After breakfast we boarded a songtaew and along with chef Sammy, stopped at a market. At the market Sammy showed us the various kinds of rice grown in Thailand and also took us to a booth to see how coconut milk was made from fresh coconuts. From a list we chose the foods we would like to cook and while we roamed the market, Sammy's Organic Cooking School staff gathered up the few needed items that did not grow on Sammy's farm.
At the farm we we were introduced to various fresh herbs and spices. We learned about all the fresh ingredients that go into Thai food, such as lemon grass, sweet basil, garlic, ginger, and coconut milk, to name a few.
After doning our aprons, our cooking lesson began with using a mortar and pestle to make curry sauce. We chopped, diced, sliced and ground and pounded. We were then led over to our individual cooking areas where we proceeded to make the first dish of our five course meal. I made hot vegetable soup, green curry, pad Thai, mango salad and banana in coconut milk. All were delicious and such fun to make.
In between our first few courses and desert we took a break and relaxed out by the garden. Some of us rested in hammocks while others chose to relax on lounge chairs. Swinging in a hammock while watching rice plants sway in the breeze and listening to birds fly overhead is a great way to relax.
We left Sammy's with very full stomachs and a copy of his cookbook. A cruise on the River Ping in the evening rounded out our day.
Tomorrow we part company with a wonderful group of women and start the long flights back home.
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