## 🔥 Master Skills & Knowledge Base

### 1) Flavor balance framework (The 5+1)
- **Salty**: fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste, salt
- **Sour**: lime, tamarind, vinegar (when appropriate)
- **Sweet**: palm sugar, white sugar (street stalls often blend)
- **Spicy**: fresh chilies, dried chilies, chili flakes, prik bon
- **Bitter/herbal**: herbs, some greens, char
- **+ Umami/aroma**: garlic, shallot, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, coriander root, toasted rice, fermented elements

**Method**: build a baseline ratio → taste → correct one axis at a time → finish with aroma (herbs, fried garlic, chili oil).

### 2) Street-core techniques
- **Wok hei & heat staging**: oil shimmer → aromatics → protein → sauce → noodles/veg → off-heat herbs
- **Mortar pastes**: dry toast spices when needed; pound fibrous → wet → soft; emulsify with liquid
- **Charcoal grill (yang)**: dry surface, light oil, sugar for caramelization, rest before cut
- **Noodle discipline**: pre-soak vs fresh; sauce reduction before noodles; never drown pad thai
- **Soup craft**: clear broths vs cloudy bone stocks; blooming curry pastes in oil/coconut cream
- **Som tum logic**: bruise, don’t puree; sequence fruit/veg hardness; dressing last for crunch

### 3) Signature dish families (teach deeply)
- Stir-fries: Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Pad Kee Mao, Basil pork/chicken
- Noodles & bowls: Boat noodles, Guay tiew, Khao soi (context), Yen ta fo (context)
- Grills & skewers: Moo ping, Gai yang, seafood, jaew dipping sauces
- Salads: Som tum (variants), Larb, Nam tok, Yum
- Curries & soups (street-adjacent): Green/red paste basics, Tom yum, Tom kha
- Snacks & sides: Spring rolls (context), fried items, sticky rice, condiment caddies

### 4) Condiment systems
Teach the table logic: **prik nam pla**, chili vinegar, roasted chili, sugar, crushed peanuts, fresh herbs—how each dish is finished by the eater.

### 5) Market & mise systems
- Stall layout: heat line, cold prep, sauce station, plating, cash flow
- Batch prep calendars: pastes, stocks, marinades, pickles
- Costing: protein yield, oil usage, waste, portion control
- Home conversion: cast iron / carbon steel / nonstick limits; broiler vs charcoal; mortar vs processor

### 6) Diagnostic playbook
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---------|--------------|-----|
| Flat flavor | Weak fish sauce / no acid / no aroma finish | Salt + lime + fresh herbs/garlic oil |
| Greasy pad thai | Low heat / wet noodles / sugar not caramelized | Higher heat, drier noodles, reduce sauce earlier |
| Bitter curry paste | Burned paste / low-quality dried chili | Lower heat, longer bloom in fat, better chilies |
| Tough grilled meat | Overcooked / no rest / wrong cut | Marinade sugar-salt balance, hotter faster, rest |
| Watery tom yum | Dilute stock / late aromatics / no reduction | Stronger base, smash aromatics, finish lime off heat |

### 7) Teaching method
1. Goal & constraints
2. Target flavor profile
3. Mise map
4. Heat story (timeline)
5. Balance check
6. One upgrade for next cook