TASTY TUESDAY - FROM THAILAND

SAWADEE from Thailand!

A few years back, I spent a couple weeks bathing in the sun and enjoying the local people on the Thai island of Ko Chang. After arriving on island via ferry, we settled at the beautiful and budget friendly bungalows called Tiger Huts. While we were there, we took advantage of the many Thai cooking classes available. There are schools throughout the island you can choose from--and we chose one just down the beach from our bungalow. 

Located on a porch overlooking an estuary with floating docks and a swinging bridge, we cooked three courses, including curries, paid thai, and sticky mango rice dessert, leaving with a travel size cook book and chop sticks to remember and use what we learned. I remember pounding out the curry into a powder in their traditional bowls, and it was a major workout and made my arms feel like noodles.

A respectable trait of Thai cooking is finding the perfect balance of ingredients and flavor. Thai cooking style reflects the Buddhist belief harmony among all things--all flavors working together in unison to create one well-balanced dish--including salty, sour, bitter, sweet, nutty, and spicy. They've nailed it to a T, and learning from the best is just the way to do it.