Cooking Lessons at the Chiang Mai Cookery School

Learn Authentic Thai Recipes at Renowned Cooking School in Thailand

Jun 22, 2009

Classes at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School are an easy and entertaining introduction to the skills and ingredients needed to prepare this delicious and exotic food.

Celebrity chef Sompon Nabnian and his English wife Elizabeth have owned and run the school since 1993. Even those with little culinary expertise will enjoy preparing and eating the five dishes, plus dessert, included in their classes.

It's also a great way for eco-conscious travellers to practice sustainable tourism.

Chiang Mai Market Visit

The day begins with a 9:30 am transfer to the school's downtown office. From there, depending on the course chosen, a visit might be made to the bustling local food market where an instructor identifies and explains the properties of many typical Thai ingredients. Holy and sweet basil, bird's eye chillies, lemon grass and kaffir limes could be used in the day's recipes.

Chiang Mai Cookery School Site

The school is on a leafy site about thirty minutes drive from the market. Each student has an open-air cook station with a gas burner, wok, utensils, apron and 96 page cookbook. The book is produced by the

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School and contains colour photographs of the recipes plus descriptions of Thai utensils, main ingredients like ginza and lemon grass and Thai curry pastes. Classes are limited to thirty students with four instructors and occasionally, a trainee to assist.

Learning Thai Cooking Techniques

In a comfortable, air-conditioned classroom, a teacher explains the components of a recipe with expertise and wit, all the while slicing and cooking. Serious students may want to take notes while others will focus on the instructor's performance.

Participants will also learn the secrets of Thai chefs, like the fastest way to remove the stems from kaffir lime leaves and how to crush or slice chillies to change their level of piquancy.

The sense of smell is used as a guide for layering the various aromatics. After each demonstration, everyone has a chance to taste the model dish before trying their own recreation.

Back at the shady, outdoor cooking area, students measure and chop ingredients. Most of the food is prepared with a few swift stirs in the wok so there is little time to glance at the cookbook. The instructors encourage hesitant novices and show quick learners extra tricks, such as how to create the famous Thai carved garnishes.

Large picnic-style tables are a relaxing place to savour each course and to mingle with other attendees. It's also the perfect time to share Thailand travel tips or recommendations on other cooking classes around the world.

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School Schedule

The school is open daily and five different courses run on a rotating basis. Each consists of six recipes including a curry and a dessert. Some days offer morning lessons in Thai paste making or vegetable carving. Students are usually back in the city by 4:00 - 4:30 pm. Check the school's website for detailed advance information.

As an example, course number three includes a morning market visit followed by :

Meals are served on traditional blue and white Thai plates with knives, forks and spoons and beverages are available. The experience is fun and satisfying and many visitors will be inspired enough to return. Master Classes, designed for professional chefs but suitable for food lovers with a background in Thai cooking, also offer five varied menus.

The copyright of the article Cooking Lessons at the Chiang Mai Cookery School in Asian Culinary Travel is owned by Heather Zorzini. Permission to republish Cooking Lessons at the Chiang Mai Cookery School in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.