Chef's Table. Eating dinner while the chef prepares your meal right in front you.
That's pretty much a guaranteed memorable dinner. The perfect way to celebrate a birthday.
The Four Seasons Chiang Mai's Chef Table was one of the most memorable meals and dining experiences I've ever had in the world. First of all, the setting is on the mountainous Chiang Mai. The Four Seasons property highlights the natural beauty and greenery.
Then, the cooking school setting makes your jaw drop with how amazing the school is set up with huge exhaust systems, cooking stations, and wooden structures.
There's also the chefs who make you feel so special and welcomed.
Finally, the Thai food is so delicious that weeks (and I'm sure months and years later) I'm still remembering the flavors playing on my tongue and warming my stomach. Great Thai food does that to you. What a night.
10 courses, an open bar, and an exclusive private dinner. All for 2500 baht (~$80USD). I've spent hundreds of US Dollars on meals in the US for great meals from highly reputable celebrity chefs. This night blows them all away.
Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.
The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Four Seasons Chefs Table
Back in Bangkok.. and back to The Oriental Thai Cooking School! This is my third time in Bangkok, and this is my third time taking a class at the cooking school.
I love the format and the detailed explanations from Chef Narain. It's not just the menu or the atmosphere of the school, it's really the chef/teacher that keeps bringing me back. I learn so many new things about cooking techniques and Thai cuisine every time.
Aside from learning about the dishes, you also discover new ingredients that you can use in other cuisines, aside from Thai. Plus, after the class, we make a list to shop for ingredients and certain brands at Paragon to take home.
Thai food has instantly become one of my favorite cuisines. The flavors are really exciting to the palate, especially with the combinations of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy packed in every bite. I can eat it multiple times during the week. Thanks to all these lessons, I have a growing list of recipes to make at home. I can't wait to go back to learn more!
Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.
The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: MO Bangkok Cooking Class
For my family, any trip to Thailand must include at least one day of a cooking class. I was so excited to go back to Bangkok with my parents. After looking through the various menus, we decided to go back to The Oriental Thai Cooking School in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
My first experience last year was so enjoyable. I learned so much more about Thai cuisine. And by learning so much more, it made me enjoy the cuisine even more! In fact, after last year's trip Thai cuisine became one of my favorite cuisines (probably right after Japanese and Spanish).
This year's cooking class was just as enjoyable! And actually because of the lessons it made Thai cuisine more approachable and easier to make at home. All the recipes we learned were comfort dishes and really easy to make. I can't wait to try these recipes soon!
Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about some of the pictures.
Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.
If you're into food and cooking, you must try out a cooking class in Thailand! It totally heightened my appreciation and love of Thai cuisine. Before getting into our cooking class, here's a little sneak into basic Thai ingredients and Thai herbs.
Place your cursor above "Notes" as some of the pictures have a little caption.
Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slide show here.
After our second day, we flew up to Chiang Mai for an over-night stay. We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental. It is incredible beyond belief! The next post will showcase pictures and videos of the property.
The format of this class was like the previous day's: visit the local market, then make each of the four recipes. After each recipe was made, we enjoyed our own cooking. This class was the most hands-on because we had our own cooking stations. The chef was a novice, but because of the facilities the whole experience was very enjoyable.
This is a slideshow of pictures taken from the local market:
The Classroom
Of all the three cooking classes, this was the best classroom! We each had our own cooking station, complete with a sink, stove, and prep station.
Thord Mun Pla-Krai
Deep-fried fish cake patties served with cucumber relish.
This recipe was a bit complicated in learning how to form the patties. With techniques from the chef, we all were able to form and fry them nicely. My Plating My Mom's Plating My Dad's Plating Cucumber Relish
Gaeng Khiew Waan Khai
Green curry with chicken, eggplant, and sweet basil.
We learned how to adjust the spiciness by adding less or no chilis and by adding less green curry paste.
Hor Mok Ta-Lay
Steamed mild seafood curry mousse.
This was a bit on the bland side. It could have used a sauce to add a nice kick. It was so much fun learning how to form the molds with leaves!
Tub Tim Krob
Chilled water chestnut rubies in sweet coconut milk.
I love this dessert now! The water chestnuts were coated in tapioca flour and then boiled. That made it mochi-like on the outside and freshly crispy on the inside.
Certificate of Completion!
Our certified class with the chef.
After our first day, we even more excited for the next cooking class. On our second day, we took the cooking class at our hotel, The Peninsula Hotel. Here is a slideshow of pictures from the hotel:
The format of this class included a trip to the local market. This was such a clean local market! The produce, the meats, the seafoods, and all the sweet and salty treats were so well organized and displayed. This was as good as visiting a museum. You can learn so much about a culture from their local foods. When I travel from now on, I definitely want to visit each city's local market. Here is a slideshow of pictures I took at the market:
After the market trip, we went back to the hotel to start the class. The lesson felt so exclusive because it was just my parents and me. The format was different from the previous day in that we enjoyed our creations after we made each dish, as opposed to at the very end. The cooking was a bit more hands on than the previous day because we each had our turns to make our own dishes. Although, we only made two out of the four dishes. The other two we watched Chef demonstrate them. Chef Chamnan is the Chef di Cuisine at Thiptara, the hotel's Thai restaurant. Like Chef Nahrain from the previous day, Chef Chamnan was also very friendly and open to sharing recipes and his knowledge. I can't tell you to choose one cooking class over the other. If you have two mornings/lunches open, take both classes at The Peninsula Hotel and at The Mandarin Oriental.
The Classroom
Located above Thiptara's kitchen. It's a nice covered, open air upstairs room that overlooks the hotel's pool. With Chef Chamnan Mango Smoothie
We were treated to a couple of fresh local drinks. This Mango Smoothie was one of the best I've had because it wasn't overly sweet nor thick. It tasted like a combination of ripe and green mangoes mixed with yogurt and honey. Lemongrass Iced Tea
I fell in love with lemongrass during this trip. This lemongrass tea was delicate and refreshing. It was so good that we've been brewing lemongrass teas at home so we can still enjoy it. Yam Som-O
Pomelo Salad with Grilled Tiger Prawns.
I enjoyed this lesson because we were taught that it is very possible to adjust the level of spiciness. After watching and tasting Chef's demonstration, we each had our turn to make the dish and have Chef taste it for his approval. The pomelo salad filled with shredded pomelo and a touch of tamarind juice for an additional tart-sweet flavor. Tom Yum Goong
Spicy and Sour Soup with River Prawns
This soup has such a kick from the spicy and sour components! The soup is so light because of the broth and its fresh ingredients. Tom Kha Gai
Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk
Chef was so generous to include another recipe for us to learn. Tom Kha Gai is a slight variation from Tom Yum Goong, in that it include coconut milk and has chicken instead of prawns. It's another delicious bowl of soup because the coconut milk adds a mellowing complex. Pla Sam Ros
Deep-Fried Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce
We watched Chef put this dish together. The fish was coated with tapioca flour. It was soo delicious! The Snow Fish was light and the coating of the batter wasn't oily or overwhelming at all. And, the sweet and sour sauce brought the entire dish to life. Khao Nhiew Ma-Muang
Fresh Mango with Coconut Infused Sticky Rice
From the start of the class, Chef started steaming the sticky rice and infusing it with coconut milk. For the last dish, he assembled it all together. This was tasty because the rice wasn't overly sweet, and it was wasn't over-cooked to the point where you could still bite each grain. Certificate of Completion
Following our lesson, we received another Certificate of Completion from Chef Chamnan.
The main purpose for my trip to Thailand was to discover one of my favorite cuisines in its home country. So, my mom planned a series of three cooking classes! It was such an amazing experience! Now when I plan trips, I'm always going to see if there are cooking classes for tourists. It is such an educational and hands-on way to learn about cuisines.
On the first day, we went to the The Oriental Thai Cooking School at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok. Here is a slideshow of pictures from the Mandarin Oriental. It has properties on both sides of the Chao Phraya River. On one side is the main hotel, and on the other side is the restaurant, spa, and cooking school.
My mom and brother took this class when they visited the city two years ago. It was such an enjoyable experience, that my mom signed up for it again. The classes are repeatable because each day has a different lesson. The chef/instructor, Chef Nahrain, is so knowledgeable with the ingredients. We learned so much about Thai cuisine in a matter of hours. The format of the class is to learn one dish at a time, and then make that dish together as a class at our cooking station. After all four dishes have been learned and created, we enjoy our creations for lunch.
The Classroom There was only four of us (My parents, myself, and a Japanese lady) for the day's session. So we all were able to sit in the front row to enjoy Chef's instructions. The Prep Kitchen The intern chefs help prepare ingredients for the class in this kitchen. The Class Menu Each day has a different menu. If you go, check out the menu on the website so you know what you'll be learning and cooking on the day you attend.
The Spices All types of Thai spices and ingredients were laid out in front of us. Many were used, while others were out just to expand our knowledge. The Produce Fruits and Vegetables and Chilis. We learned that bigger chilis are less spicy, while the tinier the chilis are more potent. Turmeric Fresh turmeric. The flesh is bright orange and can stain anything it touches. Limes Key Limes and Kaffir Limes. Key limes are tart, yet mellow. Kaffir limes have such a deep lime smell and a more distinct lime taste. Appearance-wise, key limes skins are smooth, while kaffir limes skins are wavy. Kaffir Leaves They come in twos. The smell is also distinct. The taste and aroma help to enhance fresh and cooked dishes. Chef taught us how to cut the leaves: take out the leaves by holding the stem, then rolling the leaves in a bundle, then finely chopping them. Chef cut the leaves so finely! Coriander Root Until this class I only ate the green part of the coriander (also known as cilantro). I didn't know that the root was also usable. You have to take the inside part of the root, and then you can use it to enhance the flavor of broths, sautes, or sauces. Lemongrass The purple part of the lemongrass is the only usable segment. It has all the aroma and taste. The green part doesn't have any of that. Palm Sugar Natural sugar from the palm trees. It's mellower than other types of sugars. Fish Sauce Southeast Asia has so many varieties of fish sauces. Thailand produces some of the best. This is the Chef's brand of choice.
Treats to Start We had some treats to start the lesson! Mango jelly - a fresher version of my childhood Fruit Roll Ups. Coconut covered sticky sweet rice balls. Rice popcorn with nuts.
Sakhoo Sai Moo Tapioca Balls with Pork Filling. We started with the ground pork and peanut filling to make sure it cooled. Then we made the tapioca. After both parts were made, we formed the pork balls, which were covered by a tapioca layer. We then boiled the balls until cooked. It's chewy on the outside because of the tapioca and full of flavor on the inside. This was a delicious appetizer and fun to make!
Yam Nuea Yaang Thai Spicy Grilled Beef Salad with Grapes. The beef is pre-cooked and cooled, then the ingredients and dressing are blended together. This is such a spicy dish, but it can be controlled by the amount of chilis you put in the dressing. I love the fresh taste of the lemongrass, kaffir leaves, and mint leaves.
Pad Thai Thai Stir-fried Noodles The most known Thai dish. There are three parts to this: the paste, the sauce, and the whole ingredients which are all mixed together before serving. After learning and tasting this recipe, it made me realize that so many of the orders I've had in the states were not authentic at all. Now I know what's real and what's not. It was another spicy dish that can also be adjusted by the amount of chilis you include.
Mun Thawd Sweet Potato Fritters This can be made with sweet potatoes, bananas, taro, pumpkin, etc. The batter wasn't overly sweet nor oily. The addition of the sesame seeds provided a nice taste and texture. It makes for a nice dessert or afternoon snack.
Certificate of Completion! We were presented with certicates of completion after we completed our lesson! We also received a fresh apron and Thai spices as a starter kit for when we cook. This was such a great class! When I go back to Bangkok, I will definitely look into taking another set of classes here.
