After two weeks of being in Chiang Mai, Thailand, we finally decided it was time to throw on an apron and learn the secrets behind the delicious Thai food we have been stuffing our face with.
Fortunately, finding a cooking class in Chiang Mai is not hard at all. In fact there are hundreds of cooking schools out there. The hardest part is actually choosing the right one!
After looking at different schools and reading hundreds of reviews we decided to go with Mama Noi Thai Cookery School and luckily for us we were not disappointed.
Read on to see how we became Thai master chefs in a matter of hours :D
P.S. Do not go past this point on an empty stomach. You have been warned!
Visit to the Local Market
Our day started with a really quick visit to the market to learn about the ingredients we were going to use in our cooking!
If it ain’t spicy, it ain’t Thai!
Tour of the Herb Garden
Learning more about Holy Basil, Lemongrass, Pandan Leaf and co.
The secret, but not so secret, ingredient to Thai food. It will have your eyes watering, your nose running, and your butt burning!
Enjoying Mother Nature!
Cooking Time
Enough joking around, smelling trees, and playing with the dogs. Time to put on the apron and get cooking…
Step one, learn how to make spring rolls.
Step two, devour them :D.
But enough with the tease, let’s really get cooking…
Eyebrows. Check. Beard. Check. All good! Moving on.
And that’s what we came up with …
… Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts (Gai Pad Med Ma Muang) …
… and Stir Fried Chicken with Hot Basil (Pad Kra Proaw)!
Break Time
Two meals down, three more to go. But first, let’s take a break with some Iced Thai Tea …
… and walk off the food in Mama Noi’s beautiful garden.
Curry Time
Enough with the selfies, time to go back to work and make some curry paste!
The ingredients for the Massaman Curry Paste (Gang Massaman).
However, making curry paste from scratch ain’t easy …
… and while Ben is struggling to please the teacher …
… Jazzy is acting a fool! As always.
Chiang Mai Curry Noodles (Khao Soy)
Sweet Desserts
The moment we have all been waiting for.
Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Neow Ma Muang) with natural dye.
And Deep Fried Bananas (Kluay Tod) with condensed milk.
Full and barely able to move. What a great way to end the day!!
So, Would We Recommend Mama Noi?
Hell yes! We loved our cooking experience! The teachers were super friendly, extremely funny and very knowledge about the dishes. At Mama Noi’s, it was about more than just cooking and getting everything right, it was about having fun, meeting new people, and of course, stuffing your face.
We also loved how accommodating they were with Ben’s gluten allergy. Not once did we feel like they were annoyed with us because they had to accommodate him. They were more than happy to help, which was a super bonus for us.
Gluten Free Tip: If you have celiac or you are on a gluten free diet, bring your own gluten free soy sauce, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. All three can be bought at one of the local supermarkets in Chiang Mai (we use the Megachef brand). Those sauces helped made traveling Thailand on a gluten free diet a lot easier!
More Information
Courses:
Full Day: 1000 Baht/Person (5 dishes + 2 special dishes + curry paste)
Half Day: 800 Baht/Person (3 dishes + 2 special dishes + curry paste)
What’s included in the price:
- Pick up/drop off
- Local market visit
- Guided tour of the organic farm and herb garden
- All ingredients
- Individual cooking station
- English speaking instructors
- Photos
- May take away the food you cook
- Mama Noi cookbook
What to bring: A starving belly, and a huge appetite :D
Website: Mama Noi Thai Cookery School
Have you taken a cooking class while traveling abroad?
Stephanie Craig
Looks AMAAAAAAZING! I’m seriously drooling!