While sailing on the Seabourn Sojourn cruise from Singapore to Mumbai, India, we took Thai cooking lessons at the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School in Phuket, Thailand.
After visiting the local market to learn about key Thai ingredients with one of the Blue Elephant chefs, we returned to the Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion to begin the cooking instruction.
The school’s main chef demonstrates how to make dish number one: Tom Kha Kai Sai Mapraow Orn (Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken and Young Coconut Flesh).
It’s hard to see on the back row but the mirror helps.
There is also a video link to a big screen.
We each have a taste of the chef’s preparation.
Now it’s time to step into the cooking room and try it ourselves. We each have a cooking station like this with the necessary ingredients.
It’s hot in the kitchen.
Everyone in our class is working hard on the soup.
My soup is almost done.
After you finish your dish, it gets numbered and taken away. I’m number 9. (I was hoping that we were not getting judged on our dishes.)
Now, it’s back to the demonstration classroom, where we see the chef prepare dish number 2, a stir fry.
After the demonstration by the chef, and our tasting, we head back to the cooking room to try it ourselves.
A new prep tray is at each station. These are the ingredients for Kai Phad Prik Tua Fak Yao (Stir-fried Chicken with Red Curry and Long Bean.)
Careful with that red chili – it burns if you touch your face.
A few minutes later, it looks pretty amazing. But no tasting now — there are two more dishes to learn.
This lesson is the most complicated. It’s Toong Tong Keaw Waan (Crispy Golden Bag stuffed with Green Curry Prawn and Chicken.)
Wow! My “purses” look pretty good. They are tied with steamed green onions.
There’s one last dish to learn and then prepare.
Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School, as we eat what we’ve cooked.
What’s your favorite Thai dish?