An Invite To The Chef’s Table At Patara

This week in Wimbledon Village on a glorious sunny day, I joined a group of foodies at Patara to take part in an alfresco cookery day with chef Tam.

Winner of Top Chef Thailand, ‘Tam’ Chudaree Debhakam is well known in the industry for creating modern twists on Thai classic dishes. Her skill in creating meals that have authentic ingredients with incredible well paired flavours made this an exciting event to be a part of.

A group of Thai food fans arrived at Patara and were taken to a beautiful outside courtyard space (definitely a place to visit when the weather is great) where work benches were set up ready for us to begin the culinary experience.

Tam took the centre bench and we gathered around to watch her create the first dish. The Tom Yum Goong is one of the most famous dishes to come out of Thailand and is a spicy and fragrant soup. The group of foodies were treated to a wonderful display of a culinary master at work, and what was fabulous is how it was demonstrated in a way that made everyone comfortable enough to work together to follow her example to create the dishes ourselves.

The Tom Yum Goong was an exciting dish to make because of its well known status. We used large prawns, coconut milk, chilli and the lemon grass along with mushrooms to create the dish. The iconic flavours together created a dish which was spicy, creamy and above all moreish. What always seemed like a complicated dish to someone (me) who had never created it before was actually how simple a dish it was that used classic flavours and above all patience.

What I loved was that we were in groups and able to discuss what we should do and help each other with any worries we had about timings or which ingredient was next. The group dynamic really alleviated any fears about how to create the dishes as we supported each other and cooked together.

Next up on the menu for the day was the Chao Wang Salad. A crab and herb salad with a curry like sauce that coated the seasonal salad greens.

As for the dish before, the foodies gathered around Tam as she explained in great detail about the flavours and how to prepare the components which made this my favourite dish of the day.

This dish was so fresh and would be perfect for summer. The crispy salad, the soft crab meat coated in herbs and the sweet chilli paste made a trio of flavours that I could eat again and again.

Topped with roasted peanuts, the dish had a fresh nuttiness that complimented the finished dish perfectly.

The group of culinary students were enjoying themselves so much and it was great to be with them while Tam visited each station to give us tips and encouragement. Being outside and creating these dishes was a huge treat too and that added to the welcoming, free environment of cooking with brilliant fresh ingredients in a way I hadn’t before.

Our final dish was the Green Chicken Curry and the one that I was most excited about making so I could make it at home. We huddled around Tam again to watch her create the dish and explain how to cook the chicken and baby aubergine in a way to keep it succulent and tender.

The mix of spices including the coriander and cumin with the fresh chilli and the taste of lime leaves, with the sweet Thai basil were a host of flavours that I fell in love with.

The experience of the day was incredible and one I would recommend to anyone with an interest in food. The Patara team were so helpful and kind, making us feel at home and supported as we learned, created and got to enjoy the dishes.

In the words of Tam when we were getting nervous about getting it right “just let it roll…” I will be taking this advice into all my cooking from now on and I can’t wait to get trying out these recipes again at home for my friends and family.