Cooking with a Thai Master Chef in Belize

Belize is a pristine tropical paradise known for its exceptional diving, fantastic fishing, and diverse cultural heritage. While the country is not famous for its cuisine, the culinary scene on Ambergris Caye and neighboring Caye Caulker is rapidly evolving. Traditional Belizean food typically reflects a blend of Spanish, Mayan, Mexican, Creole, and Caribbean style cooking, but in the past few years, a growing influence of Japanese, French, Indian, and Hawaiian chefs have left their mark.

Earlier this month, the executive staff of The Phoenix Resort invited a master Thai chef to prepare a special two-day dining experience for esteemed guests. I had the privilege of joining Chef Lek, the owner of Em On's Thai Cafe in Naples, FL as she procured ingredients and took over the kitchen of Red Ginger (the Phoenix Resort's distinctive restaurant) to create a variety of Thai specialties.

In this video, join me as we go shopping at organic produce markets around the island, then proceed directly into the kitchen with Chef Lek as she creates enticing entrees such as Massaman Curry, Thai Basil Chicken, Pad Thai, Cinnamon Pork Belly, and several other outrageously delicious Thai classics.

If you've ever been curious about how to make Thai fried rice, pad thai with chicken, massaman curry, or tom yong goong - this is your chance to discover the recipes and cooking process in a first person style tutorial. Feel free to skip ahead to these parts of the video to learn how to make each dish:

How to Make Thai Fried Rice: 35:53

How to Make Chicken Pad Thai: 55:40

How to Make Thai Basil Stir Fry Chicken: 45:19

How to Make Massaman Curry: 24:25

How to Make Thai Cinnamon Pork Belly: 29:58

The Red Ginger is one of the best restaurants on Ambergris Caye. The kitchen staff prepares an exceptional variety of local Belizean cuisine and creative seafood entrees that are sure to delight nearly any palette. Working and filming in the kitchen alongside the talented staff of Red Ginger was a humbling experience - this team works hard to provide guests of The Phoenix with exceptional food.

If you happen to find yourself in Naples, FL - be sure to visit Chef Lek's "Em On's Thai Cafe", which you can learn more about, at the link below:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/7BFjqSoWcBx95...

if you enjoyed this video, please leave a comment or a thumbs up! If this video performs well, I will proceed to create a "day 2" version of this video, which includes additional recipes for Thai dishes such as Pad See Ew, Penang Curry, and Thai Style Fried Fish.

If you've been wondering how to make Thai food, this video is an opportunity to follow along with a master Thai chef - every step of the way. Most of the ingredients you need to make Thai food are available at your local well stocked grocery store...and you're guaranteed to find everything you need at a local Chinese, Korean, or Japanese market. I've been a huge fan of Thai cuisine my entire life, and I've always wondered about the nuances and process of how to make Thai food. Spending two days in the kitchen with Lek was a humbling and inspiring experience...and it certainly taught me a few tricks about how to make Thai food that is sure to impress any crowd.