We typically try to arrange for a cooking class or two when we travel abroad and this trip is no exception. We booked a ‘Thai for a day’, home cooking experience. We were picked up at the hotel by a local family and taken to their farm where we cooked some local dishes.
The Raunkaew Yanon family has a very large compound about 30 minutes outside the city. It is a multi-generational affair with parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins all running the show. There are 8 of us in our group. We started by making an offering to place in the spirit house and then entered the main family home where we discussed old local customs regarding hospitality. One such custom involves fermented tea leaves, called Miang . The tea leaves are steamed and then wrapped and left to ferment for 6 months, then a leaf is offered with some small chunks of sea salt. You hold it in your mouth for a few minutes and then chew it (I did not find it pleasant). Another custom involved shredded bark among other things. I think I would rather offer my guests a beer.
We then took a tour of the family compound and garden and viewed the different things they grow that are essential to Thai cooking – bamboo, Lemon grass, ginger, tamarind, onions, scallions, several kinds of basil, coconut, bananas, etc.
Dick and I then separated from the others for a private cooking lesson. June and Jade were our instructors – both members of the extended family. We prepared 6 dishes and had them for lunch. On the menu are a dry red curry chicken breast with Thai herb (Aou Kai), minced pork with tomato paste Northen style (Nam prik Ong), hot and sour chicken soup (Tom som Kai), stir fried green eggplant with minced pork (Phad Makauyaw Moo), Pad Thai and banana in coconut milk for desert.
We were given a traditional Thai apron (think long shorts) and first preped the ingredients for the dishes. We made several chili pastes using mortar and pestle. I think a food processor would have been good here as it’s hard work to break down dried chili peppers and very time consuming. All the dishes were prepared over small charcoal cooking vessels using woks (except for the soup). It is a very hot process.
The end result were pretty good, it will be interesting to see how this translates into cooking at home. We returned to the hotel around late afternoon, tired, full and hot. It’s time to spend some time on the blog as we are already very behind.
Did I mention it is very hot and humid here?
Mary