One of my most memorable skillcation experiences happened just outside Bangkok, where I spent a morning learning how to cook Pad Thai in a floating market kitchen beside a mangrove swamp.
Our teacher, a wonderfully charismatic Thai chef who had once cooked for the royal household, showed us the art of balancing sweet, sour, salty and spice. We chopped garlic and shallots, soaked rice noodles, tossed prawns and tofu in a blazing wok, and finished the dish with tamarind, lime, palm sugar and crushed peanuts.
Later that evening, only twenty minutes from central Bangkok in a small riverside arts café, I learned the elegant movements of traditional Thai dance — the slow turning wrists, the curved fingers, the storytelling gestures. It was the perfect skillcation day: food, culture, laughter and learning something completely new.
Step 1 Soak rice noodles in warm water for about 30 minutes until soft but not mushy.
Step 2 Mix the sauce:
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
This is the heart of the dish.
Step 3 Heat a wok or frying pan with oil.
Step 4 Add chopped garlic and shallots. Cook until fragrant.
Step 5 Add tofu or prawns.
Step 6 Push everything to the side and crack in one egg. Scramble it quickly.
Step 7 Add the softened noodles.
Step 8 Pour in the Pad Thai sauce and toss the noodles.
Step 9 Add bean sprouts and garlic chives.
Step 10 Serve with:
crushed peanuts
lime wedge
chilli flakes
Authentic versions have lots of extra “bits” like dried shrimp, tofu and bean sprouts to add flavour and texture
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Kev’s Pad Thai recipe!
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