Cuiline >> Shrimp Pad Thai
Cuiline — pronounced like cuisine, but with an L — got its start as a culinary travel company, pairing food-loving travelers with cooking classes all over the world. It still does exactly that, minus the airplanes. On this particular Friday evening, four kitchens’ worth of Americans peered excitedly into Zoom screens at dinnertime, as chef Rachael greeted us live from Chiang Mai, Thailand, where it was sunrise. Over the next 90 minutes, we would learn to make pad thai with prawns and kluai buat chi (bananas in coconut milk) during a class that was equal parts culinary and cultural education and entertainment. And, of course, dinner.
We unpacked the contents of our ingredient kit — a much-appreciated option. If you’re doing, say, Cuiline’s Taste of Tuscany dinner, you’ll be able to find those ingredients at any market. Pandan leaves, not so much. Then with knives sharpened and pans at the ready, we plunged in, chatting with fellow foodies in Denver and SoCal, as well as chef Rachael, as we chopped, diced and prepped.
Talk about the importance of mise en place! Once the oil starts sizzling in your wok or skillet, ingredients fly into the pan in such quick succession, there’s no time to do anything but madly stir. And soon, we were all hoisting our platters up to our webcams to show off the delicious results.
PERFECT FOR … >> experienced home cooks and anyone hungry for a taste of Thailand.
COST >> $55 for the class, $175 for the class plus ingredient kit
DETAILS >> Cuiline’s virtual classes are divided into 90-minute classes on topics like a New Orleans creole shrimp étouffée session (Oct. 30), and 3-hour experiences, such as Argentina’s Culinary Secrets (Nov. 14). Check out the menu at www.cuiline.com.