When the phone beside my bed rang at 7am I awoke wondering what the heck I’d let myself in for.  Firstly, I don’t do 7am. Secondly, I can’t cook, which is why I have such extensive experience of restaurants. What on earth, I mused, had I been thinking when I enrolled on the JW Marriot Phuket Resort & Spa’s Ginja Cook programme? 

Several cups of hot coffee later, I ambled down to the lobby to meet my fellow students and instruction Chef Tammasak Chootong. After a quick briefing of the day ahead, we climbed aboard a mini-bus and set off on a twenty minute journey to a local Thai market where we meandered amongst stalls piled high with exotic and strange looking produce.  Any remnant of sleepiness quickly vanished as the chef walked us around the market grabbing handfuls of pungent herbs for us to taste and smell, explaining their uses in Thai cooking.  Galangal, coriander root, kaffir limes, lemongrass, tamarind, pandam leaves, three types of basil, and, of course, chillies of every size.  We watched as fragile looking old women split coconuts in half with one hearty swing of a machete, pouring the precious contents into buckets, tossing the husks into one pile and the nut halves into another.  Up until then I had thought that the juice of the coconut was milk, “no”, chef Tammasak tutored me, “the liquid is coconut water, it makes a refreshing drink, the cream and milk is made from the coconut flesh, which is soaked in water and then squeezed; the first soaking and squeezing produces cream, the second a lighter milk”.  Next, we watched different herbs and spices being smashed and pounded in pestle and mortar producing red, green and yellow pastes. These taste-explosion pastes work with everything from Thai curries and meat dishes to vegetables and seafood - even noodles.  “In the old days Thai people would always make curry paste at home from scratch, but these days, for speed, many people buy paste ready made”, Tammasak explained.  After purchasing some spiky rambutans, purple-skinned mangosteens, and bright red lychees as a snack for the journey home, we climbed back aboard our bus and headed back to the resort.

At the resort, we were led to the Café where we were given half an hour for breakfast.  Already full of exotic fruit and knowing that I was going to be tasting and eating for most of the day I was a little reluctant to stuff myself full of breakfast, even though the buffet looked irresistible with an abundance of choices, including Thai, Japanese and Chinese specialties as well as the usual English and American fare, fresh fruit juices and smoothies, waffles and pancakes, fresh fruits, breads and pastries.  I settled instead for more freshly brewed coffee, which I sipped on the terrace overlooking the infinity pool, whilst I pondered on just how foolish I was going to look when chef discovered I didn’t know one end of a chilli from the other end of a wooden spoon. 

The school is set amidst the beautiful tropical gardens of the resort.  Built in the style of a typical Thai Sala it uses Teak as its main material.  Floor to ceiling glass sliding doors provided natural light and a stunning view of the Andaman Sea.  There was a large instructor station at the head of the room and two stations, each designed for two students, along both sides.  Classes are purposely kept small ensuring a true interaction between the instructor and the students, and leaving me nowhere to hide.  The stations were filled with copper pots and pans, sharp knives, wooden and earthenware bowls and, of course, stone pestle and mortars.

Chef Tammasak began by telling us about the dishes we were going to create, their origins, the ingredients and cooking method.  My hands began to tremble a little when he told us we were going to steam a sea bass.  I can’t even grill a fish finger and he was expecting me to do something with a whole fish!  After demonstrating the first dish, Gung Som, chef sent us off to our workstations.

To my surprise, I quickly overcame my performance angst as I quite deftly began slicing chillies.  Next, I poured my coconut milk into one of the copper pans and, whilst it was heating, cleaned and tailed a handful of prawns.  As small bubbles began to gather in my pan I threw in the chillies, waited a while and threw in the prawns.  Next, I added a splosh of fish sauce and a spoonful of sugar.  Then I turned off the heat, sliced a lime in half and squeezed a generous amount into the pan.  Turning the contents of my pan into an earthenware dish, I garnished with some more chopped chilli, sliced red shallots and chopped coriander.  As I stood back to admire my creation, it was whipped out from under me and labelled with my name for tasting at lunch. 

With my newfound confidence I was ready to take on our second dish, Pla Nung Manao, steamed sea bass with lime and chilli sauce.  After the demonstration, much to my relief, I discovered a fairy godmother like assistant had cleaned and filleted a fish for me and placed it at my workstation.  Now this was going to be a walk in the park.  First, as instructed, I chopped the ingredients for the sauce: coriander, garlic and chillies.  Next, I mixed fish sauce, sugar and limejuice and added it to my chopped ingredients. After steaming the fish in a bamboo basket until it was cooked, I placed it onto a dish and poured the sauce over it.  It looked wonderful, and it was easy.  Once again the dish was whisked away to be tasted at lunch.

At this stage, I would have done well to remember that two hours ago I couldn’t cook, as my third dish, Gia Khrueng Gaeng, grilled chicken and red curry on bamboo skewers, was about to remind me.  Cubing the chicken and marinating it in chopped garlic, black pepper, coriander roots and oyster sauce presented me with little problem.  Skewering the meat onto thin strips of bamboo was also not rocket science.  Then came the red curry part.  I heated up my pan as instructed and cooked off some coriander powder, no problem.  Then I added my two kinds of curry paste, Mussaman and Paneang.  The pan began to spit and crackle and the pungent aroma stung my eyes and filled the room with thick smoke.  Chef Tammasak swept the pan away from me, flipped open the lid of the bin and dumped the contents of my pan inside.  Then he wiped the pan out with a kitchen towel, placed it on the worktop and laughing, told me to start again.  “You let the pan get too hot”, he told me, “curry paste is quite oily so if the pan is too hot when you start it burns quickly, he said through his giggles.  Wiping the streams of tears off my face, I started again; this time ensuring the heat was very low and adding chicken stock before the paste burned.  Once boiling I seasoned with palm sugar, fish sauce and salt.  After allowing the mixture to cool a little, I spread it over my chicken skewers and we grilled them to perfection on the outdoor BBQ. 

Once the chicken skewers were cooked, we went back inside to a beautifully laid table where our previously made dishes had all been reheated ready for tasting.    The proof of the pudding as they say… and I can quite honestly say that I have never tasted anything so good, that was cooked by me anyhow.  The mystery of Thai flavours had been unravelled and I could now competently cook three dishes that I would be proud to invite my friends around to eat.  Maybe I should try rising at 7am more often.

For information and reservations for Ginja Cook Courses at the JW Marriot Phuket Resort and Spa, as well as the new range of Culinary Packages for 2007 including accommodation, airport transfers, breakfast, and Ginja Cook Courses and spa treatments, contact the resort’s central reservations office, telephone:  +66 2656 7707, fax: +66 2656 7711 or e-mail: res.jwthailand@marriotthotels.com.

The Recipes

Gung Som
Poached white prawns in a rich coconut and lime broth

Ingredients:
White prawns            6 pieces
Coconut milk            300 ml
Red shallots                3 pieces
Chillies (green & red)        3 pieces
Coriander leaves             4 stalks
Sugar                    1 teaspoon
Fish sauce                2 tablespoons
Lime juice                1 tablespoon

Method:

1.    Heat coconut milk in a saucepan.
2.    Cut the chillies in half, mix well with the coconut milk and bring to the     boil.
3.    Clean the prawns and cut the tails off.
4.    Add the prawns into the coconut milk.
5.    Season with fish sauce, sugar and bring to the boil until the prawns     are cooked.
6.    Take off the heat and add the limejuice.
7.    Serve the prawns in a deep plate, garnished with roughly chopped     chilli, sliced red shallots and chopped coriander.

Pla Nung Manao
Steamed sea bass fillet with lime and chilli sauce

Ingredients:
Sea bass fillet (250g)        2 pieces
Fish sauce                3 tablespoons
Limejuice                2 tablespoons
Sugar                    1 tablespoon
Coriander                1 stalk
Garlic                    2 cloves
Bird chilli                2 pieces

Method:

1.    Chop the coriander (including the root), garlic, bird chilli and set aside     to make sauce.
2.    Place fish sauce, sugar and lime juice into a mixing bowl and mix it     well together.  Add chopped coriander, garlic and bird chilli.  Set     aside.
3.    Put sea bass fillets into a steam basket and steam above boiling     water until the fish is cooked.
4.    Serve the steamed sea bass with the sauce on top.

Gai Khrueng Gaeng
Grilled chicken and red curry on bamboo skewers

Ingredients:
Chicken breast & thigh with skin    160gms
Coriander roots            2 pieces
Garlic                    1 clove
Black pepper            1 teaspoon
Oyster sauce            1 tablespoon
Mussaman curry paste        1 tablespoon
Paneang curry paste        1 tablespoon
Chicken stock            200 ml
Fish sauce                3 tablespoons
Palm sugar                3 tablespoons
Coriander powder            1 teaspoon
Bamboo skewers            2 pieces

Method:
1.    Cut the chicken into large pieces
2.    Marinate the chicken with copped garlic, black pepper, coriander     roots and oyster sauce.
3.    Skewer the chicken meat on the bamboo stick.
4.    Heat up the saucepan with coriander powder and gently cook until an     aroma develops.
5.    Add both curry pastes and fry for 2 minutes with a little oil.
6.    Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
7.    Season with palm sugar, fish sauce and salt.
8.    Grill the chicken skewer.  While grilling, brush them with the curry         sauce until the chicken is fully cooked.


Off to the local market for a lesson in Thai produce.


Herbs and spices, the secret ingredients to Thai cuisine.


The pestle and Mortar is fundamental in Thai cooking.


Chef Tammasak demonstrate each dish first.


My first attempt at Thai cooking, Gung Som.


The stations were filled with copper pots and pans, sharp knives, wooden and earthenware bowls and, of course, stone pestle and mortars.


Built in the style of a typical Thai Sala it uses Teak as its main material.