Massaman Curry in Thailand

Yesterday I took my first Thai cooking class.  INCREDIBLE!

I never dreamed that I'd be able to replicate authentic Thai food at home, but maybe I can.  As long as I have the authentic ingredients, I should be good.  Try this recipe out, and let me know and let me know if you like it; and if it tastes Thai.  When I made this delicious Massaman Curry in May Kaidee's Thai vegetarian cooking class, all I could do was tap my feet and smile as I devoured every last bit.  Creamy, spicy, sweet, and boasting the perfect balance of texture, this curry was my favorite of the 12 dishes we made yesterday. Sap sap sap sap sap! That means delicious, as sung in the May Kaidee cooking class song.  "Aroi" also means delicious in Thai : )

We started off by making green curry paste, another Thai staple that's always intimidated me.  Using a mortar and pestle was never my strong point, but in Thailand with fresh chilies, Kaffir lime, galangal and lemon grass all begging to be smashed into the perfect spice blend, I somehow gained my confidence, and helped crush up some stellar curry paste.

Next, we left May Kaidee's restaurant and school, and headed around the block, fancy umbrellas in tow, to buy some wheat spring roll wraps.  An older woman sat in the middle of what looked like a storefront mixed with an apartment, on the bottom floor of a 2 story building, and with enviable skill made circular wraps that resembled paper thin tortillas (I'll post a video soon).  We also bought fresh veggies from a man with a cart full of greens and herbs, some of which I had never seen before.

Back at the school, our first dish was Tom Yam Soup, add a little extra coconut milk and you have Tom Kha Soup (one of my favorites!).  Issan, a tasty stir fry of veggies and tofu, came next, followed by fried vegetables with ginger.  Of course we learned how to make Pad Thai, but it wasn't my favorite.  The Massaman curry was next, then we made Green Thai Curry, which was also fantastic.  We put those fresh wheat wrappers to use for our Spring Rolls with fresh coconut meat served with freshly made peanut and/or sesame sauce.  That's not it! We then made pumpkin hummus with sesame seeds instead of chickpeas; and I cannot forget the lovely Green Papaya Salad.  Aroi!

On my first day in Thailand I had Green Papaya salad for breakfast.  I walked out of my guesthouse, hungry and in awe of the city, and to my delight found a vegetarian restaurant within 5 minutes! Jenny's Vegetarian restaurant has become my go to spot, and May Kaidee's is only 2 minutes further down Samsen Road.

We finished the class off with Mango and Banana with Black Sticky Rice.  I could have licked the bowl!  Imagine, after 5 hours of cooking and eating, I could still fit more into my tummy.

My classmates were 4 young women from Finland and Switzerland, all of whom lived and worked in Thailand.  They gave me advice on things to do in Bangkok, and right after class I found myself checking one of their suggestions off of my list.  I took a long tail boat down the city's canals with two Australians.  We visited a floating market (!!!!), and for 20 baht ($0.67) I drank the water from a young Thai coconut.

I'm in heaven : )

Massaman Curry 

(This is May Kaidee's wonderful recipe, verbatim. She calls for tablespoons of the vegetables, which ends up being about 1/4 cup.  If you find your way to Bangkok EAT HERE! She also has a location in Chiang Mai, and is planning a location in New York City soon.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!
Buy her cookbook here. 

Try your hardest to find fresh red chili paste and curry powder)

Serves 1, but double for 2 

In the wok put:
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon shredded carrot
1 tablespoon coarsley chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon red chili paste
1 teaspoon curry powder

Fry until fragrant.  If necessary, add little water to stop the paste from burning.

Add:
3 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons coconut milk

Cook until mixture is thick.

Add:
1 tablespoon mixed light and dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 small handful of vegetables (ie: steamed sweet potato or pumpkin) **(also, chinese cabbage, kale, broccoli,       and mushrooms)**
1 tablespoon prepared tofu

Mix well

Add:
2 tablespoons coconut milk
Stir until texture is thick, then add:
1 teaspoon lime juice

Before serving, top with full roasted peanuts and 1 tablespoon coconut milk or coconut cream.