Chiang Mai

Travelers' Takes

Rates and Deals

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School

More Photos
bettybetty10
bettybetty10
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
Review
1
Photo
Editor Pick

Learning to Cook is Actually Fun

  • July 8, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by bettybetty10 from Dallas, Texas
Learning to Cook is Actually Fun

We were recommended to take a 1 day course at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School, which is run by a chef named Sompon Nabnian, who had a cooking show on BBC, and on other Thai channels. The day we chose included six dishes and a tutorial on how to make curry paste. When we went in to book it the day before, they said that we could actually choose a visit to the market if we wanted, which we said we wanted, but the next day, the choice was not actually available to us. I think they use it as a ploy to get you to commit!

Nevertheless, it was a great experience and waaaaay too much food. The day started at 10am, which was nice because it wasn’t too early. We met at the offices near the city center, and then 2 vans took us further out to the actual cooking school. There were about 20 people in our class.

We first did the curry paste making tutorial and then we went to work. There were 7 young women giving the tutorials, and walking around, making sure we did everything right. There was no room for error! The process was as followed: 1) go into the class room for a tutorial on the ingredients (the types of chilis were especially interesting), where to get them, substitutes, and how to prepare the dish. 2) taste the dish that the instructor made 3) get your ingredients 4) make the dish 5) eat the dish!

The portions that we made were small, but after 2 dishes, I was already getting full. After six dishes, and four hours later, I was stuffed to the brim and felt bad for not being able to finish what I made!!! The lessons were very easy, and we were given our own cookbook so we could recreate the meals at home. There were also beers for sale during the eating periods, so that was nice as well. We actually had two tutorials taught by Sompon himself, which I understand is not always the case and quite special.

We were also given some time after one of the meals to wander the premises, where the school actually grows its own produce, and I believe also own chickens! It was a beautiful setting for a cooking class, and really fun. It was also a great opportunity to meet some interesting people from all over the world. There was a caterer who was taking 5 days of cooking class, a couple of solo recent college graduates from England, four women who were all related, two of which were living in Chiang Mai, and several older couples.

The six hour course, which included all the ingredients, rice, cookbook, and transportation cost 900 baht/person.

From journal Chiang Mai - Quaint but Touristy

Compare Chiang Mai Rates

1. Enter travel information

City

2. Select websites to compare rates

Each selected website will open a new window.

Chiang Mai Travel Deals