Le Tigre de Papier

One of the things I've always wanted to do before leaving Thailand is taking a Thai cooking class. I've never got around to it, but when I was in Siem Reap for the New Year holiday, I finally signed up for a Khmer cooking class at the Le Tigre de Papier Restaurant and Cooking School.

I met at the restaurant at 1pm on the 1st of January, and was shortly joined by Stefan and Judith, a German/Australian couple who was vacationing in Cambodia. The class was just the three of us, and that turned out to be really great! It started with our teacher, Samann, taking us on a tour of the nearby fresh market and showing us the types of vegetables and spices we would be using in our meals.

We each got to order a starter and an entree from the restaurant's menu to prepare, and together we selected a dessert to make and share. I chose shrimp spring rolls as my starter, and Cambodia's national dish, amok, as my main dish.

For three hours we worked to prepare our food, while being taught about Khmer food and culture by our teacher. Cambodia uses a lot of flavorful herbs and spices, like Thailand, although the food is not as spicy as that of its neighbor. My dish was flavored with a paste made from lemongrass, ginger, garlic, onion, chili, and turmeric. The cooking school promised that when we were done, our fingers would be stained turmeric orange as proof of having taken their course.

At the end, we had three starters, three main dishes, and three servings of our chosen dessert. The four of us sat downstairs in the restaurant and shared the meal. The restaurant emailed us the recipes, and I would like to try some more once I get home.

I would still like to try a Thai cooking class someday. I've always thought that food is a great way to connect to a culture. To me, one of the best parts about traveling is learning about the national dishes which people are so proud of. In Thailand especially, food is a major aspect of the culture. Upon meeting someone new in Thailand, the first two questions we farang are often asked are; "Do you like Thailand?" "Do you love Thai food?"