An American Expat here in Thailand asked us why we had chosen to travel to Thailand. And my (Nicole’s) answer included something about hearing Thailand was beautiful and the fact that our family LOVES Thai foods.
So, taking a Thai cooking class was one of our travel priorities for our time in Thailand. We figure the only thing better than going to a Thai restaurant is having the skills to create Thai dishes in our home, in our daughter’s future dorms, and in their own homes someday.
Oh, a Thai cooking class was also the perfect 15th birthday gift for our Harmony!
Further, cooking classes fit into our plans for cultural studies: there are few better ways to learn about a culture than to spend time with a resident, explore the fresh produce in the local marketplaces, learn recipes that have been passed down generation after generation, and absorb the scents, tastes, colors, and stories that come rising like steam from a bowl of Khao Soi.
We so enjoyed our half day class at Baan Thai Cookery School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We shared the class with an adventurous woman from Oregon and a honeymooning couple from Israel.
The day started with a drive to the local market to explore the Thai spices and vegetables that would be used in our courses.
Thai food has an aromatic and flavor palate that marks it distinctly from all other world foods. One sniff or taste is all you might need to identify Thai food.
And, if we had to simplify the most vital ingredients down to a “Thai Trifecta,” it would be this: Fish Sauce, Lemongrass, and Keffir Lime.
Thai Fish Sauce — absolutely necessary if you are making Thai food. Perhaps you are scent sensitive like our Hope, and this pungent sauce might smell “gross” to Western noses upon adding it to a recipe, but the resulting flavor is DELICIOUS! Sincerely, if a recipe calls for Fish Sauce, use real Thai Fish Sauce. There is no substitute.
Lemongrass can be dropped whole into soup broths and forms the base of the “Soup Bundle” pictured below. It can also be sliced, usually on the diagonal, as seasoning for curries and other stir-fried dishes.
Kaffir Limes are distinct from “normal” limes in their aroma, flavor, and bumpy appearance. The zest of the Kaffir Lime is a great addition to soups. And don’t forget Kaffir Lime leaves! They are vital for authentic Thai cooking (you can find them sticking out the bottom of the “Soup Bundle” below.
Speaking of the “Soup Bundle,” we saw them in every “fresh market” we visited. They contain lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, sliced galangal (similar to ginger, but distinctly different in aroma and flavor), and sliced turmeric. Drop this in a big pot of coconut milk or water and you are more than half way to a legit Thai soup!
While most of Thailand eats Jasmine rice, people in northern Thailand eat more sticky rice. Once we returned to the Cookery School, we were given a chance to learn how to cook sticky rice, which is steamed, rather than boiled.
Baan Thai Cookery School is set up with a “dining room” side and a kitchen side. The kitchen has a long center butcher block island surrounded by pairs of gas cooking tops around the edges of the room. These cook tops were further equipped with oil, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and any other ingredients that are added while each dish is cooking, carefully staged by the staff in between each course. This design allows Baan to pair up an instructor with the small group of students who have chosen to learn that instructor’s dish.
Once all ingredients were ready, students moved the ingredients over to the individual stove tops where we were guided by the instructor cooking alongside us in their own metal wok through the steps to complete each recipe.
Baan Thai Cookery provided additional instructors to assist Hope to be able to safely chop and cook her own dishes using real knives and her own gas cooking stove top. Over and over I could hear their sweet voices encouraging her, “You can do it! You made that!” She was so proud of her finished dishes!
At the beginning of the class each person choose what 4 courses they wanted to cook, which was so great for our family!
In our group of six people some of us made Pad Thai or Fried Rice for our Stir Fry course.
For the Appetizer course we made Papaya Salad and Spring Rolls.
For the Soup Course, we made coconut milk soup with either chicken or seafood.
Finally, we made either Green Curry with Chicken or Khao Soi.
As you can see in the pictures, all of our girls were fully engaged in the experience of Thai cooking! They can’t wait to share their Thai cooking skill with family and friends back home. Plus, they are excited to have yummy dishes for their school lunches.
Special thanks to the staff at Baan Thai Cookery for going out of your way to make Harmony’s 15th birthday so special by making her a birthday cake!
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