I enjoyed taking the Chiang Mai Thai Cooking Course . I will not bother repeating what is aptly explained on their website so upload the link for details on the course. I prefer to make my own Hopey observations. I have uploaded quite a few pics - click on them individually if you want a closer look.
I have been cooking Thai food for years and have spent several years living in Bangkok. What could I learn from this course?
Cooking...eating...cooking and more eating. WE prepared at least 7 dishes a day and had to eat them all! What a task! I left the first day in major pain from all the food. Ha..ha...I think that some of the students had signed up just to gorge!
I already know that the basis of Thai food is balance, fresh ingredients and preparation. What other secrets were there to be gleaned?
The master curry paste!!
Using freshly ground curry pastes makes a huge difference when you are making any curry (thai, indian, sri lankan etc). We roasted dry spices, soaked chillis, chopped galangal-lemongrass-ginger and added the fresh ingredients and pounded until our wrists ached. Each curry paste had its own unique piquant aroma.
......Curry paste facts
** Red curry paste, more than green or penang or massaman, is used as an all-purpose paste. Thai chefs mix it into marinades, satay sauces, numerous curries and bbq sauces.
** Green chilis are the less ripe chili and are therefore much hotter. So, KENG KIOWAN (sour-sweet green curry paste) is a lot hotter than the red curry. This may be true but the red does pack a kick when you add too much paste to your coconut milk base. I would recommend using a 3/4 tbsp of paste per person. If you like it really rich and not spicy at all add more sugar and a tbsp of peanut butter.
** When preparing a thai curry cook the curry paste on low until the aroma has been released. An undercooked or slightly burned paste can leave a bitter flavor.
I found these curry recipes on the internet...or you can just wait for me to come home!!
If you feel inclined to make the extra effort - it is well worth it, here are some curry paste recipes.
green curry paste , massaman curry paste, red curry paste
Fresh coconut cream!!
Where does coconut cream come from? Not a can or a carton! The aged nut of the coconut is cracked open and the seed is removed. This white coconut skin (usually an inch thick) is grated by hand, in a blender
or in a grating machine. Then.......
How to prepare homemade coconut cream.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE....
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Posted by: Pounderror | December 13, 2009 at 11:59 AM