Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Thai Cooking Class With Chef In Stilettos

I have always loved Thai food.

But for the longest time the thought of cooking Thai dishes in my own kitchen intimidated me.

When my friend, Didi, invited me to attend the Thai Cooking Class With Chef In Stilettos, I readily said yes. It's a sign that I have to conquer this Thai-cuisine paralysis, and who better to do it with than Chef Cecille Chang.

Cecille Chang was the owner and Executive Chef of Thai at Silk, Silk Road Thai Bistro, Simply Thai, Pad Thai & More. With a passion for cooking, Cecille was trained in famous culinary schools and Thai food masters.


Thai food has lots of unfamiliar ingredients and seemingly difficult cooking techniques. The unfamiliar ingredients listed in recipes overwhelm me... kaffir lime leaves, galangal, Thai round eggplants, and a lot more.




I'm new to Thai cooking, but Chef Cecille's recipes are very detailed, step by step, easy to understand and follow. She also includes many of her tips and tricks, and she also recommends which brands to use, which is very helpful for a newbie like me.


Chef Cecille makes cooking Thai food from scratch looks easier! 



You will be given your cookbook at the beginning of the session, You do not even have to bring a pen and write down notes as the recipe is exactly followed during the hands-on demonstration. 



The setup of Chef Cecille's classes allow for plenty of hands-on work, and lots of time to talk, taste, and learn. 




Each session starts with Chef Cecille demonstrating doing the dish, with the hows and whys explained. 




Afterwards, students gather the ingredients and then prepare for a hands-on cooking of the dish we just learned, while Chef Cecille looks on to give any necessary advice or help.


We get to cook all the dishes we just learned by ourselves!


The recipes and instructions you receive from Chef Cecille will be invaluable in recreating Thai dishes properly at home. I have already made it several times, always with the same wonderful result.

The key to having a consistent taste, I think, is to follow the steps given by Chef Cecille in her class. She is very generous with sharing her knowledge of Thai cuisine.

We learned when making curries that the coconut cream needs to be cooked until the oil in the cream bubbles at the edges and separates. Then, frying the curry paste in the coconut cream to release the fragrant flavors. and we were able to see what this looks like first hand when done in the proper method. 




During our class we made Spring Rolls, Papaya Salad (Som Tam), Hot and Sour Prawn Soup (Tom Yum Gung), Green Curry with Chicken, and Thai-style Stir Fried Noodles (Pad Thai).

When the cooking is done, you can choose to sit down and eat your dish, but I had to pick up my daughter so I just chose to pack it and bring it home to share with my family.











I felt it was excellent value for money.  The class costs only P2,500 per participant, inclusive of the ingredients. That is less than you’d probably spend if you order the same amount of food at your favorite Thai restaurant.

Thai cooking classes are usually done in Chef Cecille’s kitchen in her BGC home, but she can also go to your home if you can set up a group, like we did.

The real joy of learning to cook Thai with Chef Cecille is that she makes Thai cooking accessible even for newbies like me. She is generous with sharing her knowledge, and I really left her class with additional knowledge in the kitchen, and confidence to cook Thai food on my own.

I'm not bragging when I say after taking her class, I could now make Thai food that tastes just like like the ones served at local restaurants, if not better pa. No kidding yan!

Call +63956 378 9129 to inquire or register.


To know more about Chef In Stilettos, visit her in Facebook


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