THAILAND IS A nation of gastronomic wonders guaranteed to delight travellers to the land of smiles. Sweet, sour, spicy, garlicky, lemony, whether it be a simple tom ka (coconut soup) gently infused with lemongrass and intensified with green chilly, or yam som o, a refreshing flavour sensation mixing pomelo with chicken and prawn, Thai food has long fascinated lovers of Oriental cuisine.
Employing some of the best chefs in the country, every hotel worth its rock salt is joining in the cooking school craze to give visitors an opportunity to peek inside the vast world of Thai cooking, teaching not just technique, but how to choose the best ingredients, etiquette when dining with locals and insights into a society that takes its food very seriously.
Chiva-Som, Hua Hin
Head chef and instructor at Chiva Som's weekly cooking class Paisarn Cheewinsiriwat champions wholesome foods that heal. His students learn how, and more importantly why, to cook food 'low in fat, sugar and salt, high in nutrition and big on taste'.
The food at Chiva-Som International Health Resort, which was recently added to British Airways' first-class menu, reflects its healthy-living philosophy. Forget ducking out for a pizza: the resort is several kilometres from anywhere and only the healthiest cuisine is offered at its two restaurants. 'Chiva-Som is about health; we grow our own organic vegetables, use free-range chickens and employ a family of fishermen to supply us with their daily catch,' runs the blurb. There is no sugar, no fat and definitely no excess boozing: guests are limited to a glass of red or white wine a day. But the regime isn't necessarily punishing, because Paisarn knows how to cook marvellous food without its attendant evils - and daily board includes a Thai massage.
'Oil,' he says 'is the chief assailant.' We are cooking red curry and there isn't a drop in sight, nor is there any coconut milk, the king of ingredients having been substituted for low-fat milk.