Sunday 22 September 2013

Sunday in Thailand








Finally I have been up to something interesting enough to make me want to blog about it. The monotony of being a house frau/farm hand/working Mum has got the better of me lately and I have had a major case of bloggers block. Every time I come up with a literary epiphany I sit down to write and nothing comes out. Who the hell cares about what I am going to say? I have come so close to publishing tips on how to keep a 2 year old occupied and how to braid my bay leaf tree, but, thank the Lord, I have not. At least for now the curse has lifted and we are spared.

It was my partner’s Birthday last month and as a gift to him I booked us a Thai cooking class this past weekend, at Spice I Am in Darlinghurst. He hates curries so it was a gamble, and one which paid off big time as he really enjoyed it. It was one of the best things we have done in a while and a really great way for the two of us to spend a day together without child, learning something new. Sujet Saenkham, Executive Chef and Director of the successful Spice I Am restaurants in Sydney, was so inspiring - his back story is both remarkable and humbling and we loved every second of his class.

There were three dishes on our menu to make – Gaeng Ped Yang - Roast Duck Curry, Som Tum – Green Papaya Salad and Pad Prik Khing Pla – Stir Fried Crispy Fish Fillet. The spice level was enough to send me into an early labour being 4 and a half months pregnant, but they were delicious and simple to cook - given a highly talented Thai chef held our hands through every step, the “Market” table where we gathered all our fresh ingredients was fully prepared for us, and the clean up was non existent due to the amazing staff. And we enjoyed a great glass of wine at the end with our meals we had cooked. I was so spiced up I couldn't even drink all of mine. 

As well as having delicious self made take out for lunch the next day, we have come away ready to build our vegetable patch – with Chillis, Kaffir Limes, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes and Papaya as our starting crop. I also have three new meals to add to my very small repertoire. Guess what we are going to be eating all Summer?