Ode to the grill I didn’t know I needed: A brief history of Mookata and all its charms
[This piece was originally published on 17 Jun 2025]
As I opened the door, I glanced at the small white board next to the cashier. My name was there, written alongside others as if we were all part of a secret club I didn’t know about.
“Hi, I booked on Facebook? Two people.” I exclaimed with a smile, articulating every word. I realised it sounded more like a question.
“Hi, welcome. Here.” the young waitress replied pointing at a table.
I was excited. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Sukhumvit in Bangkok, I had selected this barbecue joint amongst many others in the hope of a tranquil experience. It was a small family-owned business equipped with air conditioning and cold beers, fresh meats, and most importantly: mookata. It ticked all the boxes.
Wait. Mookata, what’s that?
Mookata (in Thai: หมูกระทะ), also transcribed as Mu Kratha or Moo Krata depending on who you ask, is a Thai cooking method that has gained popularity around South East Asia. If you have never seen it before, you can think of it as a combination between Chinese/Japanese hotpot and Korean barbecue with its own Thai signature flavours.
The literal translation of its name is “pork pan”. As its name suggests, meat plays a big role. So does the pan. Usually made of aluminium, steel or brass, the mookata skillet has a convex domed center where meats are grilled. As the heat from charcoal or a gas flame heats up the pan, the meat juices from the top drip directly into the lower level where soup - usually a bland vegetable stock or even just water - is boiling up.
Different kinds of meat, seafood, vegetables and rice vermicelli noodles are cooked this way, and it is pretty much up to you where to cook what and when. More often than not, a piece of pork fat is provided to start off the cooking process, and both oil the grill and enrich the soup, but the rest is really up to you. The general agreement is that dipping sauces complete the dish. Sweet, spicy and sour dipping sauces are always served on the side. So is smoke, that’s free of charge and comes with the experience! My shirt smelled so strongly of barbecue that there was nothing else to do but wash it.
Mookata’s exact origins are somewhat mysterious and that’s what makes it double the fun. It is the perfect example of a modern food experience that came into being as a result of transnational cultural exchanges, historical events and creative efforts.
According to legends, the idea of grilling meat on a hot pan started from soldiers who decided to use their helmets as a cooking tool. Which soldiers that was is up for discussions. Some claim it was Mongolian warriors from Genghis Khan days, others say it was Korean soldiers, others say it was the Thais. Regardless of who it was at the beginning - I mean, it’s never really so black or white when it comes to food, is it - mookata’s rise in popularity in Thailand is a much more modern phenomenon.
Several overlapping theories and historical events are at play.
For starters, regional cuisines always influence each other in ways that are difficult to trace and measure. Grilling meat on fire is a culinary tradition deeply-rooted in many areas around the world including the northeast of Thailand, a region named Isan. Popular dishes such as gai yang (marinated chicken grilled over charcoal) and sai krok isaan (fermented pork sausage grilled on open fire) are a testimony of how important fire has been for centuries, as much as how relevant grassroots culinary exchanges amongst neighbouring countries in the area - in this case Vietnam and Laos, other grill loving places - have been.
Similarly, the idea of cooking meat and vegetables in hot soup has also developed over time. Popularised by Chinese migrants that settled in Thailand starting from the 1700s, hotpot evolved and was adapted to local preferences throughout time until a new dish - suki, an original Thai take on Chinese steamboat (i.e. hotpot) - officially came into being in the 1960s.
Why combine the two though?
Let’s go back to the 1970s. In response to the oil crisis, many Japanese enterprises decided to move their manufacturing facilities to Thailand, a place that had already embraced Japanese culture and food for more than a decade by then. At a time when Japanese products were a symbol of modernity, a growing Bangkok became a hub for Japanese factories making tools and cooking equipment.
Amongst the items being produced, pans for Jingisukan (Hokkaido style grill lamb bbq dish with a dome-shaped middle) allegedly overspilled to local markets. Based on stories from old Bangkok Chinatown residents, this type of pan became available for purchase in Yaowarat. Gradually, several small restaurant owners decided to innovate their businesses (already serving grilled dishes and soups) by adding a new hybrid option to their menu; that’s how it all got started.
Ever since, the pot design has changed (e.g. the rim is higher, allowing for more soup to be boiled) and so has the outlook of this dish. The growing influence of Korean popular culture since the early 2000s - including barbecue traditions - solidified the charm of grilling pork on the table and made mookata what it is today: a uniquely (and incredibly popular) Thai experience.
It’s more than just a way of cooking. It’s a whole multisensory experience in itself. It is something meant to be shared with others. Something associated with joy and happiness. That’s certainly how I felt too. Sipping away a (not by my choice diluted with ice) cold Chang beer surrounded by smoky fumes and the sizzling from neighbouring grills, I was immersed and captivated by the atmosphere. I listened to the waitress’ instructions on how to operate the pot until an energetic auntie came along bringing the plates of raw meats and vegetables that we had ordered as a set.
There were cuts of pork, chicken and beef as well as squid and plump prawns. Leaves of white cabbage, carrots, mushroom and morning glory surrounded a nest of vermicelli noodles in a separate tray. We scanned the table, excited yet hesitant. We didn’t really know where to start.
Before we could ask, the auntie stepped in.
“This: mix, mix!” She exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing at the bowl of rice and the raw egg on the side, and moving her wrist.
“Okay! Thank you!” - I replied with an even bigger smile before placing the fattiest pork on the plate on top of the grill.
A cloud of smoke and steam snaked its way up towards the fan.
That was only the beginning, my beginning. Within seconds, I was hooked. I was already fond of barbecue and hotpot. Having the two combined in one is just pure genius. It is something I didn’t know I needed until I had it. In my eyes - and in my belly - it is a genuine feast.
There is something oddly particular about “working” together with others around such a pot, and alternating the flavours of charred meat with boiled protein or vegetables. There is a certain pace to it. What makes it extra special is that it is really up to you. Everything is up to you. It is up to you to decide the order of things, to decide the speed, and to decide the dipping sauces.
Thinking about the fact that such a cooking experience is born out of a combination of different culinary traditions and ways of eating is nothing but a reminder of how food is never fixed. Modern food experiences are about community as much as exchange. Someone decided to take the best of what they saw around, mix it together and come up with something new. I am both thankful and fascinated by it.
This is my ode to mookata and all the culinary inventions with mixed origins. If there is a club for it, I want to be part of it. There, I said it.