It was our final night of at Saiphin’s hometown in Khao Kor, and we all knew it was going to be epic.

Nearly 20 people gathered up at Saiphin’s house as we started to prepare ingredients for our cook-up session.  Prawns, squid, kaffir lime leaves, coriander root, lemongrass, garlic, chili, basil, galangal and so on–I predicted a Thai seafood feast and I was right.

Saiphin announced that we would be making three dishes that evening: stir-fry prawns with curry power, stir-fry squid with chili & basil, and the famous tom yum prawn.  I can say that these three are common every-day dishes found anywhere in Thailand, whether you are at a fine dining restaurant in Bangkok or at a street vendor with sticky tables by the beach.