So I know this is a long time coming, but hopefully it is good. Before going to Thailand I was really nervous about the food and having stomach issues, but that being said I still really wanted to try a cooking class and all the amazing food people rave about. Last summer when we were in Italy I wanted to do a cooking class, but they were way too expensive and we ended up passing on it. Not this time! Our first night in Chaing Mai Mae called up a few cooking schools and we booked a class with Siam Rice Thai Cookery School (top ranked cooking school on tripadvisor). Mae was a little hesitate because she had been cooking Thai food for two years, but with a special recipe requests even Mae got to do a few new things. I want to note that the first thing we did was go to the farmers market and they explained all the common Thai ingredients and all the food used for the day was fresh from the market! This class was teaching us all the basics and for me it was perfect. I have never cooked Thai food so this was a great introduction, plus our teacher, Nancy was full of fun.
First and and second course
Marisa
Chicken in coconut milk soup
Pad Thai
Mae
Tom Yum Goong soup
Spring Rolls
Chopping up all the fresh ingredients. And yes we used that knife to cut everything, now I want one.
Getting the ingredients that go in the spring rolls ready
Using a wok for the first time. Check out that flame. I am in the market for a wok now.
Mae getting detailed instructions on how to fold a spring roll the right way
Frying up the spring rolls
Pause in the cooking and time to eat. First and second course were a total success.
Mae's spring rolls were some of the best I have ever had. So crispy!
Her Tom Yum Goong soup. A little spicy for me, but everyone else loved it
Third and Fourth Course
Marisa
Yellow curry paste made from scratch
Yellow chicken curry
Mae
Green curry paste from scratch
Green chicken curry
Made together
Buck's request- spicy pork sausage balls-laap moo tawd
All the ingredients you might need to make some curry paste
Just getting started
Almost there
Final product-curry paste made from scratch. Let me tell you one thing it was a lot of work, but at least now I know how to make it. But I will be buying curry paste packets most days just like most Thai people do.
Yellow Chicken curry
Green chicken curry
This one was made by request of Buck
Just think little porkballs
Everything is better when it is fried, right?
They let us take this one home for the boys and they loved them!
The whole class
Our fabulous teachers, Nancy and Pot. Thank you so much!
I can honestly say the cooking class paid off because I made my first Thai dish in Germany all on my own. I am obsessed with curry at the moment and can't wait to make my next dish. On a side note Justin and I tried Indian food on our Thailand trip for thr first time and all I have to say what have we been waiting for. Indian food is amazing. So between Indian curry and Thai curry I am getting my fill.
Wish I had a wok, but everything turned out great.
Stamp of approval of my Thai culinary skills.
My girl, Katy even got me a Thai cooking book for my bday! Watch out world this kitchen will be making Thai food for a while. Everything is true what they say about Thai food. It is cheap and amazing. Thank God for Buck and Mae because most days we said just order anything. They would order a variety of food and it was a great way to try a ton of Thai food. One of my favorite appetizers was a fried minced shrimp paddy, need to learn how to make those. No stomach issues on the trip and lots of Thai food was consumed, I would call that is a success.
--Marisa
