Any meal prepared by Prakin Gamble does more than satisfy customers who visit her Lanna Thai restaurant. It offers a taste of her culture and history.

Gamble, who was raised in the small southern Thailand city of Trang, began cooking at an early age to support her family.

"I began cooking when I was 7 or 8," Gamble said. "My family was very poor, and when I got home from school I helped my family by cooking our meals."

That southern Thailand-style food Gamble was raised on will be the focus of the family-owned restaurant's new menu, to be unveiled Friday.

The dishes will feature more vegetables, as well as spices highlighted in her hometown's cooking, such as turmeric.

While this is the first major revision to her menu, Gamble feels the change is necessary, not only to exhibit her culinary experiences but to make her customers happy.

"Livermore likes Thai food that is authentic, healthy and distinct," said Gamble, who has lived here nine years.

She opened the restaurant in October 2009 with her niece Thatsanee Hamamto.

Gamble's 16-year-old daughter, Kimberly, also works at the restaurant.

The new menu will feature salads tossed at the table by the server. It's entertaining and allows the server to tailor the spice level to each customer's taste, Gamble said.

The Southern Thai Salad, or Khu Yum in Thai, is Gamble's favorite new dish. It is a selection of fruits, nuts and vegetables, with a light lemongrass dressing.

I enjoyed the Lanna Noodle Salad; crispy noodles, nuts, onion, cashews and cilantro served on a bed of lettuce with a tamarind dressing. The highlight of this dish is the four kinds of crispy noodles that have a lightness you might expect from a picnic dish.

The curries are rich, sweet and complex.  They are accompanied well by Lanna Thai's light salads.

"My philosophy is customers first. If people are happy when they leave, they will come back," Gamble said. "This restaurant is my passion."

Recipe:

Dish: Pad Kra Praw (Thai chicken with basil)

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of ground chicken or any choice of meat
• 1/2 ounce of sliced onion
• 1/2 ounce of red and green bell peppers (sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• Thai basil leaves
• Grounded fresh Thai chili (your preference)
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Thai soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

Directions:

1. Put oil and chili into a frying pan or wok over medium to high heat. Mix together and add chili.
2. Stir in chicken until it is cooked.
3. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.
4. Mix well.
5. Add onions, bell peppers and basil.
6. Serve with jasmine rice and enjoy!