We are both lovers of eating good food and trying new flavours! Thai food is definitely hard to beat when it comes to flavour and unique texture.
Having eaten plenty of good curries, fried rice and noodle dishes over a 3 month period of travelling through Thailand, we thought we should get our hands dirty and put some of these world famous dishes together ourselves.
Chatting to locals at our guesthouse in Chaing Mai about cooking schools in the local area, we were recommend- Thai Orchid Cookery School ran by a family at their home in the old city.
We booked a place on an all day cooking class and were picked up from our guesthouse at 8am along with a couple from Australia who were also travelling around South East Asia.
The facilities at the cooking school were amazing, there was an individual cooking station for everyone with a preparation area, gas fired stove to use a wok, utensils that we didn’t even know existed and a class room where the instructor demonstrated the process of preparing individual dishes.
We had the choice of 12 different dishes and could choose 4 each from a soup, a starter, a main and then a dessert. So logically thinking we chose different dishes to each other and got to work with our soups.
They went down really well but we both preffered the creamy hot and sour prawn soup to the clear soup that seemed to be quite harsh on the throat.
The exciting bit was making spring rolls! It was so much fun learning the rolling technique and better yet, they were the best spring rolls we have ever tried. Something we were really chuffed about.
The instructors then loaded us all in a minivan and took us to the market where we were shown a ton of tropical fruits and vegetables along with meat that most people would turn their nose to in the western world. It was so interesting to learn about what the Thai people like to eat and how they eat it.
Consider eating a Panang curry with 2 chillis in, that you find relatively hot and makes you sweat. Well the family who owned Thai Orchid Cookery School put in 5 chillis and eat it comfortably without breaking in to a sweat. Unreal!
Anyway our Phad Thai with shrimp was really good, although not as good as some we have eaten on the street, street food is the best and we find it difficult to beat even when we go to some expensive restaurants.
We sat down with our group around a big table and enjoyed the dishes we had all made and spoke about our journeys, had some time to relax, eat and make new friends. The majority of us were really pleased with what we had all produced.
But a day of food would not be complete without something sweet! We had a choice of dessert and opted for the thai pancake as well as mango sticky rice! Thai pancake is like a drug! Once you try your first thai pancake from a street vendor, your hooked! Especially when they are smothered with Nutella. But in this case it was pancake with banana.
For what we believe was a relatively cheap day of about £50 for both of us, we were also given a recipe book of all the dishes that were available for us to make and a load more recipes of curry pastes, noodles, papaya salad. The lot!
If you are looking for somewhere to satisfy your taste buds and get tucked in to some amazing Thai foods then we really recommend checking out, Thai Orchid Cookery School in Chiang Mai.
By Alan Bogle.
I want to go to a cooking class I actually begged the hubs to take me to one to do sushi …I still haven’t received a reply smh. This looks like fun though and something different than a boring ole movie night in (which is what I am accustomed to lol)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I also took a cooking class in Chiang Mai, but at a different school. It was definitely one of my favorite travel experiences, and I still cook the things I learned there. Now I look for cooking classes whenever I travel, last year I took a cooking class in Bellagio. I love being able to relive the place I’ve been, and cooking classes are such a great way to do it!
And I totally agree about street food. I love street food and street Pad Thai is the best I’ve ever had anywhere, I felt guilty that it was so cheap!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did a cooking class with my husband once and it was so much fun The food came out awesome and it was just a blast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is great & I like how you guys were brought to the market, it was like immersing you more into their ways. More than the souvenirs that you guys have, you’ll have a special part of Thailand that you’re bringing home with you – Thai Food. I’d love to try this cooking class.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow this looks amazing! I’ve never made Thai food, or any good that is out of my comfort zone I’m one to stick to the Same or recipes. But this looks really darn good!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How fun to attend a cooking class and learn about your favorite kind of food. I loved that they picked you up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love Thai food and would really like to make more of it at home. It’s light and really flavorful! I love that this cooking school is held right in their home!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I admit, I’m not one to try new things like this. If we were to visit Chiang Mai, my husband would definitely try this though. He’s more adventurous than I am.
LikeLike
I’m a HUGE fan of thai food, but I don’t eat it all that often. I need to change that, and maybe even take a cooking class.
LikeLike
I absolutely love taking cooking classes–it is a fun way to bond with your partner (friend, spouse, etc.) and learn something new. My friends and I all took a French cooking class together a few years ago and it was such a great night!
Amanda
http://www.queenofthelandoftwigsnberries.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’re planning on traveling to Thailand last quarter of this year. I never thought of cooking class but I guess this is a great oart of our itinerary. Great share.
LikeLiked by 1 person
this looks like so much fun! i’ve been thinking on my next trip.. i’d love to take a cooking class as part of the travel experience. thai food would be a great one bc i know i’ll probably cook it back at home often too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
looks fun! I’m dying to take a cooking class! My friend does a weekly one and she has so much fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like it would be a lot of fun indeed to learn how to cook some of the dishes for that area. It is awesome you got a cookbook of all the recipe choices along with other recipes. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This would be so much fun to do!! I love taking cooking classes I always learn a ton!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, this food makes me hungry now, I want to taste this all foods.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My husband gets craving for Thai food every now and again. He would love to have a cooking class to learn how to make it at home!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like you both cooked up a storm, I have been wanting to go to a cookery class for ever and since I love me some Thai food I wouldn’t mind visiting this cookery school
LikeLiked by 1 person
Haven’t tried or tasted any Thai food ever. Your post made me want to try at least cooking some original Thai dishes. Looks like you had a lot of fun attending this cooking class. Hopefully I can attend something like this soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Man the food looks sinful
LikeLike
Fantastic post! What a great idea for learning more about the culture. We are going to be in that region sometime in the next year and will definitely be checking that out. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person