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The Boathouse Restaurant and Culinary Workshop

Of the nearly 20 beaches and small coves strung like pearls along the western coast of Phuket, among the most alluring is Kata near the southern end of the island. M.L. Tri Devakul, a prominent Thai architect and developer, first discovered this almost deserted stretch of white sand and clear blue water in the late 1970s and was so struck by its charms that he built a simple thatched-roof holiday house on a nearby hill. Over the years since, the house has undergone many changes and so, with the growth of tourism, has Kata, though in both cases with remarkably little effect on the pristine atmosphere that constitutes so much of its allure.

Kata, for instance, separated by a rocky prominence into KataYai ("Big Kata") and Kata Noi ("Little Kata") has acquired a number of low-rise hotels and lodges, beginning with the Club Mediterranee which extends along a considerable part of the larger beach. M.L. Tri, who designed some of the club's buildings, bought a nearby piece of land for himself and in 1986 opened a restaurant. He called it the Boathouse after an old painted fishing boat that stood near its entrance. Basically a large, airy pavilion, the Boathouse proved a success not only with visitors but also with more permanent Phuket residents. It offered a variety of classic Thai dishes, most of them based on the abundant seafood caught daily in the Andaman Sea, served both in the pavilion and outside on a shady terrace overlooking the sea.

Food has remained a central part of the Boathouse's appeal, with a wide range of old favorites as well as specialities developed by the talented Executive Chef Tummanoon Punchun. A sophisticated wine cellar, opened in the mid-90s, became the only one in Thailand selected for four consecutive years by the prestigious Wine Spectator. As a result, even during the low season, the restaurant is one of the most lively scenes on Phuket for superlative dining, drinking—and as a social gathering place par excellence.

The Boathouse Culinary Workshop, offering weekend cooking classes under the direction of Chef Tummanoon, began in the summer of 1994, mainly as a way of attracting low-season guests.Very quickly, however, it established itself as one of the most popular Thai cooking schools in the country, praised by critics in publications such as the Times of London, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.

Chef Tummanoon favors a step-by-step, hands-on method of instruction, which he offers every Saturday and Sunday at the Boathouse to appreciative classes consisting of both hotel guests and outsiders.

Like all good cooks, he begins with an explanation of the basic ingredients, which in Thailand consist of a wide variety of herbs, spices, and vegetables that provide its special flavors—not just spicy hot but also sweet, sour, and salty in varying degrees to suit the particular dish. Some are familiar to outsiders, like chillies, garlic, coriander, spring onions, aubergine and cucumber. Others may be exotic like aromatic lemon-grass, Thai basil, galangal and the leaves and fruit of the kaffir lime. He then moves on to demonstrate the various methods of chopping, dicing and pounding in a mortar that precede the actual assembly of most dishes. Students learn these traditional techniques by taking part in the process with guidance from the chef and assistants.A total often recipes are learned during the two-day course. While most are standard Thai dishes, they have usually been given a special added touch by Chef Tummanoon and so have become personal creations of the Boathouse. Each recipe demonstrated in class has been selected for ease of preparation and adaptability to western kitchens.

Basil is often used as a seasoning and garnish in Thai cooking. There are three varieties of basil that are used in Thai cuisine. Thai basil (horapa) tastes rather like anise, looks like sweet basil and is used in red and green curries. Lemon basil (manglak) has a lemony flavor, tiny leaves and is usually sprinkled over salads or used in soups. Holy basil or hot basil (kaprow) has a clove-like taste and purple-reddish tinged leaves. It doesn't store well, so buy just before you intend to use it. European basil can be used as a substitute for all varieties if you can't find the Thai varieties. Basil has a strong flavor, so don't use more than the recipe states.

Chillies are indispensable in Thai cooking and many different varieties are used. The large, finger-length green, red or yellow chilli is moderately hot. Dried red chillies of this variety are ground to make chilli flakes or ground red pepper. Tiny red, green or yellowy-orange bird's-eye chillies are used in soups, curries and sauces, and are extremely hot. They are also available dried.

Chinese celery is much smaller with thinner stems than the normal Western variety and has a very intense, parsley-like flavor. The leaves and sometimes the stems are added to soups, rice dishes and stir-fried vegetables.

Coconut cream and coconut milk are used in many Thai desserts and curries. To obtain fresh coconut cream (which is normally used for desserts), grate the flesh of 1 coconut into a bowl (about 3 cups of grated coconut flesh), add ½ cup water and knead thoroughly a few times, then strain with a muslin cloth or cheese cloth. Thick coconut milk is obtained by the same method but by adding double the water to the grated flesh (about 1 cup instead of ½ cup). Thin coconut milk (which is used for curries rather than desserts) is obtained by pressing the coconut a second time, adding 1 cup of water to the same grated coconut flesh and squeezing it again. Although freshly pressed milk has more flavor, coconut cream and milk are now widely sold canned or in packets that are quick and convenient.

Coriander, also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley, is the most common herb used in Thai cooking. The whole plant is used—the root, stem and leaves. The seeds are roasted and then ground in a spice mill and used in curry pastes. The leaves are used for their fresh flavor, and as a garnish. For storage, wash and dry the fresh leaves before placing them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator—they will keep for 5 to 6 days.

Fish sauce is indespensable in Thai cooking. Made from salted, fermented fish or prawns, good quality fish sauce is golden-brown in color and has a salty tang. It is used in the same way as the Chinese use soy sauce.

Galangal is a rhizome similar to ginger in appearance and a member of the same family Known as kha in Thailand, laos in Indonesia and lengkuas in Singapore and Malaysia, it adds a distinctive fragrance and flavor to many Thai dishes. Dried galangal lacks the fragrance of fresh galangal, and most food stores now sell it fresh. It can be sliced and kept sealed in the freezer for several months.

Garlic chives or ku chai, also known as Chinese chives, have a far more emphatic, garlicky flavor than Western chives and resemble flat spring onions.

Green peppercorns are fresh peppercorn berries that are available still on the vine or bottled or canned in a brine. The peppercorns should be drained and rinsed before use. Thai and European varieties are readily available.

Kaffir lime is a small lime that has a very knobby and intensely fragrant skin, but virtually no juice. The skin or rind is often grated and added to dishes as a seasoning. The fragrant leaves are added whole to soups and curries, or finely shredded and added to salads or deep-fried fish cakes, giving a wonderfully tangy taste to these dishes. They are available frozen or dried in Asian food stores; frozen leaves are much more flavorful than the dried ones. The dried rind can be reconstituted and substituted for fresh.

Lemongrass, also known as citronella, is a lemonscented stem which grows in clumps and is very important in Thai cooking. Each plant resembles a miniature leek. Use only the thicker bottom one third of the lemongrass stem. Remove and discard the dry outer leaves and use only the tender inner part of the plant. Lemongrass is available fresh, frozen or dried; fresh lemongrass is preferable because of its stronger smell and flavor.

Palm sugar is made from the distilled juice of various palm fruits (especially the coconut and arenga palms). Palm sugar varies in color from gold to dark brown. It has a rich flavor similar to dark brown sugar, molasses or maple syrup, which make good substitutes.

Noodles are available in many forms, and are made from either rice, wheat or mung bean flour. Kway teow, also known as rice sticks or hofun, are wide, flat rice-flour noodles sold fresh in Asian markets and available in dried form elsewhere. If fresh kway teow cannot be obtained, use dried rice stick noodles instead (these are thinner than kway teow and must be soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained before use). Dried rice vermicelli are very fine rice threads that must also be soaked before using. Kanom jeen are spaghetti-like rice-flour noodles which are similar to the laksa noodles of Malaysia and Singapore. Egg noodles (ba mee) are made from wheat flour. Glass noodles, also known as cellophane noodles, tang hoon or bean threads, are thin transparent noodles made from mung bean flour. They are sold in dried form and must be soaked in warm water briefly to soften.

Pandanus leaves come from a member of the pandanus palm or screw-pine family. Pandanus leaves are used as a wrapping for seasoned morsels of chicken or pork, and wrappers or flavoring for desserts. Look for fresh leaves at wet markets. One-ounce packages of dried leaves labeled "Dried Bay-Tovy Leaves" are exported from Thailand to overseas markets, but fresh leaves are preferred.

Preserved mustard cabbage or mei cai, is made from cooked bamboo or leaf mustard cabbages that are mixed with salt, sugar and dried. It is used largely as a flavoring rather than vegetables. Normally sold in sealed plastic bags, it can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for about 6 months. This preserved vegetable should be soaked, rinsed and squeezed in a couple of changes of water to remove the salt and odor before use.

Shrimp paste or belacan is a dense mixture of fermented group shrimp. It is sold in dried blocks and ranges in color from pink to blackish-brown. Shrimp paste should be slightly roasted to enhance its flavor before adding to other ingredients. Traditionally, it is wrapped in banana leaves and roasted over embers for a few minutes. Now it is commonly roasted directly over low flame using tongs for 30 seconds or heated in a frying-pan, wrapped in aluminium foil, for 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively it can also be microwaved very quickly in a bowl covered with plastic for 30 seconds or so. Do not overcook the shrimp paste or it will scorch, become bitter and hollow.

Tamarind is a sour fruit that comes in a hard pod shell. Tamarind juice is one of the major souring agents in Thai cooking. To make tamarind juice, mix 1 tablespoon of dried tamarind pulp with 2 tablespoons warm water to soften, then mash well and strain to remove any seeds and fibers.

Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. This rhizome has a very rich yellow interior (which can stain clothing and plastic utensils) and a pleasant pungency that is absent in dried turmeric powder. Substitute ½ teaspoon turmeric powder for 2 cm (½ in) fresh turmeric.