It’s January 22nd and you have to get all of your collective scores in by January 24th. Half of your students will not submit 60% of the work they were assigned until January 23rd.
If you teach in Thailand long enough, you know this season. The late submissions. The grading marathons. The digital zombie feeling at midnight, staring at your screen.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, there’s this craving.
You love Thai food, but you’ve been eating it every day. You miss something comforting from home. Maybe pasta. Something soft. Something that feels like small bites of calm in the middle of chaos.
That sort of food can cost an arm and a few legs in Bangkok, more than most of us teaching abroad can afford regularly. So there’s the alternative: making it at home.
Let’s say the recipe is gnocchi.
You make a big batch. Freeze them. Pull out what you need. Suddenly, you’re having a Bangkok Hi-so dinner in your Bangkok Midish-so condo — even while juggling the demands of teaching in Thailand with the BFITS Program.
Deadline Season Hits Hard
Ok, so back to receiving all of these last-minute submissions and grading them at every free moment. This sort of thing may leave you up all night staring at a computer screen, feeling like some sort of digital zombie.
If the next few days are going to look like that, you might as well put something satisfying in your system.
Comfort food doesn’t fix deadlines. But it does make them more manageable.
Why Gnocchi Is the Perfect Fix
This recipe I have is for gnocchi — as I mentioned before — that is oh-so-delightful and pillowy. I have made this recipe many times, and it is one of my go-to recipes in times of need.
It’s vegetarian. It’s quick once prepped. It freezes beautifully. And it genuinely makes you feel better.
Now you can grade all those late assignments and not feel completely burnt out.
All of your ingredients will be easy to find at Lotus, Makro, Big C, Villa Market, Gourmet Market, Max Plus, and so on. Having a potato peeler makes this recipe easier. Also, make sure you have a potato ricer. You can find these on Lazada for cheap. That ricer is what gives the gnocchi their velvety smooth texture.
Gnocchi Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes (peeled)
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Cake Flour
- 2 T Salt (for boiling water)
- 2.5 tsp Salt (for dough)
- 1 egg & 1 egg yolk (beaten together)
- 2 T Greek Yogurt (mixed with beaten egg)
- Flour for dusting
Making and Freezing the Gnocchi
- Peel the potatoes, place them in a large pot, cover with water, and add 2T salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes until fully tender. Drain and cool for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the egg, egg yolk, and yogurt together.
- Rinse the potatoes into a large bowl. Add 2.5 tsp salt and both flours. Make a well in the center and add the egg-yogurt mixture. Stir gently. Once combined, place onto a floured surface and knead gently for about 2 minutes until smooth but not elastic. Do not overwork.
- Divide into 8 pieces. Roll into 50cm ropes and cut into 2cm pieces. Use the back of a fork to create ridges if desired.
- Place on a floured tray and freeze completely. Once frozen, transfer to a container. Store up to 90 days.
- To cook: Boil salted water. Add frozen gnocchi. When they float, wait 30 seconds and remove (about 3–4 minutes total). Sear in oil or butter for texture.
Spinach and Mint Puree Sauce
Ingredients
- 65g spinach leaves
- 2 sprigs mint
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup cashews
- 2 ice cubes
- 180 ml olive oil
- Salt
- Bowl of ice water
This recipe stores well frozen into cubes. Make extra for heavy grading weeks.
- Blanch spinach and mint for 30 seconds. Shock in ice water. Squeeze dry and chop.
- Blend greens with garlic, cashews, and one ice cube. Stream in olive oil while blending. Add a second ice cube to preserve color. Salt to taste.
- When adding to gnocchi, turn off the heat first. Add ¼ cup fresh puree (or 2–3 frozen cubes) and mix gently to keep the sauce vibrant green.
Cooking Through the Hustle & Bustle
In the dish I made for myself, I added sautéed mushrooms, canned beans, quick greens, and a dollop of yogurt on top. You can add chickpeas, white beans, tuna, grilled chicken, whatever makes sense for you. When everything is prepared, you can have a 15-minute dinner and then get back to grading (sesssh!).
Teaching abroad will test your stamina. But small rituals — like cooking something from scratch — bring balance back.
Deadlines don’t disappear. But neither does your ability to take care of yourself while meeting them.
