Happy Monday Y'all!
As I shared with you a couple of weeks ago, Matt participated in a cooking class when we were in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Our first stop was to a local market to look and buy the ingredients for the class- then it was back to the kitchen to start cooking.
Because of our schedule, we opted to participate in the evening class offered at Baan Thai Cookery School. The evening class starts at 4:30 and ends at 8:30 and we were able to make five courses. You can choose one stir-fried item, one soup, one appetizer, one curry paste, and one curry.
Here are the courses Matt chose for his class:
1. Fried Noodle Thai Style
2. Hot and Sour Prawn Soup
3. Spring Roll
4. Green Curry Paste
5. Green Curry with Chicken
When we took our class in Cambodia, it was just the two of us with the head chef, but at Baan Thai you are with a small group of people throughout the course. This was actually really nice because we got to meet some really cool people through this class. There was a couple from Amsterdam, and a couple from Singapore, and a guy from New Hampshire that is currently living in Singapore.
So how the class worked was first we went to our stations and made the stir fried course. Depending on what stir fried course you picked depended on what kitchen you went to. Because I wasn't cooking this wasn't an issue, but just a heads up if you wanted to stick with your parter- pick the same dish or ask the staff which dishes cook together. They split you depending on what your making throughout the whole class.
Course 1: Stir Fried Noodle Thai Style
They had prepared what we needed in individual bowls and then you just had to chop a few things up. The instructor was demonstrating and looking around to help any that needed it. Even though there were other people- it still seemed that you got the attention and direction that you needed.
This was my favorite dish. It wasn't spicy at all, and Matt did a great job with his preparations.
After making the first course, we went back to the dining room and ate.
Course 2: Hot and Sour Prawn Soup
Again, we split up into different groups and started on our soup course. The set up was pretty much the same. After making the soup we put it on the table with it covered and then split up to start our third course.
Course 3: Spring Roll
We went back to our wok stations and first made up the spring roll mix. Then we learned how to wrap the mix in the raw spring roll. Then we put them in the hot oil.
After making the spring rolls, we went back to the dining room and ate courses two and three.
Then we had a bit of a break to chat and eat our food. This was really great because we got to know the other people in our group, and we had a fun time chatting with them. Usually, it's just the two of us on our travels, so it's hard to get to know people while traveling. This cooking class forced us out of our bubble, and it was great.
Course 4 and 5: Green Curry Paste and Green Curry with Chicken
The last two courses went together. We first learned how to make the green curry paste. {Holly crap- that stuff was spicy!} And then we made the green curry with chicken. This was probably my least favorite of the dishes we tried. But after we made them we sat back with the group and I got to try the other two curries- which I thought were a lot better.
And that was our Thai cooking class. It was a lot of fun and I especially enjoyed not having to cook. But because all the prep work except for a few steps was basically done for us- the dishes cooked up very quickly. I was really impressed at how fast you could make all of these dishes. And they all seemed doable at home.
There was plenty of food for me to try each dish. And we really love the recipe book we got; it is full of yummy recipes to try out.
If you are in Thailand- I really recommend trying a class. And if you are in Chaing Mai, I highly recommend Baan Thai Cookery School. The staff was really friendly, and they were taking pictures that they upload to facebook for you to see. We didn't really need those since I took my job as Matt's personal photographer very seriously.
Basic Information for Evening Class:
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30 pm
Class Size: 2-9 people
Price: 800 baht per person
**I paid a very small fee to just sit and watch**
Price Includes: All ingredients for cooking, transportation to and from your hotel, and a recipe book with all the recipes they use- not just the ones you pick.
There are lockers for you to use to lock up any valuables you don't want to leave in the dining areas.
*The morning class is from 9:40am-4:00 pm. And is 1,000 baht per person and you make 6 courses.*
Have you ever tried a cooking class? Would you ever try one in a foreign country?
Because of our schedule, we opted to participate in the evening class offered at Baan Thai Cookery School. The evening class starts at 4:30 and ends at 8:30 and we were able to make five courses. You can choose one stir-fried item, one soup, one appetizer, one curry paste, and one curry.
Here are the courses Matt chose for his class:
1. Fried Noodle Thai Style
2. Hot and Sour Prawn Soup
3. Spring Roll
4. Green Curry Paste
5. Green Curry with Chicken
When we took our class in Cambodia, it was just the two of us with the head chef, but at Baan Thai you are with a small group of people throughout the course. This was actually really nice because we got to meet some really cool people through this class. There was a couple from Amsterdam, and a couple from Singapore, and a guy from New Hampshire that is currently living in Singapore.
So how the class worked was first we went to our stations and made the stir fried course. Depending on what stir fried course you picked depended on what kitchen you went to. Because I wasn't cooking this wasn't an issue, but just a heads up if you wanted to stick with your parter- pick the same dish or ask the staff which dishes cook together. They split you depending on what your making throughout the whole class.
Course 1: Stir Fried Noodle Thai Style
They had prepared what we needed in individual bowls and then you just had to chop a few things up. The instructor was demonstrating and looking around to help any that needed it. Even though there were other people- it still seemed that you got the attention and direction that you needed.
This was my favorite dish. It wasn't spicy at all, and Matt did a great job with his preparations.
After making the first course, we went back to the dining room and ate.
Course 2: Hot and Sour Prawn Soup
Again, we split up into different groups and started on our soup course. The set up was pretty much the same. After making the soup we put it on the table with it covered and then split up to start our third course.
Course 3: Spring Roll
We went back to our wok stations and first made up the spring roll mix. Then we learned how to wrap the mix in the raw spring roll. Then we put them in the hot oil.
After making the spring rolls, we went back to the dining room and ate courses two and three.
Then we had a bit of a break to chat and eat our food. This was really great because we got to know the other people in our group, and we had a fun time chatting with them. Usually, it's just the two of us on our travels, so it's hard to get to know people while traveling. This cooking class forced us out of our bubble, and it was great.
Course 4 and 5: Green Curry Paste and Green Curry with Chicken
The last two courses went together. We first learned how to make the green curry paste. {Holly crap- that stuff was spicy!} And then we made the green curry with chicken. This was probably my least favorite of the dishes we tried. But after we made them we sat back with the group and I got to try the other two curries- which I thought were a lot better.
And that was our Thai cooking class. It was a lot of fun and I especially enjoyed not having to cook. But because all the prep work except for a few steps was basically done for us- the dishes cooked up very quickly. I was really impressed at how fast you could make all of these dishes. And they all seemed doable at home.
There was plenty of food for me to try each dish. And we really love the recipe book we got; it is full of yummy recipes to try out.
If you are in Thailand- I really recommend trying a class. And if you are in Chaing Mai, I highly recommend Baan Thai Cookery School. The staff was really friendly, and they were taking pictures that they upload to facebook for you to see. We didn't really need those since I took my job as Matt's personal photographer very seriously.
Basic Information for Evening Class:
Time: 4:30pm - 8:30 pm
Class Size: 2-9 people
Price: 800 baht per person
**I paid a very small fee to just sit and watch**
Price Includes: All ingredients for cooking, transportation to and from your hotel, and a recipe book with all the recipes they use- not just the ones you pick.
There are lockers for you to use to lock up any valuables you don't want to leave in the dining areas.
*The morning class is from 9:40am-4:00 pm. And is 1,000 baht per person and you make 6 courses.*
Have you ever tried a cooking class? Would you ever try one in a foreign country?
