TRAVELOGUE  »  Cooking Like a Thai

Chiang Mai is a staple on the tourist circuit of Thailand and it’s easy to see why. While the city itself is a sprawling mass of houses and shops, the main square is a 2 square kilometer area surrounded by a moat and filled with temples, monasteries and history.

We spent our first two days there relaxing, wandering around and taking it all in, eating delicious burritos (I can’t wait for Chipotle when I get home), checking out the night market and finding out about tours, treks and food.

After not making time to take a cooking class in India, we were determined not to leave Thailand without at least learning how to make a pad thai. We got all that and more when we attended The Best Thai Cookery School for a one day course.

The day began with a tour of the local market where our teacher showed us all the ingredients we would use and how to pick the best ones. Something tells me that it will be harder back in the states.

For six hours we watched the chef prepare a few meals and cooked a few of our own. At one point he asked for a volunteer and I went to the head of the class and learned how to flip noodles on a wok. Later, when the class made our noodle dishes, the chef doused our raw ingredients in water.

When we tossed them into the wok it created a huge fireball that took everyone aback. Very cool! The most amazing part of the course was just how easy it was to make all of these delicious foods.

Carrie and I chose different dishes so we could get a greater variety and sample more foods. I made chicken and cashew nuts, pad thai, panang curry and tom yum soup. She cooked drunken noodles, green curry, sweet and sour veggies and coconut milk soup. Then, as a group we all made spring rolls, papaya salad and sticky rice with mango.

Every single thing was the best thing I’ve ever tasted!