I finished the Thai Cooking School courses

I'm recovering from a bit of food poisioning (or something close to it), so I was not sure I would make these last three classes. But I did.

The first class was attended by a group of ladies from Holland. The second was mainly those from the UK and Australia. And finally the class was a small one with two other guys one from Malaysia and the other from Florida.

For the last two classes we had K'Noi (left) in the morning and K'Nam (right) in the afternoon. After the last class of the day, K'Nam entertained us by singing Que Sera Sera which as a real treat.

And now for pics of some of the dishes

As of today I know how to make the following Thai dishes:

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Gai Pad Med Ma-Muang = Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts

Gai Satay = Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Plah Goong = Prawns in Herb Salad

Khao Neaw Moon = Sticky Rice with Mango

Yom Woon Sen = Glass Noodle Salad

Gang Ka-Ree Gai = Yellow Curry with Chicken

Nuea Pad Prik = Stir-fried Bean with Chilies

Kra-Tong Thong = Crispy Golden Cups with Veggie Filling

Tab Tim Grobb = Water Chestnut in Coconut Milk

Tod Man Pla = Deep Fried Fish Cakes

Tom Kah Gai = Chicken in Galangal and Coconut Milk

Pad Thai = Stir-fry Rice Noodles Thai Style

Sang Ka Ya = Egg Custard

Gang Keaw Waan Gai = Green Curry Chicken

Yam Nuea Yang = Spicy Grilled Beef Salad

Por Peea Tod Fried Spring Rolls

Gai Hor Bai Toey = Deep fried chicken wrapped with Pandanus leaves

Som Tam Ma-La-Kor = Papaya Salad

Goong Sauce Ma-Kam = Deep fried Prawns in Tamarind Sauce

Gang Pet Ped Yang = Roasted Duck in Red Curry

Toong Thong = Deep fried bags with tasty combination filling

Pa-Nang Gai = Panang Curry with Chicken

Tom Yam Gong = Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns

Khao Pad Moo = Fried Rice with Pork, Thai Style

Khao Tang Nah Tang Crispy rice cracker with tasty toping

Yam Sam-O = Pomelo Salad

Gang Mas-sa-man Gai = Ma-sa-man Curry with chicken

Pad Kra-Pao Gai = Stir-fried chicken with Basil

Think that's enough to open a resturant ?

Lunch with the Team

May 18th marked our 4th year anniversary. So we decided to have a full team lunch at the Windsor Hotel. Four years ago the team started off with 3 associates. Over the past four years we have grown to 22 Thai Associates.




The buffet was a fusion of Thai, European and Mediterranean. "Fusion" style foods seem popular over the past few years here in Bangkok. My first plate held Chicken Satay along with two fish dishes one from Germany and the other from Sardinia.





It is with a bit of sadness that I had this meal with the team. And I suspect just as sad if not more for the Expat who reports to me and has lived in Bangkok for 4 years. If I am successful this trip, it may be my last. And the Expat will be returning home to the USA. We've developed the team so that they can stand on their own. Rather than sending Americans to Thailand, we want to bring more Thai associates to the USA for visits. So it is not like I won't see them again, but I may never see them all as one group. I have loved working with this dear friends and it is sometimes difficult to close a chapter in your life and open the next. But I'm sure there names will be written in that chapter as well.

Front (L-R): Noon, Kathy, Banana, Vi, Noom, Muay, Rung, Eve, Aey, Piyanud

Middle (L-R): Bomb, Neung, Yui

Rear (L-R): Wow, Bert, Kris (Expat), Champ, Ake, Egg, Tong, Chai, Nutto

Absent: Be

More Thai Cooking Classes

I attended two Thai Cooking Classes today.

The morning class included students from the USA,





South Africa and Singapore.









Our Chef for the AM class was Nam, which means water in Thai. On the right is her assistant Vicky. Nam was the Chef for my first class I took a few years ago. She is truly a gifted Chef with an infectious laugh that adds a tremendous amount of joy to the learning experience. She explains everything in detail and always takes time to give options for those of us who live outside Thailand and may not be able to obtain the ingredients year around - or not at all - and need substitutes.


The first dish was a dessert, Tab Tim Grobb (Crunchy Ruby). It is Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk. Anyone who knows me knows I detest coconut meat as in candies, cakes or cookies. But this totally blew me away, as does other dishes where the milk and cream is cooked. I think even my daughter, who shares the same "I hate Coconut" Gene would agree, this stuff is great. The red colouring on the water chestnuts is from soaking them in Grenadine. After that they are floured with tapioca boiled in water, then immediately placed in cold (ice) water. This gives them a jelly like coating over crunchy texture of the chestnut itself. Add in small cubes of ice and enjoy! We prepared this dish first and set it aside to eat with our last course.

We also learned how to make fresh coconut milk & cream. We first used the hand grater, then we were shown how to use the "Rabbit". This is a wooden carving of a rabbit's body. It is made to form a small seat. At the front, coming out of the rabbit's mouth is a metal poll. The tip of the poll is formed into a loop with a sawtooth edge. One takes 1/2 a shell of coconut and rubs it against the sawtooth edge, flaking off the meat. Here is Tamika grating a coconut using "the Rabbit". The grated coconut was then hand mixed with water and strained thru cheese-cloth. If left to sit for a while, the cream floats to the top.






Next we prepared Tod Man Pla (Deep Fried Fish Cakes). Before frying the fish, Thai Basil is added in large quantities to the oil. This not only gives the oil a fragrance, it fries the basil making it crunchy and very delicious.




Next came one of my favorites Tom Kah Gai (Chicken in Galangal and Coconut Milk). Galangal is known as Thai Ginger. It is milder than regular ginger. Also the coconut milk cuts the heat from the peppers making this a smooth dish, even those who may not care for the typical spiciness of Thai food.




And for the last dish we prepared the well known Pad Thai (Thai Stir fry). This dish is one of the most well known if not the most requested by foreigners both in Thailand and outside Thailand.






Students for the afternoon class were 6 ladies. One (South Africa) remained from the morning sessions as I did. The others ranged from N. Carolina, Texas, Australia and Estonia.





Our first dish was incredibly fun to make. Gai Hor Bai Toey (Chicken wrapped in Pandanus Leaves). The chicken is marinated in oyster sauce and other spices, then wrapped in pandanus leaves, deep fried and served with a sweet soy sauce and roasted white sesame seeds. It is pictured on the upper right. Next we prepared one of my favorites Som Tam Ma-La-Kor (Papaya Salad). Both were served together during our break.



After the break we learned how to prepare Goong Nam Ma-Kam (Prawn in Tamarind Sauce).





And last but not least, Gang Pehd Ped Yang (Rosted Duck in Red Curry). Again, another one of my favorites.









At the end of the 2nd class I was exhausted and very full, even though I had only eaten small portions. It was rewarding to engage with new people from new places and learning new taste treats.