We have been gone for a little over a week…first in Sun River with friends…and now up in Idaho with Kyle’s parents. Having no agenda makes life very relaxing. We even got a date night!
Have you ever taken a cooking class at Sur La Table?
Kyle’s parents did and loved it so much they signed us up for one while we were in town because they thought we’d enjoy it too.
I have always dreamed of taking cooking classes (as a hobby) when we are retired millionaires…so this was my first foray in (semi) formal professional culinary education. It was super cool! We learned some new techniques and knife skills, while working with some new tools and ingredients.
Our class theme was “Intro to Thai cooking” and we made a classic pad thai, spring vegetable green curry with lemongrass scented jasmine rice, and crispy calamari with sweet chili sauce.
We worked in teams of four, so Kyle and I had two other women in our group, but then we all combined our dishes before serving ourselves buffet-style at the end.
Classic Pad Thai
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces Chantaboon rice noodles
- 1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
- 4large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2/3 cup pad thai sauce (recipe following)
- 1 cup fried tofu, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet preserved radish (optional)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
- 2 1/2 cups bean sprouts, divided
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for garnish
Pad Thai sauce (yield 2 1/2 cups – enough for 3 recipes of pad thai)
- 2/3 cup tamarind concentrate (Thai brands only)
- 2/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup light soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup palm sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup sriracha chili sauce, depending on preference
Directions:
For the sauce, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook sauce until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
To soften the Chantaboon noodles, place them in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes or until tender and soft. Drain in a colander and set aside, covered with a clean dish towel.
To prepare pad thai, heat a wok over high heat and add the oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add tofu, garlic and shallots and saute one minute. Add the eggs and stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir noodles, followed by pad thai sauce. Simmer noodles in the sauce until cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the tofu and radish.
Check the noodles and if they are not tender add 1/4 cup water. When the noodles are tender, stir in the green onions, 2 cups of bean sprouts, and peanuts, and remove the wok from the stove. Be careful not to overcook the noodles or they will stick together. If this happens, add small amounts of water to separate them. When the water is absorbed, remove the wok immediately from the heat.
To serve, place pad thai in a large serving bowl and garnish with remaining bean sprouts, lime wedges, and peanuts.
Voila!
It was far easier to make the pad thai sauce than I thought, and I really liked it although if I make it again I might reduce the amount of tamarind paste a touch.
The best part about the crispy calamari was the lime zest and cilantro sprinkled on top of the freshly fried seafood. It could have used a bit more salt, but we didn’t get it on in time, so it didn’t stick. You really have to salt it the second it comes out of the oil.
The green curry was also awesome, but some groups used an entire Thai chili in their recipe, so once they all got combined the heat was a little much for me. It had some serious kick to it, and after several bites, the rice wasn’t enough to cool down my palate.
Here’s my first plate (I went back for more of the fried calamari…twice). Yum!
Meanwhile, back and grandma and bumpas house…
Like mother, like daughter. š
Pizza night! The kids got to make their own pies, which was a big hit.
Unclear who had the most fun. I believe that’s called a win win. š
