Joy's excellent English was honed over 7 years of study as a Monk in a Luang Prabang monastery. His cooking skills were learned in his mother's kitchen. His gently warm, dry wit is all his own.
- Today, he's my guide through the fresh gastronomy of Lao cooking.
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As the co-owner of Tamarind, one of Luang Prabang's top rated restaurants... he offers a half-day cooking course at a specially built facility just outside of this Unesco World Heritage town.
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Our day starts in the market, and as soon as he crack's a straigh-faced joke about river weed and congealed blood, I know I'm going to enjoy myself.
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The vast array of green herbs and fresh vegetables spread out on low tables across the marketplace is astounding, but never before have I grasped just how many different types of rice there are. In stall after stall, plastic tubs are piled high with red, white, beige and brown grains - some shiny for steaming, others powdery for the ubiquitous sticky rice. And within each type, a range of qualities and grain sizes.
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The juxtaposition of colours and textures is stunning. This is a woven basket of river weed resting on top of a pile of small tomatoes.
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-Even the simplest piles of banana flowers, tomatoes, eggplant peas, green beans, garlic gloves and coriander become pointalist works of art.
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Arriving at the cooking school, we are introduced to our new best friend the woven conical steamer basket. We use it to rinse and strain the rice, and then lower it into a pot of boiling water over a charcoal brazier. We will use it later to steam the fish.
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On a table at the front of the classroom, baskets of fresh herbs and mushrooms wait for our assignments.
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Ever the studious pupil, I obsessively take notes... not aware that they'll give us a cookbook at the end of the session. On my work station is an important tool - a wooden mortar and pestle and a wooden chopping block. Behind me, the fish pond.
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- The class, mostly Australians, 3 young Dutch backpackers and another Canadian couple gather 'round as Joy explains the finer points of mashing shallots.
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Here I'm sneaking a peek at our water buffalo and eggplant soup as it begins to boil over the glowing charcoal.
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- My stuffed lemongrass is a little disheveled, but delicious. I had mashed together fresh herbs and raw chicken, stuffed it into a "shattered" stalk of lemongrass squeezed open to make a basket, dipped in eggs ... and then deep fried. I'm planning to try it as a stuffed eggplant and bake it rather than fry it when I get home.
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The Tilapia, steamed inside a softened banana leaf with an herb and hot pepper paste, tastes a lot better than it looks.
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- But dessert is always a favourite part. Steamed red rice, boiled in coconut milk I made myself, and served with a range of fresh local fruit, including a pod of tamarind.
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And the best part ... sitting down together to enjoy the fruits of our labours, under the watchful eye of our instructor, Joy.
And the best part ... sitting down together to enjoy the fruits of our labours, under the watchful eye of our instructor, Joy.
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A cooking class is an exceptional way to understand any local culture. When the food involves fresh local ingredients and spices and and the outcome is this delicious... the learning is a bonus.
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