Baan Thai Cookery School, Chiang Mai

Other than riding elephants, Thai cooking class was the highlight of our trip to Thailand. It was so much fun, the food was great, and was a wonderful way to feel a part of the culture. When I first told Jake I wanted to do it, he was not convinced. He felt like we would be wasting a day of doing other things when he doesn't even like to cook. After telling him it was only $60 for the two of us and included the 5 course meal we were cooking, he was ok with it. By the end, he was so glad that we did it. Will I ever find him in the kitchen slaving away over a Thai meal?? No, but it was still worth the experience.

We were picked up at our hotel and taken to the cooking school. We were put into a class with a few other people. There were people from Morocco and Holland. We first learned about the different tools that are used in Thai cooking. We then walked down the street to the local market where we learned about the different kinds of produce and spices used in Thai cooking. The market was so cute and had the freshest produce. We collected items we needed for our meals in a basket and then headed back to the cooking school.

Our teacher

different types of ginger

different types of eggplant

The cooking classes were set up in a really great way. We had three options to choose from for each of the five courses. We went to a different kitchen depending on our choices. Jake had picked different things than me, but hurried and switched to the same things when he knew we were going to be split up. He had no confidence in his cooking abilities with a bit of help from me. For each course, they showed us how to cut up the ingredients and cook the dish, then let us do it. 

The first thing we learned how to cook was a pad thai noodle dish. We cut up the veggies and then made the noodles in the wok. Jake and I thought our end result could have been a bit better, but we got better as the day went on. 

Pad Thai

Next we learned how to make the insides off a spring roll and then wrap and fry the rolls. They were SO good. 

Next we made chicken in coconut milk. We learned how to make different flavors using the different herbs and seasonings, which is called a "soup package." I loved this dish because you could really taste each of the individual ingredients that we learned about.

After a little break where Jake and I explored the surrounding streets and a bookshop, we learned to make dessert. We made mango and sticky rice, which is fresh mango over sticky rice covered in coconut milk mixture. Um, uhhmazing. While the dessert was finishing up, we learned about the different types of curry and how to make curry paste. We made Chiang Mai noodles using the red curry paste and it was so good. It was Jake's favorite dish. 

Jake making curry paste

Chiang Mai Noodle

The device used to cook sticky rice

Mango and sticky rice

Wow, just thinking about this food makes my mouth water. I would definitely recommend cooking classes in Thailand, or getting the chance to learn to cook in any new country. If you ever visit Chiang Mai, Baan Thai Cookery School was a wonderful experience and I would recommend it. They picked us up, treated us so nicely, were very organized, and it was a very clean. For around $30 a person, we had a full day of cooking classes with a market tour, 5 dishes to eat, a full color recipe book, and memories to last a lifetime. 

Check out Baan Thai Cookery School 

Linking up with Bonnie for Travel Tuesday