Many Southeast Asian tourist destinations offer cooking classes as a way to experience local culture and sample authentic dishes. Despite my aversion to everything culinary, I do enjoy shopping in the wet markets for fresh ingredients, playing with unfamiliar kitchen tools, and eating my creations. Over the years, I have “learned” to cook in Chiang Mai, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos; and Bali, Indonesia. Most of the time, I get distracted with my camera, fail to follow directions and botch the dishes. (In Bali, I didn’t even bother paying for the course; I just showed up for part of the day to snap a few shots on Tony in action.)
And now I can add Vientiane, Laos, to my list of places where I halfheartedly learned to cook.
Morven Smith, a teacher at our school, recently started a business on the side – Lao Experiences. The first “experience” she’s offering is a cooking class at her home on the banks of the Mekong River. As she trains the staff and tweaks the process, she invited a few of us to be guinea pigs. I warned her about my lackluster cooking history, but she kindly allowed me to participate.
The class met in an open-air cooking area next to Morven’s home.
Morven, Carol and Nikki discuss the cool wooden cutting boards.
Morven watches as Catherine and Anna collect their ingredients.
Smashing up the ingredients with a mortar and pestle – exhausting!
I wrapped the smashed herbs, rice and fish in a banana leaf and secured it for steaming.
Our banana leaf-wrapped fish concoctions went in the bamboo steamer while one of the friendly helpers prepared the grills for our kebabs.
We grilled tomatoes, garlic, shallots, chilies and small eggplants for making dipping sauces. I made a spicy eggplant dip, which nearly melted my nasal passages.
Ms. Sang brushes marinade on chicken clipped in bamboo stalks on the grill.
Carol opens the steamer to check on our fish packets.
The last dish we made could possibly be my favorite food on the planet – sticky rice with mango and coconut milk.
Finally, we all carried our dishes to a table in the garden for a little feast. Shaded by mango, passionfruit and tamarind trees, we listened to the monks chanting in the temple next door, rolled sticky rice in our fingers and sipped Beer Lao to cool our fiery tongues. Butterflies skimmed around our heads and the occasional long-tailed boat puttered by as we savored a leisurely Lao lunch.
For more information about Morven’s lovely Lao Experiences, visit her website: www.lao-experiences.com.
