Mae Sa Valley Craft Village, THAILAND
Airing Date: Aug 26th, 2002
The village is an all in one holiday destination just outside Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, situated in the middle of a traditional farm.
Food is serious business at Mae Sa Valley Craft Village, and the hosts aim to teach everyone the art of creating the perfect Thai feast. They run daily cooking lessons at the onsite cooking school. The three hour classes use ingredients fresh from the farm, providing guests with a valuable insight into northern Thai cuisine.
Aristos's first task at the village is getting up and down the rice terraces. He takes the rice cart to the top of the fields, where dozens of traditional wood cabins offer breakfast.
Northern Thai rice isn't rice as we know it, but rather sticky rice, which is a bit sweeter, and the rice found outside the cabins is as fresh as possible.
Equipped with plenty of rice, Aristos stops to create some unique table settings. At the Mae Sa Valley Craft School anyone from artists to tourists can try Batik dyeing, candle making and ceramic painting. Classes run for half a day, using methods handed down from generation to generation.
The secret to great Thai cooking is to use really fresh ingredients, so Aristos stops at the herb garden to pick up some lemongrass. With all the ingredients ready, it's time to start cooking and today Aristos in makig a Northern Thai Chicken Curry.
The procedure is simple. Fire up the wok and throw in some peanut oil, garlic, ginger, shallots and a little bit of lemongrass. Add 1 kg chicken pieces and while they're cooking, make the curry paste. Combine 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, tamarind, sugar and soy sauce. Stir in some chicken stock. Pour the mixture over the the chicken and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes longer. For a hotter flavour, add in some chopped chili. The result is a fabulous traditional Thai curry.
The facts
Royal Orchid Holidays have five night packages including two nights at Mae Sa Valley Craft Village starting from $1,426 per person twin share from the east coast and $1,357 from Perth. Prices include accommodation and return economy airfares with Thai Airways. Includes transfers, some meals as well as sightseeing tours. Prices include taxes and are subject to exchange fluctuations.
Day tours to Mae Sa Valley Craft Village from Chiang Mai cost $51 per person including activities and lunch.
Thai Airways International
Tel: 1300 651 960
Royal Orchid Holidays
Tel: 1300 369 750
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