Tuesday Treasure Trove

Bangkok, Bangkok... I love you so much! I've just come back from another holiday in Thailand. I love Thailand and Thailand loves me, what can I say... I just never get bored of this city. The food, the massages and pampering and, of course, the treasure hunting! Bangkok is such a paradise for sewers! And Pahurat is "the" place to be. It's very busy in the fabric heaven of Bangkok and I usually can't stay there for too long (thank God for my wallet) but I never leave disappointed... Whether you need fabric or notions, the place is packed with hot stuff. Let me show you what I found this time...

Kokka fabric

Cotton with birds

Thai silk

Ribbons

Handmade silk flower

Vintage style buttons

The buttons cost me about 8 euros for the whole lot. Silk is sold for about 5 to 10 euros, depending on the quality. Ribbon, rickrack and lace comes in hundreds of colors and costs about 2 euros for a pack of 36 yards! They certainly don't rip you off...




Now lets get started!

Blue Elephant cooking school

I am not the world’s greatest cook, it’s a fact I’m not ashamed to admit... it’s not not that I don’t like cooking, it’s just that I haven’t got the same passion for it as I do for crafting.My daily dinners usually exist of quick and easy meals, which makes me a great fan of Jamie Oliver’s 20 minute meals.

So when I was in Bangkok last month I thought I’d take the opportunity to take a class at the Blue Elephant’s cooking school, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time...

I took a half day course and choose for the morning one as that particular class pays a visit to the local market. We all got on the skytrain and after arriving at the destination we received a guided tour around all the stalls. We were shown mangosteen, galangal as well as local fish and pretty much every spice used in the Thai kitchen.

We finished off our market tour with an iced coffee, a Thai frappucino if you like and headed back to the skytrain station.

Once back in the school we were given a demonstration of all the dishes we were about to make before heading to the kitchen on our mission...

We made 4 different dishes of which my favourite was the Tom Yam Koong, a hot and sour soup with prawns.

For 1 person you’ll need:

                  a small pieces of bird’s eye chilli
                  1 stem of coriander root
                  4 slices of galangal, thinly sliced
                  1 stem of lemongrass, crushed
                  1 kaffir lime leaf
                  2 pieces of straw mushrooms, quartered
                    cut
                  3 prawns,unshelled deveined and headless
                     but keep the tail attached
                  250g of chicken stock


For the seasoning:

                  1,5 tablespoons of fish sauce
                  1 tablespoon of lime juice
                  0,5 teaspoon Thai roasted red chilli paste
                  0,25 teaspoon of sugar

Garnishing:

                  Coriander leaves


Method:

                 1.In a saucepan on medium heat: bring the       
                    stock to a boil
                 2.Add the sliced galangal, lemongrass, torn
                    kaffir leaves and crushed coriander.
                    Continue to a boil.
                 3.Add the mushrooms, prawns, fish sauce,
                    sugar, and Thai roasted chilli paste and
                    simmer a bit.
                 4.Turn off the heat and add the crushed
                    chillies and lime juice. remove the
                    Coriander root before serving in a soup
                    bowl.
                 5.Garnish with coriander leaves.

 
Most of the ingredients will be available from your local Asian supermarket however they can be replaced or even left out with an equally tasty result.


Our day at the Blue Elephant cooking school ended with our own menu in the restaurant.

 
I had a fantastic time and learned a thing or two about Thai cooking. I would definitely recommend this course to anyone whose seen enough temples in Bangkok and consider doing it over again as each day of the week different dishes are taught.

For more information on the Blue Elephant cooking school check out www.blueelephant.com

Konichiwa (Natty in Japan)

I have to say, Asia has always been one of my favorite places... If not for the food (and yes, I did overdose on sushi again this time!) then it’s for the shopping. In Asia you can literally shop until you drop! Some places, like Japan will leave you with a bigger whole in your pocket than others but the shopping buzz is so great it’s hard resisting swiping that card over and over again.
As a first time visitor to Osaka I should be embarrassed, I know.... Temples, geishas, buildings...so many interesting things to see and do in the land of Cherry blossom. I however was on a mission with 2 destinations!

First stop: La Droguerie.

 My mum and sister have visited this craft/haberdashery shop several times in Lille, France and kept telling me how much I would like it so there was no way I could leave Japan without popping in (one of the perks of my job!).
At first it was a bit of a challenge to find the place  but with some help of the hotel concierge and my printed map from their website the taxi driver managed to drop me pretty much in front of the shop.
I was quite impressed with their selection of buttons and jewellery making equipment. I got my hands on a handbag keychain hook for a new project on which I can’t spill any beans yet! I also bought a chain and lock for a new collar necklace.

Second destination: Toraya.

Asians are crazy about anything with cute designs, including fabric so needless to say I had to visit a fabric shop too! Without a name or address of any shop it took me a while to find the best place to go. After hours of research on websites and blogs I finally found Toraya. The shop is located near Namba station, across from Takashimaya department store. The store sells hundreds of fabrics in the cutest designs and patterns, I just couldn’t choose...

I bought some nice fabrics for which I haven’t decided yet what I will do with it yet but I’m sure to find a new project for it!

                           Arigato!