TBK and Wanchai at the cookery class we attended in Northern Thailand in 2019
When I read that a lady from Northern Thailand had won Master Chef UK 2023 ( Masterchef UK 2023 is from Northern Thailand) it bought back memories of our trip to Chaing Mai and Chaing Rai in 2019. As well as meeting Wanchai's family at his home we attended an excellent cookery class there.
The class was run by:
Suwannee Thai Cooking Class Chiangrai
654 Moo 1 Soi6 Huafaai
Denha - Dongmada Road, Muang Chiangrai 57000
Tel : + 66 84 7407119
Their website is:
https://www.thaicookingclasschiangrai.com/
I have done many classes now in Cambodia ( twice), Vietnam, Malaysia, Palawan and Thailand and this was one of the best. We got collected from our hotels, taken to the market where we agreed the menu ( there were 7 students of different nationalities and skills) and bought the food before heading back to the spacious cookery school. We worked in pairs and there were two staff to guide us and ensure we worked safely and prepared the food in an authentic manner. This included sitting cross legged on the floor and using a giant pestle and mortar to prepare the various pastes that form the basis of many Thai dishes.
TBK and Wanchai show off one of our dishes
Once the class finished we were allowed to visit their beautiful gardens ( a lot of the organic food is grown on site) and the setting was very tranquil out in the countryside. The staff took photos during the session which we were able to access online. Sadly there was no certificate of attendance as we got at other cookery schools and I think we were able to access the recipes online after the class ( the cookery schools vary from printed cards, paper recipes and online versions) .
Wanchai and I cooking one of the dishes
We had a welcome drink and introductory snack when we arrived, and then refreshments during the session and finally got to eat the meal we had produced. These cookery classes are always a great way to meet like minded people as well as learning new skills, and as much as I love the beach and the sea I like to achieve something during my holiday and add to my culinary skills. On two occasions I have gone with a local (Wanchai in Thailand and Jhoanna in Palawan) but by careful choice of the menu they still learnt new skills.
The fresh shrimp looked delicious
I think our menu was:
Keng Khiew Wann Gai- Green Curry with Chicken
Tom Yam Goong- Hot and Sour Prawns Soup
Som Tam- Green Papaya Salad
In my research for this blog I also read that they offer food tasting tours- I will definitely do one of those next time:
" All food tours include a variety of mouth-watering food tastings (enough for lunch or dinner), from Thai and ethnic specialty eateries, renowned street food stalls, to historic fine dining restaurants."
I am not used to sitting on the floor so I found this really hard!
Just as in the Philippines the food varies by district and different dialects are spoken. Chaing Rai and Chaing Mai are known as the " Land of the Lana" and Wanchai was really happy to find people speaking his dialect and food cooked the way he had at home!
I learnt more Thai dishes when I returned to Bahrain where I had several Thai friends who did massage. When COV19 hit the massage parlours were shut down and so I invited them to come and show me to cook Thai dishes so they could earn some money and eat. You can read all about that here:https://thebritishkabayan.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-sad-story-from-thailand-with-happy.html or see the Vlog here: Thai Chicken Curry. There are lots of more Vlogs and Blogs featuring Thai food. There are also some Thai recipes in the two Recipe books featured on the Blog.
Oak and the great Thai meal he made in Bahrain
I do not think I am quite ready to showcase Thai food on Master Chef UK but it is good to hear that at last it is getting the recognition it deserves.
Hello, I am The British Kabayan! Feel free to read my stories.
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