“Sense”-ational Thai Curry and more from Cookbook Author Joyce Jue

Chef Joyce’s book,
“Savoring Southeast Asia”

More than 10 years have passed since I first began working side by side with celebrated Asian cooking expert and cookbook author Joyce Jue at Home Chef Cooking School. At about the same time, I began volunteering to support Homeward Bound of Marin’s Homeless and Culinary Job Training programs. My two worlds collided again last night as Joyce wooed a full house at Fresh Starts Cooking School with an aromatic, authentic and awesome multi-course Thai feast and cooking class. While Joyce showed us the ins and outs of exotic, yet truly accessible ingredients, the on-site Fresh Starts Culinary Academy led by Chef Jacques Kirk cooked her recipes for the crowd to a stunned crowd. (Really? Thai food for 60 at this quality done by culinary students, wow!) Joyce, who cooks and teaches all over the world, was tasting and marveling at the flavor and quality of the Tom Kha Gai (Coconut Lemongrass Chicken Soup), Yam Woon Sen ( Slippery Noodle Salad with Shrimp & Mint) and Choo Chee Red Curry Salmon with homemade Thai curry that the class created from her fabulous recipes. She tasted her soup, made with house made stock and literally stopped short, eyes wide. “Wow, I have made this all over the world and I specify Swanson’s stock because when I get house made stock, it usually tastes like dish water. This stock is incredible.” See, it is a world class food experience at Fresh Starts! 

Loving the great appliances!)

Let’s talk curry, shall we? Dan Odetto, my colleague from Standards of Excellence has been harassing me for years about my red curry. I learned from Joyce and make it all the time. Dan was in attendance last night with his son Max, and yes, he now knows why I love this recipe so.

More of a “potion” than a recipe, Joyce showed everyone how to select and prepare 3 types of chilies: dried red chilies and fresh Thai red bird chilies for heat and a dried red New Mexico chili for color. She then took us on a sensory adventure with kaffir lime rind, lemongrass, garlic, cilantro roots (yes) or stems and smelly but vital shrimp paste. Two secrets for success are using galangal, a Thai form of ginger rather than ginger and using very small shallots (the size of a walnut in the shell) like they have in Asia. Our shallots are often twice as large, so be sure to cut the large ones down to the equivalent size. Another key is to toast the cumin seeds, white peppercorns and salt in a dry frying pan first, then blend it all together. The final crucial tip is to be sure and cook the curry down gently for 8 minutes in the coconut cream, the top, thick cream on top of the unshaken coconut milk can. Once you make it, you can freeze it and use it as you need. Her recipe is wonderfully detailed.

Yam Woo Sen, expertly plated by Fresh Starts Academy!

Joyce then cooked Yam Woon Sen, a mung baen and shrimp salad and a quick Choo Chee Red Curry Salmon, a “western-style” dish as “traditional Asian cuisines never serve 4 ounce portions of fish.” Just to show you all how vital quality appliances are, Joyce was pan searing the thin salmon fillets and completely unprompted said, “Wow, what a difference great appliances make, incredible. What cook top is this?” “It is a Wolf gas cook top complimented by a Dacor Double Convection Oven. With just a two minute sear per side, the cook top allowed for gorgeous color on the salmon fillets which not only looked great but imparted more flavor and kept the interior tender and moist. We honored the quality of the salmon by cooking on top appliances, bottom line.

Now, you all have my secret: Joyce’s recipes! Our guests last night were so excited to begin making Thai food at home. One man told Joyce, “You are an incredibly authentic person”. Joyce, who had given me such compliments all night like, “Most schools have four or five people assisting me, here I have just Rachelle and that is better, I could not do this without her!” said that that was the best compliment she had ever had.

To think, everything we tasted, shared and experienced benefits homeless and job training programs, how much more authentic can you get?

Joyce in action!

Come on down to Macy’s Union Square this Saturday to see Chef JW Foster cook and tell the story of his bees on the roof of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco at 1:00. I will be there!


Next Tuesday: 3 appetizers from last week, Double Happiness Shrimp & Scallion Pancakes, Humboldt Fog Crostini and Lamb Loin Carpaccio Crostini with Pickled Radish!