Week 9 Term 2 – 18 May 2026

Why methods?

We teach techniques, not recipes – because techniques are the building blocks of great cooking.  All our chefs are either trade qualified or Le Cordon Bleu trained, and we teach the way we were taught – using a ‘see it, do it’ model.  This means that for most classes our chef instructors use ‘running demos’ where they show you the skill and then you copy it – with assistance from your instructor as needed.   And in our express classes you will cook at the same time as the chef, following their lead.   We will give you an ingredients list and a method for each class, but you do not have to use it.

Our chefs will explain patiently and walk you through each class.   And if your dish doesn’t work out, that is OK – we run most classes 3 or 4 times a week so you can always come and try again!  Failure is part of learning.

Use these methods below to practice at home.

Red duck curry (v – lychee and mixed veg)

In this class, the chef will demonstrate how to make a traditional red curry paste.  If you use commercially produced curry paste, you may need to omit the fish sauce as commercial pastes usually contain quite a bit of salt.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilised with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan

Ingredients

  • 100g roast duck meat (v – ½ tin bamboo shoots, ½ carrot, handful green beans)
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 30g red Thai curry paste (chef to demonstrate how to make – if buying, Mae Ploy is probably the best current readily available option, followed by Maesri)
  • Pinch sugar
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 50g lychees (v – 100g lychees)
  • 50g snow peas or snap peas
  • 4 cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 makrut lime leaf
  • 6 to 8 leaves thai basil
  • 1 cup cooked jasmine rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Red Thai curry paste (makes about 8 serves, freezes well) –  based on a Srisamorn Kongpun recipe, made by blending:

  • 8 to 12 large dried red chillies, deseeded, soaked in water, chopped
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 golden shallots, chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
  • 2 coriander roots, chopped
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp shrimp paste (v – 2 tsp miso paste or doenjang)

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Split tin of coconut milk as follows:
    a. 70ml thick coconut milk (poured from top of can)
    b. 70ml clear thin coconut milk (poured from top of can)
    c. 150ml thin coconut milk (rest of can mixed together)
    d. Return leftover coconut milk to chef.
  3. Prepare veg:
    a. Halve lychees.
    b. Top and tail peas and slice lengthways.
    c. Halve tomatoes.
    d. Put all into a bowl.
    e. Tear lime leaves into quarters.
  4. Cut up duck into bite sized pieces. (v – drain bamboo shoots, thinly slice carrot, top and tail green bean and keep together).
  5. Cook out curry base:
    a. Boil clear thin coconut milk.
    b. Add curry paste and stir fry until fragrant.
    c. Add a tablespoon of thick coconut milk at a time and cook hard until the milk ‘cracks’ ie the oil floats to the surface.
  6. Add ingredients to curry:
    a. Add duck meat (v – bamboo shoots, carrots and beans).
    b. Add thin coconut milk.
    c. Add lychees, lime leaves, fish sauce (v – soy sauce), sugar, peas, Thai basil leaves, tomatoes.
    d. Turn up heat and cook until vegetables are done.
  7. Plate (or into container):
    a. Rice to side.
    b. Curry into bowl/onto plate.
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

In this class, the chef will demonstrate how to make a traditional green curry paste.  If you use commercially produced curry paste, you may need to omit the fish sauce as commercial pastes usually contain quite a bit of salt.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilised with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan

Ingredients

  • 100g chicken breast meat (v – ½ tin bamboo shoots, handful of firm greens such as broccoli, ½ carrot)
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • 30g green Thai curry paste (chef to demonstrate how to make – if buying, Mae Ploy is probably the best current readily available option, followed by Maesri)
  • 100g eggplant (v – 200g eggplant)
  • 1 makrut lime leaf
  • Small handful Thai basil leaves
  • ½ large green chilli
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp palm sugar
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cup cooked jasmine rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Green Thai curry paste (makes about  8 serves, freezes well) –  based on a Srisamorn Kongpun recipe, made by blending:

  • 8 large fresh green chillies
  • 8 green birds eye chillies
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 golden shallots, chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 cm piece galangal, chopped
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, chopped
  • 2 coriander roots, chopped
  • 2 makrut lime leaves, chopped
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
  • 2 tsp shrimp paste (2 tsp miso paste or doenjang)

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Split tin of coconut milk as follows:
    • 70ml thick coconut milk (poured from top of can)
    • 70ml clear thin coconut milk (poured from top of can)
    • 150ml thin coconut milk (rest of can mixed together)
    • Return leftover coconut milk to chef.
  3. Prepare veg:
    • Cut eggplant into 1 cm dice.
    • Tear lime leaves into quarters.
    • Thinly slice green chilli
    • (v – thinly slice bamboo shoots, greens and carrot).
  4. Prepare chicken (v – vegetables):
    • Slice chicken thinly across the grain into bite sized pieces.
    • Heat clear thin coconut milk in pan, add chicken and simmer until cooked. (v  – cook bamboo shoots, greens, carrot until carrot is soft)
    • Remove chicken (v – vegetables) and coconut milk and wipe out pan.
  5. Fry off curry paste:
    • Put veg oil into pan and heat.
    • Add curry paste and stir fry until it smells fragrant.
    • Add thick coconut milk a spoonful at a time and cook hard until the milk ‘cracks’ ie the oil floats to the surface.
  6. Add ingredients to curry:
    • Add chicken (v – bamboo shoots, carrots and beans).
    • Add remaining coconut milk.
    • Add fish sauce, sugar, torn lime leaves, and eggplant.
    • Turn up heat and cook until eggplant is soft.
    • Add coconut milk and sliced green chilli, boil 5 seconds.
    • Turn off heat.
  7. Plate (or into container):
    • Rice to side.
    • Curry into bowl/onto plate.

Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

In this class, the chef will demonstrate how to make a traditional  gaprao curry paste.  If you use commercially produced yellow curry paste, you may need to omit the fish sauce and soy sauce as commercial pastes usually contain quite a bit of salt.

  • 1 x 650ml container
  • 1 x 100ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Small saucepan

Ingredients

  • 100g chicken mince ( v- 150g tofu)
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp fish sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½  cup vegetable oil
  • 2 handfuls Thai basil leaves
  • Handful green beans
  • ½ small onion
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp gaprao curry paste (chef to demonstrate how to make – if buying, Mae Ploy panang curry paste is probably the best current readily available option, followed by Maesri)
  • 2 tsp oyster sauce (v – mushroom sauce)
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 cup cooked jasmine rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Gaprao curry paste (makes about  16 serves, freezes well) –  based on a Srisamorn Kongpun recipe – this is a mild yellow curry paste made by blending:

  • 1 yellow capsicum
  • 2 red birdseye chillies
  • 12 cloves garlic
  • 4cm piece galangal
  • 6 coriander roots
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 80ml vegetable oil 

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Season chicken mince with fish sauce and sugar and put in fridge while finishing prep.
  3. Prep vegetables:
    a. Top and tail beans and cut into 2 cm lengths.
    b. Finely dice onion.
    c. Pick Thai basil and separate into two equal piles.
  4. Deep fry half of the basil leaves:
    a. Heat oil in small saucepan over medium heat.
    b. Add half the basil leaves and fry until dark green.
    c. Drain leaves on paper towel.
    d. Reserve 2 tbsp of oil and let remainder cool. Strain and package to take home – freeze until you are cooking Thai food again then use it in place of regular vegetable oil.
  5. Fry egg
    a. Put half of the reserved oil into a frypan.
    b. Fry egg until crispy. Set aside.
  6. Cook chicken (v – tofu) and vegetables
    a. Stirfry chicken in remaining oil in frypan (v – tofu).
    b. Add beans and stirfry until a little browned.
    c. Add onion and stirfry until translucent.
    d. Set aside.
  7. Cook curry paste
    a. Add remaining oil to frypan
    b. Add curry paste and fry until fragrant.
  8. Finish dish:
    a. Add water to frypan.
    b. Turn heat up to high.
    c. Add remaining basil and fry.
    d. Add chicken (v – tofu) and vegetables.
    e. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce.
    f. Add egg to side to reheat.
  9. Plate (or into container):
    a. Rice to side.
    b. Chicken (v – tofu) with vegetables and sauce next to it.
    c. Top rice with egg.
    d. Top chicken with fried basil leaves.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilised with paper towel
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Wok
  • Wok shovel

Ingredients

  • 100g dried wide rice noodles
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 100g beans, broccolini or other greens
  • 90g rump steak (or fillet) (v – 150g eggplant)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp dark soy sauce (not sweet)
  • 2 tsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp coconut vinegar (or plain white vinegar)
  • 2 tsp white sugar
  • Salt and pepper

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Soak dried noodles according to packet instructions.
  3. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Trim greens and cut into bite sized pieces.
    b. Mince garlic.
    c. (v – finely slice eggplant)
  4. Prepare meat – slice very thinly.
  5. Cook greens and garlic:
    a. Heat oil to medium high.
    b. Add greens and stirfry until just browned.
    c. Add garlic and stirfry briefly until fragrant.
  6. Cook meat (v – eggplant – Add to wok and stirfry until just browned (v- until browned and softened).
  7. Cook egg – make space in the bottom of the pan, crack egg into it then scramble.
  8. Cook noodles:
    a. Add noodles.
    b. Add soy sauces, oyster sauce and sugar.
    c. Cook over high heat, adding a little water if required untul noodles are done.
  9. Season to taste.
  10. Plate (or into container).
  11. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Note:  If cooking for a party you may prefer to sous vide the duck breast then reverse sear it as this timing is more forgiving.  If so, take it to 50 degrees in the sous vide – the temp will come to medium upon searing.

  • 1 x 650ml container
  • 1 x 350ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilised with paper towel
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan (oven proof) for duck
  • Smaller frypan to weight duck
  • Small frypan for fondant potatoes
  • Bowl
  • Microplane
  • Dariole mould
  • Fork
  • Foil

Ingredients

  • 1 raw duck breast

Fondant potatoes 

  • 200g white potatoes
  • 1 tsp EVOO
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 cup chicken stock

Radiccho salad 

  • ¼ radicchio
  • ½ golden shallot
  • Handful parsley leaves
  • ¼ small orange
  • 1 tsp seeded mustard
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp EVOO

  • Salt and pepper

Method  

  1. Preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  3. Make radicchio salad:
    a. Tear radicchio into bowl.
    b. Finely slice shallot and add to bowl.
    c. Finely slice parsley leaves and add to bowl.
  4. Make dressing by whisking in dariole:
    1. Zest and juice of orange.
    2. Balsamic vinegar.
    3. EVOO
    4. Seeded mustard.
    5. Fat pinch of salt and pepper.
    1. Put salad and dressing in fridge until duck and potatoes are cooked.
  5. Make fondant potatoes:
    a. Cut into two cylinders 3 cm high.
    b. Sear in EVOO in frypan until each flat side is golden brown.
    c. Add butter and thyme and baste.
    d. Add stock, bring to a boil.
    e. Put in oven for 15 minutes.
  6. Baste.
  7. Render fat out of duck breast:
    a. Season flesh.
    b. Score skin, leaving a 2mm border of uncut skin. Do not cut flesh.
    c. Pat dry with paper towel.
    d. Place skin side down into cold pan.
    e. Fry on low heat for 10 minutes until all fat is rendered and skin is crispy.
    f. Briefly sear flesh side.
  8. Roast duck breast:
    a. Put in pan in oven for 8 minutes (along with fondant potatoes).
    b. Rest for 7 minutes under foil.
    c. Reserve fat for another purpose.
  9. Remove fondant potatoes from oven.
  10. Plate (or into container):
    a. Rewhisk dressing and dress salad lightly.
    b. Slice duck breast.
    c. Serve with salad and fondant potatoes.
  11. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Note:  French strudels commonly use butter puff pastry rather than the thin filo dough.  However, this strudel is Alsatian style and filo is preferred.  If you only have puff, use a butter puff and roll once only.

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Small saucepan
  • Spatula
  • Small bowls x 2
  • Whisk
  • Pastry brush
  • Microplane
  • Vegie peeler
  • Baking tray lined with baking paper
  • Small sieve
  • Bowl

Ingredients 

Strudel

  • 2 apples
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ lemon
  • 30g walnut pieces
  • 20g raisins/sultanas
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 sheets filo pastry
  • 1 tsp icing sugar

Spiked whipped cream

  • 2 tbsp crème fraiche or sour cream
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp Frangelico
  • 100ml whipping cream

Berry compote

  • 100g frozen mixed berries
  • 25 g white sugar
  • ¼ lemon

 Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  3. Make and bake apple strudel:
    a. Peel and finely slice apples (excluding cores).
    b. Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir.
    c. Add walnuts and raisins.
    d. Melt butter.
    e. Brush lined baking tray with butter.
    f. Brush each sheet of filo with butter and stack.
    g. Place apples into a 5 cm wide row at the bottom of the filo sheets, leaving a 3 cm border from the edges.
    h. Fold edges inwards. Brush with butter.
    i. Fold remaining filo over edge, flip and roll up. Brush with butter.
    j. Score 3 slits on top of the roll.
    k. Place onto baking sheet, seam side down.
    l. Bake 20 minutes until golden brown.
  4. While strudel is baking, make berry compote:
    a. Place mixed berries into saucepan.
    b. Add white sugar and zest and juice of the lemon.
    c. Cook until berries start to disintegrate.
    d. Set aside to cool.
  5. Make spiked whipped cream:
    a. Whisk together crème fraiche, sugar, and Frangelico.
    b. Add vanilla to whipping cream.
    c. Whip until it reaches stiff peak stage.
  6. Dredge strudel with icing sugar.
  7. Plate (or into container).
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Double Meal Prep

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished on the oven or stovetop or reheated in the oven at home.  Please bring: 

  1. 2 x 350ml takeaway container for rice (double if cooking 4 serves/meal)
  2. 1 x 350ml takeaway container for vegies (double if cooking 4 serves/meal)
  3. 1 x 2l lidded container for fish packets (double if cooking 4 serves/meal)
  4. 1 x deep baking tray or casserole dish with lid for peanut chicken – small (2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (3-4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal. (It is important that this dish not be too big).

Otherwise, you can buy ‘containers’ packs on our website for a couple of dollars each. 

Spiced fish and veggies in banana leaf (Aeb) (v – eggplant)

Note:  you can substitute chicken breast fillet or minced chicken for the fish in this recipe – or prawns or minced pork for that matter.  It is best cooked on a charcoal BBQ but can be done easily in a regular gas BBQ or an oven grill.  This dish originates in Northern Thailand.

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilized
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Bowl
  • Bowl with iced water
  • Blender/mortar and pestle
  • 4 toothpicks

Ingredients 

  • 2 x 200g white fish fillets, skin off (v – ½ large eggplant or 3-4 small eggplant and 100g sweet potato)
  • ½ carrot
  • Handful leafy greens (eg gai lan)
  • 2 x 40 x 40 cm piece of banana leaf (central stem/petiole removed)
  • 2 cm piece fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½ tsp ground turmeric (or a 2 x 2 cm piece of fresh turmeric
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 2 shallots
  • 5 dried thai chillies
  • 2 fresh birdseye chillies
  • 1 makrut lime leaf
  • Handful Thai basil leaves
  • 2 cups cooked shortgrain or glutinous rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Marinate fish (v – eggplant):
    a. Roughly chop then grind the following to a fine paste in a blender or mortar and pestle:
    i. 2 cm piece fresh ginger
    ii. 4 cloves garlic
    iii. ½ tsp ground turmeric (or a 2 x 2 cm piece of fresh turmeric)
    iv. 1 stalk lemongrass
    v. 2 shallots
    vii. 5 dried thai chillies
    viii. 2 fresh birdseye chillies
    b. Mix marinade with fish fillets (v – eggplant – slice into lengths) and 1 tsp salt
  1. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Chop and blanch/refresh greens – cook in boiling salted water.
    b. Julienne and blanch/refresh carrots – use the same water.
  2. Make banana leaf packets:
    a. Layer 2 pieces of banana leaf on top of each other, shiny side down.
    b. Repeat
    c. On each piece, place
    1. ½ a makrut lime leaf
    2. ½ a handful Thai basil leavesAdd 1 piece of fish (v – half the eggplant) to each packet.
    1. Pour over remaining marinade.
    2. Add vegetables to the side.
    3. Fold sides in and secure with toothpicks
  3. Place in baking tray/container. Note cooking instructions on foil.
  4. Pack rice into container.
  5. At home, cook on the BBQ over a medium charcoal grill or a medium to high gas grill OR cook under your oven grill set to high.  Grill for about 2 minutes each side.  Repeat until fish (v- eggplant) is cooked (take it out and open packet to check but about 8 rotations should do it ie about 16 minutes total).  Serve with rice (sprinkle with a little water then reheat in microwave or in a covered saucepan).
  6. Clean down.

Slow cooked Thai peanut chicken (v – tofu and mixed veg)

Equipment

  • Cutting board stabilized
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Bowl of iced water
  • Microplane
  • Blender

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots
  • ½ red capsicum
  • ½ head broccoli
  • 400g chicken thigh fillets (you can use chicken breast, but will need to adjust the cook time) (v – 300g firm tofu and about 200g seasonal vegies)
  • 200ml coconut cream (about 70% coconut extract) or full fat coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp red curry paste
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • 1 lime
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 cm piece ginger
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 makrut lime leaf
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (chef to provide)
  • Salt and pepper

Method 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare vegetables:
    a. Roughly chop lemongrass.
    b. Roughly chop lime leaf.
    c. Juice lime.
    d. Mince garlic.
    e. Grate ginger.
    f. Peel and chop carrot into chunks.
    g. Deseed and slice capsicum.
    h. Break broccoli into florets.
  3. Fry capsicum in a little oil in the saucepan until lightly browned. Place into takehome container.
  4. Cook broccoli:
    a. Fill saucepan with hot water. Bring to boil and salt (until it is salty like the ocean).
    b. Cook broccoli until done.
    c. Refresh in iced water.
    d. Place into takehome container.
  5. Make sauce by blending the following:
    a. 200ml coconut cream
    b. 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
    c. 2 tbsp red curry paste
    d. 3 tbsp tamari
    e. 1 lime
    f. 3 cloves garlic minced
    g. 2 cm piece ginger grated
    h. ½ tsp chilli flakes
    i. chopped makrut lime leaf
    j. chopped lemongrass
  6. Cut chicken (v – tofu and seasonal veg) into bite sized pieces.
  7. Place chicken (v – tofu and seasonal veg) and carrots into casserole dish and cover with sauce. Cover with foil.
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

At home, cook at 150C for 2.5 hours (2 hours for chicken breast, 1h 45 for vegetarian meal).  Serve with rice and broccoli/capsicum (sprinkle with a little water then reheat in microwave or in a covered saucepan).

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