In researching cooking schools in Chiang Mai, I sought to find the ones which offered five consecutive days of instruction with different menus. Chiang Mai Thai Cookery was the original cooking school in the city and was the only establishment to afford the luxury of 6 dishes daily totaling 30 for the 5 days. They also offered pickup and drop off from my location so that made it an easy choice.
The location of the cooking school was about 20 minutes from the city center in a beautiful serene gated community. The school had a large lot on which the colonial style building sat with its open air dining tables,
bookcases filled with regional cookbooks,
cooking stations for about 100 students and
2 instructional air conditioned classrooms in which the instructors demonstrated the preparation of each dish.
Behind the school was a vast garden,
a large pond with hundreds of koi fish
and an expansive lot which may eventually become a bed and breakfast or hotel of some sort to house the students of the school. Its location was remote, quiet and peaceful and the colonial structure had a restrained elegance and beauty.
What made my experience amazing was Pong, the chef/instructor who became a friend at the end of my time at the school. 
His classes were informative and funny. Pong’s English was as perfect as his culinary expertise. He had each student assist him in demonstrating the preparation of the dishes before we were sent off to cook on our own.
On my second day, I was literally the only student in the school so we had several hours of cooking together so I had the benefit of a one-on-one private cooking class from Pong.
He explained how and why everything needed to be cooked in a certain order and though I accidentally burnt garlic once or twice, which I personally didn’t mind as it gave the dish a smoky flavor, I knew it wasn’t proper technique because of Pong. He also shared how our fingers should be positioned when cutting so that we can cut quickly like those chefs we see on cooking competitions and not cut ourselves in the process.
His methods were very refined which can only come from a great deal of training and practice. He observed each student with a watchful eye and like a choreographer of a ballet, knew when each move should be executed and sometimes helped each student find their way.
I was amazed at how simple and yet intricate Thai cooking actually was. Some dishes required a few ingredients and minimal effort to make
while others were quite labor intensive and required nearly a dozen or more ingredients.
I loved every minute of my time at the school. It was my first foray into an experiential excursion while on vacation.
I learned so much more on this holiday and it definitely enhanced my visit to Chiang Mai.
I have zero hesitation recommending Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School as a Must Do during any trip to Chiang Mai.
The facilities are immaculate, the instruction is A-level quality and the abundance and variety of delicious Thai food makes for a comprehensive and immersive experience.
Day 2 brought an unexpected surprise when I arrived at the school.
I was the only student for the entire day which was a complete departure from my first day where there were 30 Australian tweens and teens in addition to our adult group of 6.
Since I was working one-on-one with Pon, I had the benefit of getting personal feedback on my culinary technique and flavoring and texture of each dish.
Our first course of the day was the Panaeng Muu which was red curry with pork.
It included the use of a mortal and pestle to pound down the spices and peppers into a puréed paste before adding the red curry and pork into the wok.
Next on the list was the Plaa Nin Laad Prik Bai Horapa or fried whole fish with chili and basil. The scariest part of this course wasn’t the whole raw fish sitting in the bowl. It was frying the whole thing in a wok full of oil.
Pon taught me to put salt at the bottom of the cooking oil in the wok rather than adding salt to the fish before frying it.
There we’re minimal ingredients to add to the top of the dish giving it just a bit more flavor.
The third course was the Gaeng Hanglay Gai or Chiang Mai chicken with curry. This was by far my favorite dish because the smell and flavor was reminiscent of chicken tikka masala and Thai curry combined.
He taught me the secret technique of placing the seasoned chicken in a cold wok pan and stirring around in the oil for a few minutes coating all sides before turning on the heat in order to prevent the oil from rising to the top and the dish becoming overly greasy.
For the fourth dish, Prad Prio Wan Phak aka sweet and sour stir fry vegetables, I got additional practice on my chopping and cutting skills and was taught how to make heart shaped carrots. Pon explained that the fruits and vegetables had to be cooked last in order for them to remain crisp.
The fifth dish, Yam Wun Sen or spicy glass noodle salad, hardly took any time at all to make. The noodles cook literally in 5 seconds and what takes the most time is cooking up the pork and cutting up the accoutrements.
The dessert dish was the easiest to prepare provided the rice has been previously cooked. The Khao Neow Dam Piak was a black sticky rice pudding which had 3 ingredients and was unbelievably simple and delicious.
We sped through the 6 courses, with me sitting down and finishing my plate of the panaeng curry with pork served with steamed rice. With the rest of the dishes, I had one or two sample bites and just powered through, saving all of the food for my to-go. No need to go out for dinner tonight as essentially Pon and I had prepared a meal for 3 people so I was quite beside myself at this fortuitous chain of events.
What I learned during the first two days is that cooking Thai food doesn’t have to be complicated or a lengthy ordeal. Some of my favorite dishes were so incredibly easy and quick to make.
Tomorrow will sadly not be a private but I’m looking forward to practicing and learning more culinary techniques and shortcuts that I can incorporate in my day-to-day cooking back home. Ready for Day 3!
Thai Cookery School
Grace Gambin
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