Attend a cooking class in Bangkok. Enjoy a half-day Thai culinary adventure, learn techniques in cooking Thai food, with actual preparation of dishes feast in a relaxed environment.
Thai food is popular around the world. It is ranked fourth behind Indian, Italian and Chinese cuisines as the most popular in the UK.
It is quite popular that there are 5 Thai restaurants in Exeter, the closest city to us. And we also notice Thai-style dishes in pubs. We have tried a restaurant in Exeter but the prices were close to unaffordable for a plate that I could whip up myself and in pubs they are not as I expected them to be.
Well, I always tell myself to learn how to cook more Thai dishes from Pailin and Marion on Youtube. I do try and they are completely free so thank you to both of them for showing us how to make Thai food look easy.
As a family we are big fans of Thai food, but at times can find cooking it tricky.
So, we’ve decided that when we go to Bangkok we will attend. It’s on top of mine and my daughter’s list of things to do in Bangkok.
We’ve always wanted to learn how to prepare dishes by going to classes in person to see someone prepare fresh, healthy dishes their way.
Thing to do in Bangkok with Kids
During a recent trip to Bangkok, Amon and I went to a cooking class. It was a unique experience to be able to go together and cook in the same room and later on try the dishes we prepared independently.
We chose Sompong Thai Cooking School which was convenient to go to from where we were staying.
It is located in a quiet Soi in Silom, easy to get to from BTS Chong Nonsi or a taxi and the price was unbelievably good value. The cost for a 4-hour class was 1300 baht per person which included lunch, a quick market visit, a canvas bag, a cookbook and a fun-filled cooking session.
A fantastic thing about the class was children were welcomed and encouraged to take part in the cooking process. The staff were there to give a hand when needed but did not hover that discouraged a child to not cook by herself.
Market Tour
The day started by taking the register, handed baskets and fans to take with us to a market tour.
Off we went to the nearby morning market for a quick tour. The teacher had a little talk about the ingredients unique to Thai cuisine. First stop the coconut milk and cream extraction stall. Next, spices, where the balances of sweetness, saltiness, tanginess and spice lie in wait through palm sugar, fish sauce, salt, tamarind pulp, chillies and a variety of curry pastes were on offer.
Third and final stop the fresh produce stall where vegetables and fruit were on display. Those are all essential in Thai cuisine and to the day’s menu.
We were given about 10 minutes to go around and buy produce that we might want to take back for our own consumption.
After the market, we headed back to the school to start cooking. The tour took around half an hour including the walk to and back.
The market tour was fun. We have taken a few cooking classes before but this one is fun because the staff or teacher was engaging and lively.
Cooking Class
The staff were around to guide and make sure that the food we made tasted good.
While we waited for other people to arrive, we chose a group class by the way, we had a look around the kitchen.
We chose pre-set dishes to cook from their scheduled menu. We chose dishes that we would eat at home and went on a Monday.
The dishes for Monday were Green curry with chicken, Stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts, Thai spicy mixed fruit salad and egg custard in pumpkin.
Four of us sat at a table as a team or group.
We were given aprons, a hand towel, and recipe books.
Before the cooking began we washed our hands.
The teacher talked about the seasonings, spices and the core ingredients in Thai cuisine. She invited us around the demonstration table, led us through the steps for each dish and made sure we all paid attention to what she was doing.
What we cooked
Thai spicy mixed fruit salad
We cut up a mixture of fruit, tried our best to slice the skin off a tomato for decoration,.
Amon made this salad without chillies so hers was not spicy but of course mine was.
Making the salad was very easy, first crush a clove of garlic and chilli, if adding any, then the toasted peanuts, added the seasoning and lime juice for the dressing and tossed the mixed fruit in.It was that easy, can you believe it?
Egg custard in pumpkin
We made our egg custard in pumpkin as a team. One sliced the top of a pumpkin, the other diced pumpkin meat, and another squeezed the pandan leaf and palm sugar in the coconut milk and cream mix.
The custard mix was made and poured into the pumpkin and steamed for 40 minutes.
Green curry paste and green curry chicken
The green curry paste was a team effort again which was great because all four of us had the chance to pound the ingredients into a paste which would have taken ages for one person to make manually.
The teacher turned the curry paste making into a game. She encouraged us to pound the ingredients into a smooth paste but 2 out of 3 groups made a rough paste and 1 out 3 turned into grey paste. No one was the clear winner so one of the staff helped us put all our pastes together to turn into a more acceptable curry paste.
When the curry paste was ready, we got to cook our green curries.
Have you been happier to see a bowl of green curry?
Well, each person made his own and we were all satisfied by the outcome.
Stir fried chicken with cashew nuts
This dish looked so easy and quick to make. Crispy cashews, tender chicken and flavorful sauce! That was a wow.
Everyone was hungry after 3 hours of work in the kitchen. It was time for lunch. We got to eat the delicious (if I may say) food we prepared ourselves. Since we had green curry, the teacher/staff gave us rice and rice noodles to eat with which she said was traditional. That was a good meal.
Around four hours after we arrived at the school we were finished with the lesson. We had lunch, learnt how to prepare simple and flavorful Thai food from scratch which we could make at home. Amon tried everything she prepared from the salad to the pumpkin custard. She nearly finished even the green curry which was a little spicy. A big thumbs up to the staff for making the class a great experience.
Why you should do a Thai cooking class?
You should attend a Thai cooking class to have more confidence in cooking Thai food at home. For sure, social media and cooking blogs help but when in the country where cooking classes are available take advantage of them as they are not only fun but also great confidence booster in cooking.
Best Thai Cooking Class in Bangkok
There are loads of cooking classes to choose from in Bangkok. It would be a matter of where you want it to be, how far it would be from where your hotel is and the price.
I recommend going to Sompong Thai cooking school because the teacher we had was full of energy and accomodating. She showed that Thai food could be made by beginners confidently after taking the class. There are many more cooking thai classes to choose from but given the proximity of their place to ours it was great. In addition, the price was very good value.
Thai Cooking Class for Kids in Bangkok
Most places that offer cooking classes welcome children of any age when they want to attend classes but they would like to be informed so that they are prepared. We were lucky that we chose Sompong Thai Cooking School because they encouraged Amon to do things by herself and they were around to help whenever needed. I did not need to help Amon at all, it was like a morning with Mommy that we spent together but without needing each other’s help.
The best part about cooking class is the hands-on, cook and make your own part which was fun and memorable. Another reason was the food was delicious because you get to adjust it to your taste. A super relaxing class, if you have never cooked before, you can still do it.
Details
Sompong Thai Cooking School
Silom soi 13 / Silom Road
Class Time:
• 9.30 am.- 1.30 pm (Morning class + market tour ) includes Lunch
• 3.00 pm.- 7.00 pm (Afternoon class No market tour) includes Dinner
Price/person : 1,300 THB
They are open 7 days a week
Contact details: sompongthaicookingschool@hotmail.com
They are also on Facebook, Instagram: Sompong Thai Cooking School
Hope that you give them a try when you go to Thailand when you stay near the Silom area.
Add cooking class to your things to do in Bangkok.
Looking for more inspiration on your next trip to Thailand?
How about a visit to a cat cafe? Or if you are looking for more things to do in the Big Mango you may want to look at 15 things to do in Bangkok?
How about a browse of recipes for your next Southeast Asian-inspired meal? Or head to Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for updates on life in the countryside and beyond.
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