Now We Are Cooking
Chiang Mai, Thailand
March 27, 2009
I tried the traditional Thai breakfast today. It was pretty good - it is a rice soup with little pork meatballs. The fruit has been very good at this hotel too - watermelon, banana and pineapple. Bill went wild and ordered the American breakfast again!
We beat the rest of the crowd and had breakfast by ourselves on the patio. It was very serene - we were at a round glass table with wrought iron chairs and comfortable cushions. Beside us is a large waterfall. It is starting to get warm already as the sun is rising and the sky is clear. It is very peaceful except when the scooters go by or the rooster crows or the dogs start barking...
At 9:25 a van picked us up at our hotel to go to Smart Cook, a Thai Cookery School Best Buffet in the World. We are going to learn how to prepare an appetizer, soup, salad, stir fried dish, curry paste, chicken curry dish, and dessert.
After introductions (ladies from England, Germany, Indonesia and Korea) and placing our food selections we walked over to Sompet Market. They have a wonderful selection of beautiful produce. It seems that this is the spot where all the cooking schools bring there classes; we saw 3 or 4 other groups there. Bill is the only guy in our group of ten, but there are other guys in some of the other classes.
Our chef spent a good length of time explaining the types of vegetables and the dishes that they would be appropriate for. Since it was a small group, I was able to stand near her and record everything! She also showed us the different types of noodles and rice used in Thai dishes. The pricing is different for rice based on the type (Jasmine or sticky) and the region it was grown. She also showed us different spices and sauces (fish sauce, oyster sauce, ect) that are used in the dishes that we will be making Food for Miles - The Bagan of Buffets.
Back at the school we start by preparing soup. I made hot and sour prawn soup (tom yam kung) and Bill made chicken in coconut milk soup (tom kaa kai). My soup was not too spicy and was really very tasty. I like it better than a soup with coconut. I prefer coconut as a dessert. I learned that the lemon grass, kaffir and galangal are meant to flavour the soup and are not to be eaten, so leave them in your bowl. Everything that we cooked, we ate as we went along. We were never hungry!
While that was cooling Bill learned how to make fried noodles Thai style aka Pad Thai (phat Thai) with the chef and I learned how to prepare fried chicken with cashews (kai phat met-ma-maung) with the assistant chef. I really enjoyed the chicken and cashew, we had added a mushroom called elephant ears that is very tasty, I hope I can find that back home. The Pad Thai was good too, I would have liked it a bit spicier though.
Next the chef showed us how to prepare the filling for the spring rolls (paw-pia thawt). It was cooked in a wok and needs to cool before it can be wrapped and then fried. The filling contained glass noodles, tofu, Chinese chives/green onion, bean sprouts, garlic and then we cooked in oil with oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar and water.
While waiting for the spring roll filling to cool I learned how to make papaya salad (som tam) and Bill leaned how to make savoury minced chicken salad (lab kai). All of the ingredients for my dish went into a pestle and mortar - 1st the garlic and fresh green chilli, then the long green beans (chopped first), then 1/2 tomato sliced into thirds, palm sugar (can use brown sugar and a bit of honey), a squeeze of lime, and fish sauce. We then added the finely sliced green papaya and carrots (could be made with cucumber, apple, mango, watermelon) and then it was topped with roasted halved peanuts.
After that we were able to roll our filling or banana into the spring roll wrappers. We learned the proper technique, so that nothing spills our when you are frying them. It is similar for the summer rolls (rice wrappers), but you have to do less folding. I taped this part so we will remember how to do it 3 months from now. In order to determine if the oil in the wok is hot enough, you need to put an end of one of the rolls in first. If it bubbles, you are ready to go. Then you slide them all in (no splashing) and turn them until they are golden on all sides.
The papaya salad was so delicious, very tangy, not sweet! Bill's minced chicken salad was very good too. I am going to have to order both of those salads from a restaurant here at least once - nice change from Pad Thai. The spring rolls turned out well. They tasted very fresh, not like what you get in the frozen section or from a restaurant. The banana rolls are very good with condensed milk.
We then had a 1/2 hour break. We used the time to go for a walk and to feed my Thai iced tea habit. We found a nice little coffee/chocolate cafe and guest house up the road on Moon Maung.
When we returned there was a darling little girl who was not shy at all. She was proudly displaying her colouring book, some drawings and colouring for all of us. She had to make sure that each person saw and admired them. I wish we had the bag to give her some stickers. Her mother and her left while we began our next lesson and she waved good-bye to all of us!
The chef showed us to how make green curry (nam-phrik kaeng khiaw-waan), red curry (nam-phrik kaeng phet) and phanag curry (nam-phrik kaeng pha-naeng) paste in the mortar. The only difference between red curry and phanag curry is the additon of peanuts to the phanag curry. We each had a turn adding an ingredient (chilli, garlic, shallot, lemon grass, galangal, corriandr, kaffir, coriander, cumin, salt and shrimp paste and mixing/mashing it together. It is a lengthy process and the kitchen staff continued to work on it while we learned how to make the dessert. It is an easier/acceptable process if you make it with a food processor.
We were then shown how to make banana (or pumpkin (buat fak-thawng)) in coconut milk and sweet sticky rice with mangoes (khoa-neeaw ma-muang). Coconut milk is heated with sugar and salt for both recipes then the bananas, pumpkin or rice is added until cooked through (around 10 minutes), not too much stirring. I liked the sticky rice more than the banana dessert. I thought that the bananas were too firm. Bill did not like either because of the coconut, but I think I would try making the sticky rice with condensed milk. I think it would also be good with some cinnamon or nutmeg.
If anyone needs to hire a private Thai chef, Bill or I are avaible starting June 12th!
It was after 2:00 when we rolled ourselves out of there. We decided to walk back to the hotel to work some of that food off. It was well worth the 900 bhat each, our pictures will be up on the site next month when the owner returns (www.smartcookthailand.com). We also received a great little cookbook with all of the recipes that the course offered. Guess I don't need to buy a Thailand cookbook now!
After we watched the end of "Shaft" on the movie channel in our room, I stopped for another Thai iced tea and we came to the internet cafe.
I thought we were going to see some boxing, but after the internet he grabbed a tuk tuk driver and asks him if he knows a big BBQ place. Neither the driver or I know what he is talking about. After some back and forth between Bill and the driver we are in and heading to get some food. I am still puzzled. It is supposed to be a BBQ place where you cook your own food in the middle of your table (like the Japanese place near Somerset?). Bill explains that he heard about this place on a podcast from Lonely Planet. He has a vague idea where it is, but no name for some reason....
As we get closer Bill asks the driver if he knows where 1 Hillside Condo 4 is. He points to a large building in the distance that looks like an apartment building. OK... As we get closer Bill tells me that we have to walk down a dirt lane by this condo. When we get there we see a lane as he described and another tuk tuk driver says he will pick us up when we are done our seafood, so I guess we are going in the right direction.
As we get closer there are lots of motorbikes going by and at then end of the lane we see lots of parked vehicles. Off to the right it looks like a large beer tent is set up for a fair. As we come around the corner, there is NO English, but there are lots of people sitting at tables and there is a stage with some entertainment. It looks like we have found the BBQ. There are wooden and plastic tabes and chairs filled with people. It is quite a site. In the middle of the "tent" are long tables filled with food. We walked the length of the building to find an empty table that is close to the buffet tables. As we are sitting down a waiter comes and takes our drink order and another guy shows up, places a tin plate down and then a pot of fire and coals. It is then covered by an aluminum bowl that reminds me of something you would serve chips and salsa in or a bundt pan. There are small slats at the top and it is bent upward at the bottom to form a moat. The waiter pour some water into the pan from the tea pot on our table. This is going to be the broth that we can cook in (like fondue).
I went to one of the buffet tables and selected some prawns, squid, chicken, beef and some greens. When I get back to the table, Bill goes for some more things to grill. I placed all the meat on our grill and am not sure what to do with the greens. The two ladies beside me motion for me to place them in the broth (ah ha!). The also lend me their tongs to turn the meat over instead of using my hands. They are very amused by us dumb Canadians (I think the waiter was supposed to give us tongs and did not, I could not find a pair anywhere).
I started eating some of my grilled treats and the girls motion toward the curry sauces. There are 4 bowls of sauces along with some in jars. That will spice things up a bit!! I also found some lime juice and garlic to add to the broth. Once Bill is back I head off again. The amused pair next to us help him out while I am gone too. They are making fun of us, but who cares, they are also helping us.
Did I mention that we just spent the entire day cooking and eating food? I am not sure that this is the best time to go to the largest buffet I have ever seen in my life. I was thinking a snack would suffice for dinner... Oh well, no going back now.
I wanted to try out some of the salads. I have seen many things on menus or on the street that I am curious about, but hate to spend money on if I am not going to like it. Now is the perfect opportunity. I found papaya salad, many kinds of seafood salads, fried meat and seafood, and many kinds of fruit (I tried and liked them all).
Bill told me that he saw some of the Chinese puffs that I like. The colour on the top indicates what type it is, but I have no idea and there is no one to ask, so I took one of each. One was purple on the outside, I had not seen that before, it was sweet. The one that was orange/red on top was spicy. The brown and yellow ones were sweet. There was one that was green and shaped differently (it had a pork ball in it). They were all good and now I know what to choose. I did like the ones in Myanmar better that were filled with shredded coconut and not just pure sugar.
Bill is not wasting his time on salads, fruits or puffs. He just keeps grilling up the meat, which is really the best way to get your money's worth.
We both wander around the area and see many huge BBQ's set up and are mostly cooking prawns. I am not sure if the people at the BBQ's work there of if you get there early you can use one... We also saw the big fire pits out back where the coal buckets are filled for the tables. That would be a very hot job. We also saw some American food - pizza and fries.
I have now moved on. I am exploring desserts. There are all kinds of donuts - chocolate covered, cream filled, jelly filled, and even some that are like Timbits (tasted like them too). There are also some pastries - one was covered with cashews, there were many flavours of tarts, cake rolls and large brownies too. There was another table with some fruit and jello-like stuff. I did not go there. There was also an ice cream station. It had chocolate syrup, condensed milk, peanuts, chocolate sprinkles and raisins. I have not seen raisins anywhere! I decided to smuggle some out in my purse for my cereal in the morning!
There was WAY too much food. The buffet and drinks came to 450 bhat (less than $17) for the 2 of us. We could have stayed there for hours and eaten as much seafood as we wanted (The ladies next to us did. They had a mountain of shells and did not look like they were leaving anytime soon.) We should have walked back to the hotel, but it is far and I have my sandals on. I would have foot cramps after a few blocks. We took a tuk tuk back to our area and rolled out and into bed.
