Speecy Spicy, Hotsy Totsy

In the words of the Swedish Chef, "Bork bork bork!"

Jeff and I learned to cook a little today. Or tried to, at least.We took a Thai cooking class and between the two of us we made: yellow curry, green curry, tom yam soup, chicken in coconut soup, green papaya salad, chicken and cashew nuts, pad thai, spring rolls, banana in coconut milk, and mango with sticky rice. We couldn't even look at food by the end of the afternoon, we were so full!

The class was a whole day affair. Our instructor, Tommy, picked us up at our guest house first thing in the morning. Once we had picked up the rest of the class, he took us to a large local market and began explaining the integral ingredients of Thai food. Since I've shown you markets before, I hold off on the pictures of this one, with one exception.

Mmm, crunchy!

After the market, we headed outside of town to their private farm where they grow many of the fresh ingredients. We learned more about the fruits, vegetables, and spices that go into Thai foods, and then we got down to business. Mortar and pestle at hand, we learned how to pummel our own fresh curry paste. From there, we moved into the kitchen where we boiled, chopped, stir fried, deep fried, and munched the day away.

We had a great time. Tommy, our teacher, was very funny, constantly throwing in unexpected pop culture references all day. The food we made was fantastic, and surprisingly easy to make. I say that now, but I'm sure recreating it all at home might not be the same. At least now I have a better idea of what I should be doing the next time I try!

No powders here.

Jeff, stir frying cashew chicken

The first three dishes I created

The first three dishes Jeff made

By the way, should you ever find yourself here, we highly recommend Thai Farm Kitchen, www.thaifarmcooking.com. Rather than a class in town, they have their own organic farm in the countryside. The staff are great, and the food you make is fantastic.