Traveling with the Jones

Recently, we took Thai cooking lessons at the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School in Phuket, Thailand. This was a shore excursion offered on the Seabourn Sojourn during a cruise from Singapore to Mumbai, India,

First, we visited the local market to learn about key Thai ingredients with one of the Blue Elephant chefs.

Next, we returned to the Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion for cooking demonstrations of four different Royal Thai cuisine dishes, followed by each of us making those four dishes on our own (under supervision.)

Finally, it was time to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

At the Blue Elephant Restaurant, we were served the dishes that each of us had prepared. (They numbered each of our dishes as we prepared them.)

We were ready for a cold Singha Thai beer that was served with our food.

First was the Yum Ma-Muang Plaa Krob (Spicy Green Mango Salad with Crispy Fish.)

The chef used six red chilies when making this dish. We used three chilies, and it was still too hot. (And we like spicy food.)

The Tom Kha Kai Sai Mapraow Orn was our favorite dish, and it is easy to make if you have the right ingredients.

This is coconut milk soup with chicken and young coconut flesh.

It’s still difficult to believe that we were able to turn this tray of ingredients into…

This red curry chicken stir-fry with long beans. (Kai Phad Prik Tua Fak Yao.)

I’m pretty excited to try my red curry chicken stir fry with sweet basil leaves.  You learn how easy it is to make Thai stir fries, especially is you used prepared red curry paste.

I still can’t believe that I was able to make these Green Curry Prawn and Chicken Stuffed Crispy Golden Bags (tied with steamed green onions.)

The restaurant took care of frying them for us and preparing the sweet pineapple dipping sauce.

My “bags” stayed together well through the fryer, but I used too much kaffir lime leaf in them. Eating what you cook is a great way to fine-tune your recipe and cooking style, especially when you tasted the chef’s version.

We also enjoyed getting to know some of the other cruise ship guests who also aspired to learn and/or improve their Thai cooking skills.

Each of us received a certificate for completing the course.

Plus, we received a goody bags of Blue Elephant items to take home. We also purchased some items from the gift shop.

This was a fun and in-depth education in learning to make Thai cuisine. You can take cooking lessons at the Blue Elephant in Phuket or in Bangkok.

Here are links to the other posts on our Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School experience:

• Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket, Part 1
• Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School in Phuket, Part 2

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While sailing on the Seabourn Sojourn cruise from Singapore to Mumbai, India, we took Thai cooking lessons at the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School in Phuket, Thailand.

After visiting the local market to learn about key Thai ingredients with one of the Blue Elephant chefs, we returned to the Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion to begin the cooking instruction.

The school’s main chef demonstrates how to make dish number one: Tom Kha Kai Sai Mapraow Orn (Coconut Milk Soup with Chicken and Young Coconut Flesh).

It’s hard to see on the back row but the mirror helps.

There is also a video link to a big screen.

We each have a taste of the chef’s preparation.

Now it’s time to step into the cooking room and try it ourselves. We each have a cooking station like this with the necessary ingredients.

It’s hot in the kitchen.

Everyone in our class is working hard on the soup.

My soup is almost done.

After you finish your dish, it gets numbered and taken away.  I’m number 9. (I was hoping that we were not getting judged on our dishes.)

Now, it’s back to the demonstration classroom, where we see the chef prepare dish number 2, a stir fry.

After the demonstration by the chef, and our tasting, we head back to the cooking room to try it ourselves.

A new prep tray is at each station. These are the ingredients for Kai Phad Prik Tua Fak Yao (Stir-fried Chicken with Red Curry and Long Bean.)

Careful with that red chili – it burns if you touch your face.

A few minutes later, it looks pretty amazing. But no tasting now — there are two more dishes to learn.

This lesson is the most complicated. It’s Toong Tong Keaw Waan (Crispy Golden Bag stuffed with Green Curry Prawn and Chicken.)

Wow! My “purses” look pretty good. They are tied with steamed green onions.

There’s one last dish to learn and then prepare.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of our Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School, as we eat what we’ve cooked.

What’s your favorite Thai dish?

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We recently sailed on an 11-day segment of the 2014 Seabourn World Cruise from Singapore to Mumbai, India. 

Phuket, Thailand was our first port call.

Since there were six cruise ships in Phuket on the same day, our Seabourn Sojourn delivered us to Kalim Bay north of Patong Beach on the west side of Phuket.

While we originally planned on taking a boat tour to Phang Nga Bay to see James Bond Island, we changed our minds once we heard of the long bus ride each way.

Instead, we signed up for the Thai Gastronomy Tour at the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School. As soon as we got off the tender at Kalim Bay, we headed to a van.

After a very warm tender ride, we were excited that the van had good air conditioning, as well as a great guide who tried to teach us a few words of Thai during the drive to the cooking school.

Within about 25 minutes, we arrived at the Phra Pitak Chinpracha Mansion, the location of the Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School in Phuket.

First, we were greeted with a cool drink.  The bar area of the restaurant and cooking school features elephant art.

Next, one of the chef led us on a walk to local market, where he and our tour guides pointed out key ingredients in Royal Thai cuisine.

Chili peppers, lemongrass and fresh lime juice are all important ingredients in Royal Thai cuisine.

This pineapple is a little different — it is not very sweet. This woman could carve these pineapples like an artist.

Much of the fruit looked unique.  The red, bell-shaped fruits are called rose apples, and I enjoyed them on the breakfast buffet in Singapore.

Asian vegetables are also similar and yet unique.

Garlic and shallots are both important in Thai cooking.

Dried fish and chili peppers — two more key ingredients.

While we learned how to make curry pastes, you could also buy a variety of types pre-made at the market.

This motorcycle with a sidecar was the typical transportation for locals to and from their market shopping.

Well versed in the local ingredients, we headed back to the Blue Elephant to begin our cooking instruction.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Thai Gastronomy at the Blue Elephant Cooking School, where we begin cooking.

In Part 3 of our Thai Gastronomy Adventure, we eat what we’ve made.

Have you ever attended a cooking school? Please share where in comments below.

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