Nongkran Daks, Executive Chef. Member, Les Dames d'Escoffier  Thai Basil Restaurant uses the only freshest and finest ingredients, with no MSG. Nongkran Daks, Executive Chef and owner, was born to cook. Nongkran is a combination of fantastic cook and dedicated teacher, who can make her cuisine come alive in all its authentic, traditional glory. She has taught Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese cooking in Bangkok, Beijing, Honolulu, Vientiane, Laos and Washington, DC. Nongkran is the author of several Asian cookbooks and if you are lucky enough to take one of her cooking classes, you will learn the secrets of the best, most authentic Pad Thai this side of Bangkok.
The décor in the restaurant is pretty and filled with native artifacts from Thailand. Nongkran serves a wide range of traditional Thai dishes, plus many dishes that do not often appear in local restaurants. Consider starting off with Kari Puf a Vegetarian Appetizer, a mouth watering puff pastry filled with potatoes, carrots and peas. Next, try one of her most popular curries. Gang Matsaman Nua is loaded with chunks of cooked beef in 17 herbs and spices, making this the most popular among westerns. Or try the Gang Dang with pork, beef or chicken in red curry with bamboo shoots, basil and string beans or Thai eggplant, or the Pineapple and Shrimp Curry with silvers of fresh pineapple. Many of the dishes are “On The Light Side,” low in calories but rich in taste, such as Khanom Bueng Yuan, a rice flour crepe filled with pork, shrimp, mushroom, onion and bean sprouts, served with garlic-lime-chili sauce. A vegetarian menu is also available. To read a recent Washington Post Review, Click Here.  Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce |  Matsaman, Green and Yellow Curry Dishes |
 Kari Puf |  Pineapple Fried Rice | “I learned to appreciate good Thai food while visiting Bangkok. Sampling Mrs. Daks' cuisine was like reliving those wonderful memories all over again. Truly fantastic food at a very reasonable price. Ms. Daks also makes you feel like you are the only one she is cooking for in her restaurant. A wonderful experience.”
---Tuesday, October 24, 2000 AOL Rating & Review Jvparle “No pseudo-Thai here” - you can rely on this Chantilly Asian south of Dulles Airport for “the real thing,” chef-owner Nongkran Daks, “a great cooking teacher, prepares “fantastic” signature noodles and other fare at wallet-friendly prices.“
---Zagat Survey 2005 Washington DC Restuarants “Unveiling the best chefs of Northern Virginia Nongran Daks”
Times Community November 2, 2005 Nongran Daks featured recipes in New York Times June 22, 2005
| A traditionalist, Daks plays it straight and never falls prey to the labor saving tricks that destroy good Thai flavors. If you are having a special event, Catering is available.
The gracious staff at Thai Basil awaits your arrival for a business lunch or full dinner. | | | Nongkran prepares a festive meal to mark the Thai New Year. |
Thai Cooking Classes Available | At the Thai Basil Restaurant, Chef-Owner Nongkran Daks offers classes for those who wish to make authentic Thai dishes right in their own home. Courses consist of three hands-on sessions with each class session concluding with a dinner consisting of the dishes learned. Class size is small. In addition to food preparation, Nongkran also adds stories of her culinary adventures in Thailand and other Asian countries. She also offers tips on how to shop and where to get the best buys for ingredients. A typical, beginning Thai cooking course includes these dishes: - Steamed Dumplings with Soy-Garlic Sauce
- Chicken with Thai Basil
- Chicken Curry
- Pad Thai Noodles
- Tri-color Pickles
- Lemon Grass Shrimp Soup
- Flank Steak with Crispy Garlic
- Grilled Thai Eggplant Salad
- Banana/Tapioca Dessert (or Sticky Rice with Mango when in season)
| Classes are generally held on weekend afternoons from 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm. Tuition is $160 and includes instruction, typed recipes, ingredients, a full dinner and every effort to make sure you have a great time.
Lessons take place at the Thai Basil Restaurant, Chantilly Park Shopping Center, 14511-P Lee Jackson Memorial Highway, Chantilly, VA 20151. We are on Route 50, two lights west of Route 28.Or at our new location, 43150 Broadlands Center Plaza Suite # 180
Ashburn, VA 20148
You can register for cooking classes here. If you wish to be notified about an upcoming class, please e-mail Nongkran, or call her at (703) 478-3666. Nongkran looks forward to having you in an upcoming cooking class. Nongkran's cookbooks, "Thai Soups and Salads," "Thai Noodles and Snacks" and "Homestyle Vietnamese Cooking" are also available at the restaurant.
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