Thai Cooking Class

We've been in Chiang Mai a few days now, and one of the highlights has been taking a cooking course. I didn't really know what to expect, but it turned out to be a really good time. The day started out with a tour of a local market, so we could try and identify all of the veggies and spices that we'd be cooking with. I don't think I got it all quite memorized, but I did get a bunch of lush pictures of all the fresh foods for sale.


lots o' veggies


chilies are a must!


And here we are at the school...aren't we quite the model students?


making green curry


steamed fish souffles


Tom Yam soup - beware!


All of my completed dishes: green curry, cashew chicken stir fry, fish cakes, red curry fish souffle, and the tom yam...I think it's safe to say I had enough to eat for lunch that day.
The day was very fast paced, as all of those dishes were made before lunch. After lunch, we made Pad Thai and spring rolls, as well as learned how to use a tomato peel to make a rose garnish. I wouldn't say that I got an excellent understanding of any of the dishes, but it was very helpful to know what spices/sauces go into each dish to give it that distinct sweet/salty/sour/spicy balance. I got the general gist of things. I think, with an arsenal of fish and oyster sauce, sugar, chicken stock, and dried chilies (in addition to all the fresh ingredients and curry pastes), I'll be able to customize any Thai dish to my exact taste preferences. I don't see myself grinding my own curry paste with a mortar and pestle, but hey, I did get a lot out of the day. I'll be very interested in testing out my skills when I get home.