April 29th @Home Thai Cullinary School

All food descriptions below are straight from the chef's brochures! We also received a cook book with all the receipes that they teach in the course over the week.  If we have time I would like to come back in fill in the other days that I have not done yet as we had such a good time.  We have ourselves on the waiting list for the evening dinner course - in that class you learn among other things the Thai fried noodles with prawns and mango with sticky rice.  Our class today held 6 students including Larry and I for the second day, a young Irish girl Ruth who was on a round the world 1 year travel experience with her fiance', and then a couple from Colorado that ran a brewery.  Mark, the brewer, had spent 4 years in south India, doing correspondence courses but his sister had gone to the same hill station school as David, Kodaikanal. 
Small World.

After eating all day at our class we headed to the gym and had a work out before heading home and stopping at a very locale restaurant and got take out dinner for all of $2 each.  Take-out containers here are plastic bags tied with rubber bands at the top. The markets in Chiang Mai are fastinating - the food markets, the flower market, the night market, the Saturday Market, the Sunday Night Walking Market  - this shopper is in heaven but the downside is I can only carry 44 lbs out of here!  Postage is not cheap from here either as we have already checked into that as well as excess baggage which is $10 per pound so shoppers must try and restrain themselves.

Below is what we cooked and ate today at class:

Fried rice with pineapple and prawns - Khao phad sub pa rot sai goong  (A recipe specially made for healthy eaters, with the pineapple adding a touch of tart sweetness to the dish. It has a rich creamy texture that superbly complements the prawns. )

Massaman curry paste - Nam prik massaman ( A unique type of curry amongst the various Thai curries, as it is more like Indian curry using mainly dried spices.)

Massaman curry with chicken - Gaeng massaman gai  (This curry is milder than other Thai curries as the heat of the chilies is mellowed with the addition of dried spices, coconut cream, onions and potatoes. However, it has a sub-continental richness all of its own.)

Chicken satay with peanut sauce - Gai satay ( Simply marinated chicken that is skewered, charcoal-grilled, and served with peanut sauce. )

Grilled beef salad - Yum neu yaang (Grilled, prime quality beef, sliced thinly and tossed with Thai-style dressing, then served with fresh salad for a light, yet satisfying, meal. )

Thai-style banana fritters - Glauy tord (Unlike the well known Western version, these Thai banana fritters use coconut batter and smaller, less ripe bananas that hold their shape and texture better when deep-frying. )