Southern Thailand is filled with magnificent beaches, breathtaking sunsets, adventurous water sports and all that other stuff typically found in a tropical paradise – just click here to see our photos. But Southern Thailand is also filled with amazing spices like lemongrass, chili and galangal that make every meal an exciting culinary experience. So instead of just eating fabulous Thai food, we decided to spend a morning on Ko Lanta learning to use these spices and cook Thai food with the Lanta Thai Cookery School.
Chien and Aon, a local Thai husband and wife team, run the school. The class started with Chien asking the 13 students to choose 5 dishes from the list of 10 that we as a group wanted to learn to make. The list included a wide range of dishes from tom yam soup and pad thai to panang curry and poached bananas in coconut milk.
We started our cooking with the knife work. With a knife (or sometimes two) in hand we set out to chop, mince and learn about the many flavorful and local vegetables and herbs we would be using that day. One very important thing I learned was the Thai name for cilantro, pak chee. I now was armed with the knowledge to order pad thai without that awful tasting herb. I also learned that the small pale green vegetables I had previously had in curries are actually small eggplants. And I would be remiss to not mention the basket of Thai chilis. Chien suggested that we add one, two or maybe three to our tom yam soup depending on how spicy we like it. I knew from a previous experience in Bangkok that when you order a dish that Thais consider “spicy” you are likely to get a plate of hell fire that will quickly numb your face, cause you to break out into a sweat and drink 3-4 bottles of water as you struggle to finish. Or at least that was what happened to me. So I stuck to one tiny chili, thank you very much. When I asked Chien how many he would add to his own soup he answered “a handful.” The thought of that much spice made my mouth water and tongue hide in fear.
With the food chopping and cutting preparations complete and the vegetables and herbs in their respective baskets, we manned our cooking stations. With the heat on it was a rapid succession of ingredients into the wok. The pad thai we made was a quick assembly process. It started off with hot oil in the wok. After quickly adding the cubed tofu to fry until it had a crispy yellow skin, I then had to stir in a fresh egg. I managed to get only one small piece of shell in the wok while cracking the egg with one hand. With Chien looking over my shoulder I even managed to get the rice noodles cooked without turning them into one solid sticky ball. With the addition of the pad thai sauce and the fresh vegetables, both Amy and I managed to plate respectable looking and quite flavorful dishes.
After successfully completing each dish and learning to smell the aromas coming together, all the students would sit in the school’s garden to eat our creations and compare notes on what went wrong and right. By the time we finished tasting our third dish, stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, everyone was full. Chien brought out the doggie bags so that everyone could pack up their leftovers to take home. So not only did Amy and I have a tremendous lunch, we were able to eat the leftovers for dinner that night.
Cooking school was a nice change from the typical beach activities. It allowed us the chance to cook for the first time in three months and I think we will shop in Chinatown back in Philadelphia with renewed zeal when we return. We’ll be on the hunt for Kaffir lime leaves, fresh turmeric and yes, maybe even a thai chili or two.
My favorite recipe from Lanta Thai Cookery School:
Tom Yam Seafood Soup (Single Serving)
½ cup seafood (prawn, squid and slice of fish) or chicken breast (sliced)
1 long finger length lemongrass, sliced lengthwise connected at bottom
1 inch square cube galangal, peeled and sliced
2 Kaffir lime leaves, ripped with stem removed
1 shallot bulb, peeled and smashed
1-3 small Thai chilies, stem removed and sliced in half lengthwise
2 jelly mushrooms, with center removed, cut into bit-sized pieces
½ Roma tomato, cored and sliced lengthwise into 4-5 wedges
1-2 spring onions, white portion sliced in half lengthwise and then entire onion sliced into 2cm pieces
1 stalk coriander, pick off leaves whole and slice stem into 2cm pieces (optional)
1 bullion cube of chicken stock
1 TBS fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 TBS limejuice
300ml water
Boil water in a pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken stock bullion cube once water is boiling and stir. Add lemongrass, galangal, Kaffir lime leaves, shallot, mushrooms (and chili if prefer a spicier soup) to liquid. Cook approximately 1 minute or until Kaffir lime leaves begin to smell. Add chicken, or if using seafood, add fish piece. Cook chicken or fish for about 15 seconds, and then add fish sauce. Cook 10 seconds, then add sugar. If using seafood, add prawns and squid. Cook until chicken turns white or prawns turn pink. Then add tomatoes, spring onion, coriander (optional) and chili (if you like a less spicy soup). Turn off the heat and add limejuice immediately before serving.
Lanta Thai Cookery School Details: 3 classes daily: Morning 8:30-13:00, Afternoon 13:30-18:00 and Evening 18:00 until whenever the group is done. Cost is 1,000 baht per person for morning and afternoon classes, and 1,500 for the evening class. Contact: 086-821-2755
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Fun! I am researching some cooking classes to take. Cheers!
I just woke up but now i’m hungry for Thai food…sounds yummy.
Kate tried to cook pad thai once and the whole place smelled like fish oil. You’ll have to give her a lesson when you return from your grand journey.