Thai Cooking
I thought I knew what good Thai food should taste like. I had worked for a couple of weeks in Thailand. I had eaten at countless Thai restaurants in this country. I had even cooked Thai food from time to time. But until tonight I had never eaten Thai food that was as good as what we made at our Thai cooking class at Hill's Kitchen.
The menu was green curry, pad Thai, and sticky rice with mango. In each of the 3 dishes the flavors were subtle but each ingredient did its part to make the resulting dish close to perfect.
There was no rocket science about any of the recipes, just a lot of ingredients and a lot of prep. Given my proximity to a first-class Thai grocery store, I’m pretty sure I could duplicate any of these 3 recipes from central Thailand and get rave reviews.
So what were the lessons of this class?
-- Instead of using a knife to peel ginger, use the side of a spoon to scrape off the outer layer.
-- For NEW rice, the ratio of rice to water is 1 to 1-1/2; for OLD rice, it is 1 to 2. Unfortunately in this country it is difficult to know which kind of rice you have.
-- Rinse rice thoroughly before cooking.
-- For sticky rice, soak it for at least several hours prior to use. Do NOT rinse it.
-- Lemongrass is like the bay leaf of Thailand. You should use the portion from where it becomes hollow down to the base, split lengthwise.
-- For best results, soak the cubed tofu in salty hot water for 30 minutes prior to its use.
-- The secret of good pad Thai is having all the ingredients ready to be added in order. The entire cooking time is only a couple of minutes.
The class was taught by Brock Kuhlman, a chef who has the unique ability to be able to think and talk constantly while he is cooking. His background in food science, as well as a degree in culinary school and experience working in a top-notch local restaurant effectively eliminate his need to ever say “I don’t know.” His recent trip to Thailand, where he got rave reviews on his cooking from the locals, attests to the authenticity of his Thai food.
I had cooked good Thai food prior to taking this class, but I’m convinced I can make even better Thai food after this demonstration.
posted by Barbara at 10:52 PM
8 Comments:
Green Curry Vegetables, Pad Thai, and Mango with Sticky Rice are my three favorite Thai dishes - not very adventurous, but always delicious. That's so cool that you learned all of those interesting new ways to make them as authentically as possible.
Wonderful! It sounds like a great class.
Thanks for the tips. Do they teach a non-meat version? I'd be up for that.
LA -- The instructor explained how to adapt each of the recipes for vegetarian eaters. Thai food is very forgiving that way!
Sounds fun!
(You worked in Thailand? Did I know that?)
Steve -- I was a roving technical assistance giver (IT field). I usually assisted national statistical offices. I did the same thing in Morocco and quite a few other places, visiting some of them multiple times. It was a very exciting job, especially since they sent me to the Foreign Service Institute to learn French and Spanish.
You're making me hungry! Wish I could be your guinea pig! :-)
F.
Anon -- I will gladly cook for you if you come visit!
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