Everyone Loves Thai Food. But Can You Actually Cook It?

I tried a cooking class in Bangkok, and made better-than-restaurant green curry

I was once asked during my travels “What is your passion?” And honestly, I didn’t know. I thought about it for a few minutes before someone else asked “Is it cooking?”

I gave it some thought, and I think they were right. I’ve always thought of cooking as just another one of my hobbies, but maybe it crosses that arbitrary line into passion. Because truthfully, I really love cooking. And I really love food.

Lately, I’ve been trying to lean into that passion more by doing fun food-focused activities when I travel. So, when I was in Thailand, I treated myself to a Thai cooking class!

Thai food is pretty much ubiquitous. Everybody loves Thai food. When talking about this to one of my friends he introduced me to the idea of gastro-diplomacy. A strategy used (and maybe perfected) by the Thai government, where they send citizens all over the world to open Thai restaurants abroad. It’s genius, really. Now half the world loves Thai food, and when people visit Thailand, one of the first things they want to do is eat it at the source.

But, you don’t need to go all the way across the world to get good Thai food. The place across the street from your house makes great food. In fact, no matter how hard you try or how many different recipes you try, getting Thai food at a restaurant is always better. The thing is, you can get thai food at the place across the street, but if you try to make it at home, its never quite the same. That was probably my biggest motivator for signing up for the class. I wanted to learn how to make the flavors translate at home, especially when I’m living in South East Asia and have super easy access to all the ingredients. (Plus, I thought I could pass on some pointers to my dad, who’s maybe Thai food’s biggest fan.)

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The cooking class

I found the class through Get Your Guide. I actually booked it the day before and asked if my boyfriend, Jordan, could come along as an extra. Not to cook, but to take photos of the lesson and eat with me. Surprisingly, they said yes (for a small fee). They even had me make extra food so there was more than enough for both of us.

We started off the cooking class with a market tour. We went to one of the wet markets in Bangkok. It’s called a wet market because they sell fresh produce, meats and other consumption oriented goods (as opposed to a dry market that sells appliances, fabrics and other goods).

Going with someone who actually knew what everything was made all the difference. Normally, I get overwhelmed by the stalls, not always sure if I’m looking at chicken or pork, or what half the vegetables even are. Our instructor explained everything. The machines that press fresh coconut milk and cream, the different cuts of meat, the dozens of fish, and the everyday vegetables that Thai locals buy.

Typical Thai soup base bundles of lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves

We picked out ingredients for the day’s recipes, and since we shopped at the market ourselves, we could customize each dish. I got to choose which mushrooms and vegetables I wanted to add to my curry and soup.

Back at the class space, it was just me and one other woman cooking, while Jordan acted as our professional photographer. On the menu was: Tom Yum soup, Green Curry, Pad Thai, and mango sticky rice for dessert!

me finding out why eggplants are called eggplants

One thing that surprised me while cooking was that everything on the menu came together super fast. In fact, the thing that took the longest was pounding the green curry paste. All of the meals really only took about ten minutes in the wok to cook. So even though some of the recipes I made might not have the most accessible ingredients if you don’t live near an asian market, they are all super accessible on time!

Everything I made came out restaurant quality. Actually, maybe it was even better, because I could tweak each dish to taste exactly how I liked it. My curry was mild but heavy on the lemongrass, so it had this bright, citrusy flavor I loved. My Tom Yum was less sour than normal, and my Pad Thai was a perfect balance of the four main Thai flavors: spicy, sour, sweet and salty.

After we finished cooking all of the meals, Jordan, me and the other lady we took the class with all ate upstairs. All in all, I think the class was very helpful in making the dishes taste good even at home, and helping me figure out what I like so I can recreate it. I haven’t made the Tom Yum or the Pad Thai again, but I’ve definitely got the green curry down!

The spread

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Thai Green Curry Recipe

Green Curry Paste (Makes ~2 portions)

Ingredients:

• 3 black peppercorns

• Heaped ½ tsp coriander seeds

• Heaped ¼ tsp cumin seeds

• ½ bird’s eye chili (or more, if you like it spicy)

• 1 green cayenne pepper (or ~7g of a mild green chili)

• 3 tbsp chopped lemongrass

• 1 tsp galangal (or ½ tsp ginger)

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 small shallot, minced

• ½ tsp fresh lime zest, chopped

• ½ tsp shrimp paste

Method:

1. Toast the peppercorns, coriander, and cumin seeds in a dry pan for ~2 minutes, until they begin to pop and release fragrance.

2. Grind them into a powder with a mortar and pestle (add a pinch of salt to help).

3. Roughly chop the fresh ingredients and add them to the mortar. (Tip: de-seed the chilies if you want it milder.)

4. Pound everything into a paste.

5. Mix in the shrimp paste until well incorporated.

Notes:

• This will store happily for a week in the fridge and for two months in the freezer.

• Shrimp paste is the one specialty item you’ll likely need from an Asian grocery store—everything else you can usually find at a regular supermarket.

• Adjust to your taste! Add more lemongrass if you like it citrusy, or omit the bird’s eye chili if you want it mild.

• If the paste looks too brown, add a little turmeric for a vibrant green color.

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The Curry (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast, sliced

• 3/4 cup eggplant, cubed

• 1/2 cup broccoli florets

• 3/4 cup enoki mushrooms (pulled into 1cm bunches)

• 4 tbsp green curry paste

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

• 1 can coconut milk

• Fish sauce (to taste)

• 1–2 tsp sugar

• A handful of sweet basil leaves

• Fresh chili slices (optional, to taste)

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok and cook the chicken until lightly browned.

2. Stir in the curry paste and cook until fragrant.

3. Pour in the coconut milk, then add the vegetables and kaffir lime leaves. Add water to cover vegetables if necessary.

4. Season with fish sauce and sugar. Taste and adjust: more spice, more salt, more sweetness—it’s all up to you.

5. Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the basil leaves until just wilted.

6. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.

Notes

• If you’re not making the green curry paste from scratch, be sure to invest in a good quality paste, a good, fresh, curry paste really makes the world of a difference.

• Swap the protein or veggies with your favorites—shrimp, tofu, zucchini, peppers, etc. all work beautifully.

• Fresh basil adds an herbal sweetness, but if you can’t find Thai basil, regular sweet basil works fine.

• While I did make the curry paste for the class, when I have made it other times I have just bought the paste from the market and it is still good :)

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I had a lot of fun at this cooking class, and it has definitely inspired me to make the effort to go to more cooking classes around the world! So be prepared for some more recipes during my time in South East Asia!

xx Abby

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