Day 10 Cooking in the Woods (updated)

UPDATED ON SUNDAY 3PM THAI TIME

So here it is Saturday, a day off from class...However, I decided that the best thing to do was to go to another school.   So I spent the day attending the Wok Cooking School at their facility out in the country.  Now how good is this, you make your food,  and then you eat it.   So it was kind of like attending a very slow moving meal service.   We started at 10 and finished at 4 and made 6 different dishes during the day.   Now I know why there are so many different kinds of curry in Thailand.  Since they have a curry with every meal, it is better to have a variety of curries so people don't get bored...kind of like having the same kind of potatoes at every meal.

So I made and can make the following

Penang Curry with Pork...All curries are a derivation of this curry in Thailand.  You take items away to make it yellow curry, add more red peppers to make it Red Curry and if you want to really ramp it up add green young peppers and it is Green Curry.   As the instructor says  just like people the younger the pepper is the hotter they are.  

Chiangmai curry with chicken...used for special occasions like weddings, holidays as it was originally made for the Thai royal family and is highly regarded

Fried fish with chili and Basil...this one was brilliant.   

Sweet and sour vegetables.   I will be ditching my current recipe and  replace with this one

Spicy glass noodle salad...White noodles that when cook turn clear,  not one of my favorite dishes

Black sticky rice pudding...Rice that is native to Thailand and is really jet black.  Sitky means it is kind of gooey...looks and tastes better than it sounds impressive dish

So a little about curry and how it is made.   In Asia curry is a paste that is used to enhance food. Kind of like "Hamburger Helper"  It is created by a variety of ingredients.  So for example let me tell you what Paneang Curry is made with

Coriander seeds   we also know this as Cilantro

Cumin seeds native to Asia

Mace native to Asia widely available worldwide

Green peppers  

Cardomon pods native to Asia available worldwide

Peppercorns

Salt

Dried chili

Ginza similiar to ginger but slightly different taste

lemongrass....native to Thailand...it is in everything they cook...I now smell like lemongrass

kaffir lime peel   native to this region and a very very small lime

corriander root...just the bottom part of cilantro

shallots 

garlic

shrimp paste

Then you sit down with a huge mortal and pestle and grind it till it is paste.    Hard work BUT the outcome is wonderful...The curry pork dish was DELICIOUS.  

  

Then I went to Starbucks...shared table space with a backpacker from Stuggart, Germany who is studying computer science and political science.   We spent the 3 hours talking about US and German politics.   Needless to say, Mr. Bush as always with me took a major hammering.   Sorry Chad, you were not here to defend him.  

Then walked the 2 miles back to my apartment and am doing the blogg.  

Oh yea...the dogs are barking tonight....they are making me nuts.