Thai Farm Cooking School

Thai food has been my second favorite cuisine forever, Indian being first. I also LOVE to cook and have been reading cookbooks since I can remember. I enrolled Allan and I into a day of cooking classes at the Tai Farm Cooking School, www.thaifarmcooking.com it was ranked high on Trip advisor, my trusty go to for picks. The other reason I picked this school was because it is organic and it is located out of the city! 

They picked us up at 9 am at our condo and we crammed into the back of the pick-up behind Rika and the driver. Rita was our instructor for the day and so we had the privilege of talking with her on the way. Eight  people were in the back of the pickup,they were from New Zealand, America, Canada and France. 

Our  first stop was at  Ruamchok Market, where again, you could find anything you would want. Rika started to go thru all the different things that we would use that day. All the Fish sauce, Molasses, Soy, Oyster sauces,  Coconut milk, and the Palm Sugar that is made from the Sugar palm tree. Then the spices: Coriander, Cumin, Pandan leaf, . We looked at  Mung Beans, Bean sprouts, Sesame seeds and Peanuts. Are you getting hungry yet?

The fruits and the vegetables I will mention later, but the meat section was behind plastic doors and about 3 long tables worth. I stayed outside and of course Allan had to have a drool, I mean look! We were given a few minutes to look around, buy treats and then back in the truck.We arrived to the farm and got an apron and hat and a tour of the gardens right away. After 10 years in the tropics, I knew most everything they showed us except for the Pandam Leaf which is used in Thai desserts and drinks. and gives food that bright green color that I always wondered about. They also had a Bitter Eggplant that looks like large peas that is used for curries. (I had never seen that either). The gardens looked more like educational gardens as they were small. 

Next we were in the classroom and given a tray of an assortment of foods and spices on it. The lessons began. Rika did a demo and then it was up to us to repeat it. We all had our own stove to work with and knives, measuring cups etc. were all provided.

 Rita’s english was fantastic, she knew all the culinary terms, even heaping teaspoon! She is a funny, playful woman always adding an extra splash calling out "For YUM YUM!"

Each of us had chosen earlier what we wanted to prepare: 

Choose one: green, yellow or red curry,(chicken or veggie).

Choose one: Chicken with cashew nuts, Sweet and sour or Chicken with basil

Choose one: Tom Yam soup or Coconut Milk soup

Choose either: Spring rolls or Pad Thai

and for dessert: Bananas in Coconut milk or Mango with Sticky rice.

I suggested we choose different things so we learn more. It was a fast and furious day of cooking, adding chili’s carefully as both Allan and I ended with a dish we couldn’t eat! I enjoyed making the paste in the mortal and pestle with the herbs. Unfortunately I have been sick and so taste and smell for me was limited, however the chili’s cleaned me out a bit! I learned that you don’t cook Kaffir leaves long as it will turn the dish bitter, I also learned if you put mushrooms into a pot of rice and it turns the rice colors than the mushrooms are poisonous! The Thai use so many types of fresh and dried mushrooms, I just keep asking myself where does all this food come from? I learned about all the different rices and why we rinse them and which to soak. I learned about coconut milk and which ones you must use in one day. After each course we made we all sat down at the table in the serene setting and ate our meal. There were moans going on, all good except for a woman in the other class who got too much chili, her moan was the hurting kind. Our food was just as good as in the restaurants and this being because of fresh ingredients and lots of laughter and joy making it, not to mention the recipes. We stuffed ourselves into a food coma, and most of the other people had agreed that the farm needs hammocks for a half hour nap after eating. But NO, we still had two courses to go. Rika was on a time clock and it was ticking fast. We hurried through the desserts and they bagged our last dish up for us to take home. At the end we were given a really nice recipe book. I would recommend taking a cooking class to anyone visiting Thailand. They had 40 students a day at 1,200 Baht ($37.00) Not a bad living, seeing the veggies are next to nothing in price! This cooking school was booked everyday in season (which lasts a long time). We boarded back in the truck for the 40 minute ride back to the city. Another wonderful day in Thailand! Thank you Rika.