I am always trying to rack my brain when a friend’s birthday rolls around. This year, I thought instead of shopping around for a meaningless gift, I would do something different, something that we could do together. So I did some research and came across a flyer for Love True Food’s Thai-riffic class. This was perfect because both my friend and I love Thai food, and we could use a lot of help in the cooking department.
When we arrived at Love True Food’s home kitchen studio, we were greeted by the fragrant smell of basil, lime and galangal. We eagerly sat down around the island that surrounded the open kitchen with our tongues wagging and our stomachs grumbling.
During the class, we learned how to make authentic tom yum paste, tom yum koong, pomelo salad, basil chicken and garlic fried rice from an experienced Thai chef. Now this wasn’t just your typical cooking class. Chef Lakshmi, the owner of Love True Food, is a certified Ayurvedic Nutritional Therapist so she gave us a plethora of information about the health benefits of each ingredient. Who knew that galangal contains anti-inflammatory properties and is derived from the Chinese word for ginger?
Besides getting a lesson in nutrition and cooking, I enjoyed sitting around a table and having a conversation with other people who share your passion for food. The best part of the class was of course getting to savor the spices and flavors of the food you helped create.
Since taking the class, I am proud to say that I have recreated some of the dishes I learned. It feels great to be able to make authentic, healthy and simple food at home instead of ordering from your local Thai restaurant and getting a meal soaked in oil and MSG. In the future, I’m planning to check out Love True Food’s other Asian and health-related cooking classes. Pho and Laksa here I come!
For more information about Love True Foods cooking classes, visit www.lovetruefood.com.