A Special Birthday Party Celebrated Thai Style

January 14, 2020 May Fridel

At Passion for Spices™ this week, we were thrilled to host Karen’s Special Birthday with her dear friends cooking Thai Style.

The menu was curated based on Karen’s favorite ingredients, and we came up with the following: Chicken, Coconut, and Galangal Soup, Chicken Satay, Thai Potstickers, Golden and Red Beet Carpaccio with Thai Flavor, Vegetable Pad Thai, Chicken Massaman Curry, and Chocolate Pot de Creme.

The potstickers were made with a vegetarian filling instead of its intended filling. The chopped up cabbage, carrots, and scallions were sautéed and incorporated into the potstickers.

The chicken satay was marinated with simple Thai flavors and served on a skewer. It was served with a flavorful peanut sauce.

Chef Helen Demonstrating How to Skewer the Chicken Satay

The beet carpaccio was made from golden and red beets with a Thai style vinaigrette incorporating Thai flavors like Galangal, Lime, Sesame Oil, and more.

At the end of the culinary event, everyone sat down together to enjoy the food that they prepared.

The meal ended with a lovely Chocolate Pot de Creme topped with freshly whipped cream.

Our Upcoming Classes

This Holiday Season, Give the Gift of Cooking

December 1, 2019 May Fridel

This holiday season, give the gift of cooking that brings friends and family together for a memorable experience. Our cooking classes are perfect for private groups, corporate holiday parties, and for family and friends.

Passion for Spices Cooking School offers perfect gift ideas for you and yours. Our gift card can be used for our authentic cooking classes, organic spices perfect for everyday cooking, or May Fridel’s Cookbook. See below the choices of classes we offer.

Holiday Classes for Your Holiday Season

Adult Cooking Classes

Kids and Teens After School Cooking Program

Winter Season Kids and Teens After School Cooking Program Virtual

Organic Spices

Keralan Curry

Kashmiri Garam Masala

Indian Cuisine Diabetes Cookbook

A Surprise Birthday Party: Indian Style Feast

November 7, 2019 May Fridel

We recently had a fabulous private cooking event where we hosted a special birthday party. The theme was a Classic Indian Style Feast, and we curated a menu based on the birthday girl’s favorites.

The menu that we came up with, included Tandoori Shrimp, Roasted Corn Tikki with Mint Chutney, Spinach Tahiri, Lamb Rogan Josh, and Cucumber Raita.

Lemon Flavored Panna Cotta with Fresh Blackberries

Spinach Tahiri Topped with Lamb Rogan Josh

Serving Roasted Corn Tikki with Mint Chutney

The guests arrived early to give the birthday girl a pleasant surprise for her special day. She was so touched by her husband’s choice of celebrating her birthday by cooking with friends. The menu choice made it even better to her, since Indian cuisine is her favorite type of food.

The party started with Butternut Squash Soup Shots and a Tandoori Shrimp appetizer, which was paired with a German Riesling wine. Afterwards, the group was invited into the kitchen where the chef explained the menu and divided them into teams to make the full course of the Indian Feast together. May Fridel gave them a lesson on how to use spices, including how to roast cumin and how to mix up spices to make a masala. The Lemon Flavored Panna Cotta Topped with Blackberries was a perfect palate cleanser, and was a great dessert to finish the meal. All in all, it was a joyful evening, and it created a special memory for the birthday girl.