Blue Elephant’s Nooror Somany Steppe was born in Chachoengsao province, and since her sister owned a small restaurant there, she grew up close to food and catering.
Nooror’s love for producing authentic Thai dishes only grew during a period when she lived overseas. This experience also developed her creative streak, allowing Nooror to try out new innovations in Thai cuisine.
An early morning market tour
I had the good fortune of being offered the opportunity to participate recently in a half-day cooking course at Blue Elephant’s flagship restaurant, conveniently located right next to the Surasak BTS skytrain station. The Thai-Chine building, formerly home to the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, is an absolute classic, and was cited by the fine arts department as an "exceptional example" of colonial-era architecture.
Check out the restaurant’s schedule of cooking courses to assess which one is right for you. I chose the Monday morning option since it begins with a market tour, which sounded like an appealing ‘bonus’ activity.
During the market tour, just a short-ride from the restaurant, you get to sample some tantalizing Thai deserts, as well as learning a few ‘tricks of the trade’ when it comes to selecting basil, garlic and other common ingredients. During the tour you get to enjoy a refreshing bag of traditional Thai iced coffee.
So to work …
The menu items you get to prepare on a Monday are also among the better known Thai dishes internationally, including: Tom Yam Koong (Spicy Soup with Prawn); Yam Som O (Pomelo Salad); Kaeng Keaw Wan Kai (Chicken Green Curry); and Pad Thai Nam Makarm (Stir-fried Noodles in Tamarind Sauce).
First we were introduced to our ‘master’ chef, or actually ‘madam’ chef in this case – Nooror Somaly Steppe. Nooror and her team of ‘assistants’ did a great job at diplomacy, making themselves somewhat scarce when participants clearly demonstrated a natural flair for producing genuine-tasting Thai dishes, or offering help and support when someone is clearly struggling. If I were forced to make a self-assessment, I guess I would award myself a comme ci, comme ca (50/50).
My
efforts at producing a reasonable Tom Yam Koong, Yam Som O, and Kaeng
Keaw Wan Kai were reasonably successful, but I would have to concede
that I struggled with the egg when trying to produce a credible Pad
Thai. Fortunately, a kindly assistant helped get me back on track.
A
half-day morning or afternoon course costs 2,800 baht (US$84) plus
service charges and taxes, so expect to spend more than 3,100 baht (in
total. A week’s course offers better value at 10,000 baht (five
mornings, or five afternoons), while those seriously interested in
cookery as a living might wish to sample the five-day professional chef
private course (68,000 baht). Blue Elephant’s Cooking School also
offers a vegetarian cooking class (6,000 baht).
Did it ‘move the crowd?
Rather
than offer my own comments on the course content, I took the trouble of
getting in touch with a co-participant – Nicola Bright, from the beautiful
island of New Zealand - to garner her views on the course.
"I
didn't know what to expect when I arrived … but I left later that day
feeling like I could return to New Zealand and whip up a four course
Thai meal with no problems at all," she said.
With regard to the quality of tuition, Nicola seems equally content.
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"The head chef gave comprehensive explanations about each dish we were
to make, told us the history of the ingredients, and then demonstrated
the ‘right way’ to cook the dish. This is how I found out you should
never put peas in a Thai [green] chicken curry – something that happens
fairly often in New Zealand but you would never find this in Thailand."
Finally, once the cooking action had come to a close, we all sat down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
"Being
able to sit down in the restaurant at the end of the day and sample
what we’d cooked … gave us a real sense of accomplishment. I'd
recommend the Blue Elephant Cooking School to anyone spending time in
Thailand who has a passion for food, it’s a fantastic experience and
well worth the cost."
Blue Elephant received the PM's export award in 2007.
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Go Eat, Go Out! 
Go Eat, Go Out!
The bars, clubs and restaurants of Thailand, and especially Bangkok, make the destination an excellent stopover - or even home base - for those who enjoy a wide variety of cuisine and a good night out of culture or clubbing. Get ideas and gain insights on dining (Go Eat!) and entertainment (Go Out!) in the kingdom.
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