Asia Scenic Cooking School - Chiang Mai

Our Class (that is Mam on the left).

I am supposed to be starting Culinary Training at George Brown this January, although it looks like I might have to defer for a semester while I try to organize funding. Anyway, I came to Asia with the plan of attending a few different cooking schools to pick up a few tricks.
I spent a day checking the different options out before finally deciding on Asia Scenic Cooking School. Walking into the school I received a friendly greeting, from Mam the main teacher, and a break down of what we would be learning.
The other schools, which seem to be more popular, like Baan Thai and others, were more like factories than schools. All the prep work was done for you, and in some cases you had little choice in which dishes you learned to make. Not so for Asia Scenic, every step was hands on, to the point of making your own pastes, and tasting and smell herbs from their backyard organic garden. If different students chose different dishes you also got to watch them prepare their food, essentially learning them too.
All the photos from this post are the property of Asia Scenic and are reproduced with permission (Thanks Mam)

Making noodle dishes,
Pad Thai for me, just to see what if anything I was missing

Learning to properly wrap spring rolls,
for some reason I have always found it harder
than hand rolling Vietnamese fresh rolls.

The class proudly showing off their spring rolls.

Making deep fried bananas, made before the mains
as they are often eaten cold from little plastic bags from street vendors.

Prep work...chopping garlic

That's me cooking up some Cashew Nut Chicken

Our class relaxing after gorging
ourselves on all the food we made.

No Name Part II

Mama's In The Kitchen

Makin' Up NoName

I got Mama to show me how to make it at home.
Here was a bit of a language barrier but I think I got it.

Veg. NoName

Shredded flesh of coconut (1 whole coconut seems to be enough for one large order)
1 - 2 Tbsp of palm sugar
1 - 2 Tbsp of Naam Po (not quite sure what it is but I think it is the water used to rehydrate dried shrimp; there was a pink sludge at the bottom but clear water on top, they said it is like fish sauce but different)
1/4 - 1/2 c of white flour, enough to form a very loose dough)
add desired veg (corn, cut up green beans, peas, et.al.)
Form into rough patties.
Deep fry.
NB Mama's had more of a shredded coconut texture, others have had more of a pakora/pancake feel, I imagine you could use coconut powder and adjust wet as needed.

Wanderlust...

Our first wedding anniversary is fast approaching and with it a full calendar year since I have been outside of Canada. Abby and I casually resolved to go away for 5 weeks this November, at first I was a little unsure that we actually would. A number of events have conspired to give Abby a year off of school, so we plan to take advantage of the time off. So it is official now; we are Thailand bound!
The plan is to spend most of our time kicking around the Islands. Friends of ours, The Loves of Ol' Blighty, suggested this little paradise on Koh Phangan. We can't make it our first stop though, as this seems exactly the type of place where a week turns into a month and then we have to rush to the border before our visas expire. Not that 5 weeks on Phangan would be a bad thing.
After the 5 weeks Abby will have to come home and return to work, I don't have to though. I am going to stay behind to take a two week Thai cooking course.
I am so excited!