At Home Or Abroad, An Experience Not To Be Missed
Thai cooking is the hottest new culinary trend to hit the US. While many Americans are interested in learning more about the cooking techniques of this fascinating culture, there are few Thai culinary schools available. This article will show you how find and choose a good Thai culinary school either here in the US or aboard.
Thai Culinary School Styles
Thailand is divided by to four main regions: the North, North-East, Central, and South. Thai cuisine follows the same pattern of Northern, Central, Northeastern, and Southern cooking styles. Understanding and knowing which culinary style your Thai culinary school represents is very important.
The North is famous it hearty vegetable dishes. The flavors are often sour and spicy. The Northeastern region is well known for their hot and spicy foods. This has some of the hottest ingredients in Thai cuisine. Central Thailand makes use of its famous "green curries" and the flavors trend towards being sweet and sour. While the South uses coconut milk and turmeric in their cooking.
But no matter which Thai culinary school, you choose, it should teach you the basics of using the Thai bar-be-que or grill. Thai cuisines are often grilled and served with accompanying condiments and sauces. Another Thai staple is noodles or glutinous rice depending on the region.
Oakland, California: the Thai Culinary School of Kasma Loha-unchit
Chef Kasma Loha-unchit has written several award winning cookbooks and has been teaching classes in her Thai culinary school since 1985. Loha-unchit grew up in her native Thailand, learning the subtle seasoning and techniques of Thai from her mother and grandmother. Kasma has said that Thai cuisine is the subtle blend of the five basic flavors of salty, sour, sweet, savory and bitter. And that by creatively blending these flavors the Thai cook can create an infinite variety of dishes.
Bangkok, Thailand: the Thai Culinary School Adventure of lifetime
Now if you have the time and the budget and really want to learn from a real Thai culinary school, then you can take a trip to Bangkok. As the capital of Thailand, Bangkok hosts many Thai culinary schools and courses from simple demonstrations to fully accredited schools with multiple day hands-on "boot camps" or intensives.
Several of the large hotels and restaurants offer Thai culinary courses but for a personal attention, you will have to enroll in a local Thai culinary school. The best ones are registered with the Ministry of Education of Thailand and have highly trained instructors.
Whether you decide to study at a Thai culinary school here or to straight to the source, enrolling in a Thai culinary school program could easily become one of your best experiences, ever.
