“Oooh, hot boy!” she giggled from across the kitchen of the Bhum Thai cookery school.
No, she wasn’t eyeing up my husband. She was just amused by his insatiable desire to add more chili peppers to his food.
I couldn’t help but do a little dance (spatula in hand) chanting “hot boy” for the next few stirs of the wok.
Our instructor for the day was Oay, the owner at Bhum Thai Cookery School. Not only was she a wonderful teacher, but also a sweet lady who answered all of our questions and had us laughing throughout our lesson.
Why Choose Bhum Thai Cookery School?
With so many cooking schools to choose from in Chiang Mai, picking the right one can be a daunting challenge. It is a rite of passage though for most visitors to Thailand and not something to be missed. Luckily for us, our hosts at Home at 9 pointed us in the direction of Bhum Thai Cookery.
It is located just outside of the city of Chiang Mai, but transportation from your hotel is included in the price. A price tag which is really affordable by the way!
How much does Bhum Thai Cookery School cost?
For the morning lesson, we paid 1000 THB per person. At the time of writing, that is about 33 USD per person. The afternoon class was even a bit cheaper.
But cost aside, what really sold us was the how personalized the lesson was! Two courses are offered per day. We chose the morning session and were the only two students! This gave us very individualized attention, which I may have needed more than “hot boy” husband. We were also able to customize what meals we would be cooking during our class.
Also noteworthy, the classes were taught in perfect English. This usually isn’t much of a concern to us, but it certainly made learning the techniques easier to fully understand the conversations.
What is included?
Round Trip Transportation
Our day started with pick-up from our accommodation. Oay pulled into our parking lot right on time and with lots of smiles. We climbed into the songathaew and headed in the direction of the local market. She was even kind enough to safely store our (many) bags in the cabin of the truck.
Market Tour
I wouldn’t refer to Matt and I as foodies, but we are definitely lovers of food. Anytime we spot a new item in the produce section, we are compelled to take it home and give it a try. So I was surprised when there were so many ingredients at this local market we were unfamiliar with. It was so refreshing to visit with Oay who was able to guide us through each aisle and explain the name and use of each item.
As we wandered around from stall to stall, she encouraged us to try samples from several vendors. I won’t soon forget the taste of the sweet papaya or the way our faces contorted as she cracked open the mysterious pink egg.
Soon, we were continuing on our way. Back inside the songathaew, Matt and I snacked on salted broad beans we picked up at the market. We skipped breakfast in anticipation of all the delicious food we were about to prepare and the hunger pangs had started. A few minutes later we were being welcomed to the Bhum Thai Cookery School.
A Welcome Snack
It was as if Oay could hear our rumbling bellies. She guided us into her open air kitchen and asked us to take a seat. She offered us a beverage and then briefly disappeared. When she returned, she was carrying a platter containing the makings of our welcome snack.
Little did we know, it was more than something to quiet the noises coming from our stomachs. It was an introduction to the importance of balance in Thai cuisine. The dish was Meang Khum, which is comprised of several flavor elements – spicy, sour, sweet, and a little bit of crunch.
Your Choice of Dishes
After we finished with our snack, it was time to get cooking. At Bhum Thai Cookery School, there are several dishes to choose from.
The dishes are broken down into different categories : curry paste, appetizer, soup, curry, noodle dish, and dessert.
Yes, that is a lot of food!
As we arrived to the market, we were presented with our options and asked to select which dish from each category we were interested in learning.
What is really cool about this school is that not everyone in your group has to agree on the same dishes. We tried to keep things simple and choose the same dish in most of the categories. But when it came to the noodle options, we couldn’t agree – and that was okay with Oay! Matt made the traditional Pad Thai and I the wide noodled Pad See Ew. Both were equally delicious.
For our salad course, we both made the papaya salad, albeit differently. Oay could tell right away at the market that Matt was a tad bit more adventurous than I was in culinary spirit. So she had me prepare the style more popular with tourists. Its taste was a little bit more sweet with sour notes. The version Matt created is more widely eaten among locals with a spicy flare. I don’t mind spice, but the kicker was that his dish included a little fermented crab. Sounds cute, but that was a hard pass for me.
Everything else we made was incredibly delicious, especially the chicken and coconut milk soup. I can’t wait to perfect that recipe when we get home.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a cooking class in Chiang Mai – choose this one! It offers great value, service, and delivers in the taste department. By the way, the perfect curry doesn’t come without effort and Oay won’t let you stop working until you have the optimal consistency. But don’t worry, you’ll thank her for it despite your inevitable sore arms.
We were too full to finish our Khao Soi on site, so it was packaged up nicely for us to take back to our hotel for dinner. It was a thoughtful gesture and a welcome treat later that evening.
Big thank you to Oay and Bhum Thai Cookery for helping us to learn how to prepare some of our favorite Thai cuisine.
If you’re interested in other cooking classes we attended this year, be sure to check out what we were making in Morocco!
Cheers friends,
Megan + Matt
