among Bangkokians, Suananda began to see an influx of local patrons.

Suananda serves up Ayurvedic dishes from various cuisines, made up of wholefoods prepared fresh daily. All of their menu items can be adapted to become vegan by either omitting fresh paneer or substituting buttermilk.

“We don’t use the microwave or imitation meats,” says Shireen. “Everything on the menu is made by us and is something we feed our own family.”

In Ayurveda, the five elements—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space manifest as physiological and psychological functions in the body. Three “doshas,” or combinations of primary body types are made from these elements. A body with a predominance of Earth and Water elements aligns with the "Kapha'' dosha. The "Pitta" dosha, on the other hand, is characterised by a combination of Water and Fire, while the “Vata” dosha is identified by the presence of Air and Space elements.

According to Shireen, each individual has a unique balance of doshas which determine their constitution, temperament, and vulnerabilities to imbalances and ailments. The three different doshas are prone to different imbalances and temperaments, and need different “tastes” of food. “The best way to heal through food is by eating wholefoods which contain necessary life force, or “prana,” explains Shireen.

The Ayurvedic diet involves balancing the six tastes: sweet, salty, sour, astringent, bitter, and pungent. Set lunches at Suananda seamlessly include all these tastes in a single meal, with a specific focus on tridoshic foods that are beneficial for all doshas. Their meals are adept at balancing all doshas. While Ayurveda provides guidance on food choices based on an individual’s predominant dosha, Shireen emphasises that “it is essential to delve deeper into understanding one's body and Ayurveda, rather than making decisions based on a cursory reading.”  

Savouring Wellness

Shireen guided me through the experience of eating ayurvedically with the two sets we had for lunch: Suananda Ayurveda (255 baht). This set includes a daal of the day, vegetable sabzi, buttermilk, rice, and roti.

“Begin your meal with raw foods, like salads and raw veggies, as they are heaviest to digest,” advised Shireen. She also recommends starting with a piece of ginger to ignite the digestive fire." We tucked into the Gotu kola salad, which cuts through the “bitter” and “astringent” tastes with its light, nutty dressing. A cup salad of sprouted beans with diced beets and carrots provide a zesty, and slightly more grounding base for the meal to come.

The next step is to eat the cooked vegetables, like okra, and complex carbohydrates such as the rice, roti, and papadum. Papadum is a crispy, thin disc eaten alongside the other foods that provide a satisfying crunch. The okra is perfectly done, with not a hint of grease and the rice is served as both jasmine white and organic red rice.

For protein, we indulged in the light, yet nutty veggie-filled daal. After the salad, feel free to ping pong between different parts of the meal as you finish it. Finally, wash it all down with slightly spiced buttermilk, which will aid in digestion.

Despite all the colourful offerings on the menu, I often come back to this Ayurvedic set, for its lightness and startling simplicity, that holds decades worth of vegetable cooking expertise. The stomach is pleasantly full and satiated, providing a comforting and soothing sensation. Interestingly, the carnivore in me didn't even register the absence of meat.

Another popular set menu at Suananda is the Love Thy Neighbour set (285 THB), which has vegan Burmese Khao Soy, chickpea tofu, and semolina coconut sabzi. The menu choice originates from one of Suananda’s Burmese cooks, and is named to foster cross-border friendship.

Similar to the previous course, begin with the raw vegetables, this time by adding them to the vegan Khao Soy.

Experience tanginess, fibre, and crunch as you sink into the silky curry and its noodles. Take a heat break every now and again with the refreshing, smooth, nutty chickpea tofu, textured with sesame and fried shallots.

Instead of buttermilk, conclude the meal with a delightful serving of semolina coconut barfi, a traditional Indian sweet. True to Suananda’s culinary ethos, no refined sugar is used.

Among my personal favourites are the Soba Samadhi set (295 baht) and the Pani Puri (130 baht). Pairing them creates a harmonious blend of diverse ethnic cuisines while promoting healthy and holistic well-being. Suananda’s rendition of pani puri, a popular Indian street food snack,  features a crispy puri filled with delicious potato and a refreshing mint dip.

Japan meets Ayurveda in Soba Samadhi, where the buckwheat noodles are complemented by carrot, nori, cabbage, and a lightly textured, grilled teriyaki tofu. A miso kimchi soup on the side accentuates the dish, providing a tangy contrast.

One is left, again, feeling light and satisfied. Suananda remains a cornerstone of Ayurvedic wellness and cuisine in the heart of Sathorn. A family business steeped in ethnic heritage and personal passion, it offers a worthwhile experience that may even transform the minds of those less inclined towards healthy living. While trends and fad diets may come and go, Ayurveda and wholefoods are here to stay. So stroll into the shady soi, under the green-shaded light of the overhanging vines, and sit beneath the tropical almond tree, while savouring an okra dish or two.

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