Thai Cooking Class at Culinary School of the Rockies

I'm taking a break from recounting my India trip to tell you about something I have been wanting to do for the longest time — I signed up for a Thai cooking class, Thai One On, at the Culinary School of the Rockies. My friend Teri agreed to go along with me and it turned out to be a fun evening, led by Chef Suzanne Rudolph who was assisted by the dish-fairies, Jordan and Tiffany.

Tools, tools, and more tools

The menu for the evening had our mouths watering as soon as we looked at the handout.

• Tom Kha Gai (Spicy Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk)
• Roasted Red Chile Sauce 
• Red Curry Paste
• Panang Nua (Panang Meatballs)
• Pad Thai
• Cucumber Salad
• Mango Sticky Rice (recipe below)

Chef Suzanne introduced us to the ingredients by sending a sample around. We were then divided into two teams of seven each and the menu was split between us, with both teams making Pad Thai. What I loved hearing was that we were going to work with dried shrimp and fish sauce was a necessary ingredient. Yes! Both ingredients that are usually missing in Thai restaurant food.

My friend Teri and a new friend, Christopher

As I looked around me, I quickly realized that tall people definitely had a decided advantage in this kitchen. I confirmed that soon enough while frying dried shrimp and dried red chiles, and while tossing the rice noodles for Pad Thai.

A lovely mother-daughter team

The students were from all walks of life. Some came in twos, like Teri and I. There was a mother-daughter duo and also a young couple. (CSR gives you and your friend a 15% discount for registering together, which I think is pretty cool!) One participant drove all the way from Colorado Springs for this class!

Chef Suzanne explains tricky parts about plating while Teri and I messed around with my camera

Suzanne is a trove of information, constantly sharing nuggets about techniques as well as her experiences on her travels through Asia. At one point, she figuratively rapped me on my knuckles for fussing over the shallots and garlic that I was frying. Oops! I had to stop myself from working the way I do in my own kitchen and change my mindset to being in a commercial kitchen, cooking for 18 people.

Holly, a neuroscience student, plating the soup

We ate each course after cooking it, discussing the finer nuances of each dish with Suzanne as we filled our bellies with yummy goodness. There were subtle flavors and there were bold flavors. Most of all there was fish sauce; it smelled strong but added a new layer of flavor that is not easy to describe.

Pad Thai and Panang meatballs

I learned so much in this brisk-paced yet fun cooking class! It helped familiarize me with ingredients that I have previously hesitated to buy, despite loving Thai flavors. It also helped build my confidence in understanding what I could do to enhance the tastes that I seek in Thai food, without losing authentic flavors. The recipes were either from the cooking classes that Suzanne takes every time she visits Thailand or from street vendors.

Dinner time!

I am not much of a fiend for desserts. I will take spicy and savory over sweet any day. But this dessert from the streets of Thailand is delicious and very easy to make. That it has mango made it even more attractive but Suzanne stressed that we could attempt this with other fruit like peaches and even berries.

Thank you, Chef Suzanne and CSR, for an enjoyable learning experience!

Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niaow Ma Muang)

courtesy Chef Suzanne Rudolph

Smooth

• 1 cup Thai sweet rice or sticky rice
• 2 ripe mangoes, diced into small pieces
• 1 tbsp brown sugar, for the rice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, for the sauce
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• salt
• water as required

1. Soak the rice in 1 cup water for about 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.
2. Do not drain the rice. Instead add 3/4 cup more water. Also add 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp salt and a tad less than 1/2 cup coconut milk.
3. Bring to a boil, and then partially cover the pot with a lid, leaving some for the steam to escape. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, cover the pot properly and allow it to cook in its own steam on the burner for another 5-10 minutes.
4. In a small saucepan, dissolve tapioca starch, 1/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt in the rest of the coconut milk. Warm this mixture over medium to low heat, making sure that it does not boil. Using the nappé test, confirm that the sauce has thickened adequately before taking it off the heat.
5. Using a small ice-cream scoop, place small scoops of the rice into dessert bowls. Pour about 2-3 tbsp of the warm coconut sauce over the rice. Add mango pieces and serve.

This can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature or chilled. When serving, pass around more mango pieces and coconut sauce, should anyone want more. I always do!

Notes:

• I cheated a little bit with the sticky rice. I bought cooked sticky rice that only needed to be reheated. My excuse is that the nearest Asian market is very far away! I added sugar and coconut to the cooked sticky rice and warmed it again in the microwave.
• If you choose not to follow my shortcut, do not skip soaking the sweet rice. Soaking softens the tough outer shell. If you do not soak it, you will in all probability end up with hard rice.
• Sticky rice tends to harden faster than regular rice so it's a good idea to consume it within a day or two of cooking it.
• Avoid lite coconut milk. Buy quality coconut milk so that you get the best flavors.
• If you don't have tapioca starch, you could substitute with corn starch. However, the sauce will not be as glossy and may separate on refrigeration. Dissolve corn starch in some cold water, removing all lumps before adding it to the coconut milk.
• Do not boil the sauce as it is likely to curdle with a loss of coconut flavor.
• Add more sugar to make the sauce sweeter or add more coconut milk if you find it too sweet. The only problem with the latter is that you might have just used up the only can of coconut milk you have! In which case, the better thing to do is to add a little less than 1/4 cup sugar and add the remaining only if you think you need it. Remember though that the sauce will taste less sweet once it is poured over the sticky rice.