Maliwan Thai Cooking Class, Bangkok

 Phad thai and Mango sticky rice

I was looking for something unique to do with G in Bangkok and found this cooking class on the Tripadvisor city guide app. I looked for more information on their website and emailed them from our hotel room.

With no money down, they confirmed my reservation for a class two days later. They also emailed me a map  for the taxi driver.

On the day itself, I made sure our hotel concierge talked to the taxi driver to explain exactly where to take us because some reviewers mentioned it could be confusing. 

 They are located at the end of an alleyway. The white door on the left is the entrance.

The alleyways leading to the cooking studio made me a bit uneasy--  where was I taking my daughter?! 

We rang the bell as instructed and were immediately brought upstairs to a cold air-conditioned waiting room. The rooms we passed on the way up were neat, orderly and clean--completely different from the outside alleyways. My apprehension was slowly evaporating--more so when we met Mae, our instructor for the day.

Today we were going to cook four thai favorites:  Tom kha gai or chicken coconut soup,  chicken in green curry, phad thai (thai noodles) and mango sticky rice.

Normally I wouldn't bother cooking these recipes at home because I'd have to search for the exotic ingredients.  However, this cooking class included a trip to the wet market with Mae.

G enjoys only a few thai dishes but she was eager to learn how to make the favorite dishes of C, who is currently away at camp.

We were the only two students this morning, so we had the teacher all to ourselves.

After a quick educational trip to the market, we were back at the studio raring to cook.

In our own cooking stations, we started slicing, chopping and pounding.  We were learning how to make green curry paste from scratch.

Mae explained why we were doing certain steps first than others. She has a very good command of  English and her teaching manner is methodical and clear.

From my station, I kept looking over at G while we were chopping and mincing because I was nervous she would hurt herself.  I had to hold my tongue and made a conscious effort not to say "careful while chopping, the knife is very sharp."

Stating the obvious wasn't going to be helpful and it might even undermine her confidence. Instead I said, "remember to curl your fingers the way tita Lita taught you", then turned my attention back to my own chopping board making sure I kept my fingers curled.
 

Mae taught us how to extract coconut cream and milk from freshly grated coconut

After prepping the curry paste and coconut milk, it was time for Mae to show us how the ingredients come together.  She demonstrated first then gave us a taste of what she cooked. It was always too spicy for us. Her recipe would include 7 bird's eye chilis (sili) and while ours would start with only one or two.

After watching and listening, it was our turn to fire up our stations--G in hers, me in mine--both minding our own woks.

From here, everything went quickly. Add this, add that. Mix a bit--add more this and that. Thai cooking always has three flavors Mae explains. "The sour comes from the tamarind paste, sweet from palm sugar and salty from fish sauce," she says as we adjust our recipes to our own taste.

 Chicken in green curry

Making the curry paste took the most effort and time. Everything else was a toss in the pan.

After the first two dishes, we went back upstairs to the airconditioned room where our feast awaited. I was originally planning just to taste the dishes, but both dishes were so delicious, I devoured everything.

After that lunch break, it was time to start the Phad Thai!

Like the two recipes before, the ingredients were pre-prepped and organized in our trays. We tasted those that looked unfamiliar and Mae described them.

We were also going to make the mango sticky rice at the same time.

Showing us the pre-soaked glutinous rice.

Timing is the challenging part of making the sticky rice. You have to pour the warm coconut milk into the just-cooked sticky rice and keep stirring, adding milk, stirring, until it reaches the right consistency. While that was setting, we were eager to start the phad thai.

Again, Mae demo-ed the phad thai from start to finish before we did it ourselves. Reading a recipe is one thing, but being shown exactly how the steps are done is always much better.

Mae's commentary is also invaluable.

 Now it's our turn!

After we made the phad thai and the mango sticky rice, it was back upstairs for us--to eat what we made.
 

While we were eating, I send off a Whatsapp photo to the lolas in Manila. "Look what G and I just cooked from scratch in Bangkok!"

They promptly replied "Okay, you guys are cooking for Sunday when you get back!"

Oops, me and my braggy big mouth!  Were we up to the challenge?

A handcarry with thai essentials

I spent the last couple of hours in Bangkok buying thai ingredients just in case we were.

The reviews in Travelocity were spot on. The cooking class was enjoyable because it was well-organized and Mae was an excellent teacher--thorough and patient.

It was also an experience to cook beside G like an equal and not like a hovering mom. I'm sure it was a confidence-building adventure for her.

I would take another class if I'm in Bangkok again--either with the kids or with a group of friends. It's a satisfying break from typical Bangkok shopping and sightseeing..but definitely not from eating!


Maliwan Thai Cooking Class

9 Sipsamhang Road, Taladyod
Phranakorn , Bangkok  10200, Thailand

Tel: +66 (0) 2629 3719 (09:00-20:30)
Mobile: +66 (0)9 0006 3824 (09:00-20:30)
Fax: +66 (0) 2528 6041

cs@maliwancooking.com

Mama's Table, Baguio

On my sister's prodding, I texted Chef Vicky Tinio Clemente when I was in Baguio last week. 

Lita's friend, Beng, had been able to book a group of 3 for dinner because Vicky was already cooking for a bigger group. Although Vicky only takes one group at a time, Beng had convinced her to include her little group. When Beng heard I was going to be in Baguio that same weekend, she told me that maybe, just maybe, Vicky could also accommodate our family of 4.

"I heard you're cooking dinner for a group of people tomorrow. In the wild chance you have room for a few more, we are four",  I was very hesitant to ask just the day before, but Lita kept texting me from Manila''"Call Vicky, okay? I'm sure you'll love it."

Vicky texted me back on Saturday noon to say yes, she could accommodate us that same night.

What luck! Hopeful diners usually book way ahead, and make it a point to gather a group for the experience. Here we were, spontaneously asking, and spontaneously being included! Happiness!

  We arrived in time to help devour breads and dips, fresh oysters and cheese.

Chef Vicky opens her home, for private dinners (six diners minimum). She usually books only one group at a time but I think she scanned her guest list and guessed correctly that we all knew each other. 

When we got there, it felt like we had entered an aunt's home and were greeting cousins. We socialized over the appetizers, then sat down in two different tables.

Too bad it was already dark when we got there and we couldn't appreciate the view. I heard the view of the mountains from her house is spectacular.

After about thirty minutes of socializing and appetizers, it was time to take our seats and begin our 8-course degustation meal.

This is a truffled custard on top of caramelized onions and mushrooms served inside an eggshell. The finger toasts had anchovy butter.

This was the first time the girls were experiencing a dinner as fancy as this and they were excited at the sight of the flatware they were going to use.

Next was a very clean tasting broth poured over a dollop of chicken mousse. Chef Vicky came to the table to describe each dish. She also explained, in great detail, how everything was cooked and the many unusual steps necessary to achieve the flavors.

In between the soup and the next dish was this unique palette cleanser--a cheese crisp topped with a melted marshmallow. Salty and sweet at the same time.

Then came the fish course--a firm but very tender halibut in a flavorful sauce.  I should be able to describe exactly what was in the sauce because Vicky did explain it, but I don't remember the details.

After the fish, we needed to take a short break. The meat course had just been seared and was being finished off in the oven.  It still needed to rest for a few minutes before being sliced and served.

The evening was casual and relaxed and we were in the company of old acquaintances. We didn't mind the pacing and lingering over interesting conversation.

Now to continue. This little amuse bouche dumpling prepared us for the meat course. Again, I forget exactly what this was but it was very delicious.

And finally, the  roast tenderloin with a red wine sauce and a serving of rissoni pasta and haricot verts.

One can order a simpler 5-course degustation meal for children but I think these girls would be very upset if I did. They were enjoying this meal immensely and were polishing everything off their plates!

We finished off with a plate of greens--watercress with pomelo, orange and very sweet pineapple, tossed with a citrus dressing. I loved this.

For the finale, a light but sinful pavlova with fresh mangoes and strawberries, topped with chocolate sauce. The girls inhaled theirs and C was bold enough to ask for another one. Just like in a aunt's house, another serving appeared before her.

What a lovely evening this turned out to be, and a unique experience for all of us.

 The other group sat in the big table

Chef Vicky's house is beautiful, welcoming and cozy. Her mother joined us before and after the dinner. At 93 years old, she is elegant and animated and obviously enjoys these gatherings Vicky has at home.

I'm glad I listened to Lita and Beng, happy I texted Vicky, and delighted to have had this unusual experience at Mama's Table. Sometimes the best experiences just happen without much planning.

Salamat Chef Vicky! We loved our evening with you!

Mama's Table 
by Vicky Tinio Clemente
+ 63 915 643 8775
mamastableph@yahoo.com

The Coconut Crab of Batanes

We heard so much about the coconut crab being a delicacy and a must-try in Batanes.

Strangely, it wasn't readily available in many restaurants. We later learned that, although it has been declared a threatened species, coconut crab can still be served locally. It just can't be exported out of the province. 

Food in Batanes is not cheap because resources are scarce and some food items are flown in. But P1,800 per kilo for something local, with most of its weight in the shell?  Anyway, we thought we'd regret bypassing the opportunity so we decided to try it. Suckers.

(pictures of crab from here)

We ordered 2 kilos for our group of 11. Bigger suckers.

The crab was presented to us in pieces on a big platter. While excited to  dig in, we were dismayed to find mostly legs. How did we not notice that this crab had no body? This anthropod is mostly long spindly legs and sacs that make up what looks like the body and the butt. The only real meaty part of the whole crab are the two pincers.

  the sacs are filled with crab fat 

Let me qualify that most of us are crab-eaters and know how to extract meat from the legs and happy to go through all the crab cavities to get at the flesh. We really tried to find the meat in this crab but there wasn't much.  As for the taste? Bland and at times tough.

I definitely prefer the fleshy alimango (mud crab) or the sweet alimasag (blue or spider crab) which is abundant in other parts of the country--and not even endangered or expensive.

It was such a let-down that I didn't even take pictures of the cooked crab (I had to get the crab pictures online)

Our verdict? Unless you really enjoy aligue, don't bother. Let them live.

Honesty Coffee Shop, Batanes

So much has already been written about Honesty Coffee Shop in Ivana, Batanes but I didn't see this store back in 1995 when we were there.  It seems that it opened that same year.

Since that time, any feature article on Batanes would mention this unique store.

The store is stocked with little snacks like chips, hard boiled eggs, crackers and candies--just like a sari-sari store. There are also some souvenir items. 

But there is no one minding the store. You help yourself to whatever you want, and leave your payment in a box--hence the name: "Honesty" store name. I don't know where the "coffee shop" comes from unless there is a thermos of coffee which I missed.

Signs around the store that say "God is watching you"  or "God knows Hudas not pay" is enough to keep you honest.

The owners had to be tending a farm instead of hanging out in a store, so this model was devised out of necessity. Over the past 20 years, it has turned out to be pure marketing genius.

It's not just a store anymore--it's now a feel-good tourist spot since everyone who comes to Batanes likes to see and photograph the "Honesty Coffee Shop" (just like us). Sometimes they even leave money (not like us) without even taking anything.