Private Course Thai Cooking Class - Thai kitchen Cookery Centre

Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre calls itself the first cooking school in Chiang Mai and has been teaching since 1995 from a house near the Night Bazaar. Classes are fully hands on: you chop, pound and cook everything yourself, including the sauces and curry pastes, using the family's own recipes. The private course is the full day program run just for your party, with your own teacher and a flexible start time. It suits couples, families with children who need extra attention, and anyone who wants to ask a lot of questions.

The day begins with pickup and a walk through a local fresh market, where the teacher explains the herbs, vegetables and pastes you will use. Back at the school you cook seven dishes, one from each of the seven menu groups: a curry paste pounded by hand, the curry made from it, a stir fry, an appetiser such as papaya salad or chicken satay, a soup such as tom yum or tom kha, a dessert such as mango with sticky rice, and spring rolls. You choose your dishes from the list in each group. Every dish can be made vegetarian or vegan, and you set your own spice level. Because the class is private, the pace is yours.

Practicalities: the school lists the private course with a flexible time and pickup between 09:00 and 09:30 from accommodation within about 3 km of downtown; allow around six hours. Tea, coffee, water, herbal drinks and snacks are provided, and there is an optional Thai cocktail. You leave with the school's full colour recipe book. The price is per person.