Roaming with Rumbi - Cooking Adventures in Thailand

Having spent a few days in Bangkok, I headed to Chiang Mai for a change of scenery. I love the hustle and bustle of a large city but Bangkok was somewhat overwhelming.

There were endless ads for Thai cooking schools and I decided to give it a shot. My Airbnb host recommended her sister's school - Thai Kitchen Cookery and I chose the evening class. The school picked me up from my apartment and I met the rest of my class. Our first adventure was to go a local market to experience how the locals shop. Chiang Mai is known for its markets but this one was off the beaten path. The market was very colourful and had all kinds of lovely smells from the fresh fruit and spices.

We arrived at school and got started with cooking. You got to pick what you wanted to cook off of the school’s menu. Our ingredients were brought to our stations and off we went.

First up was the spring roll. I am not a big fan of spring rolls but they do taste pretty good when freshly made.

The other appetizer I made was Tom Yum soup and I really loved how it turned out.

After a successful appetizer, I learned how to make red curry paste from scratch which was used in my main dish - Panang curry with chicken. I decided to make this dish because I had never had Panang curry before. It was very rich and bold and I was so proud of how well it turned out. Along with my curry dish, I made Pad Thai as well. I guess you can’t go to a Thai cooking class and not make Pad Thai.

Viola! Here's what my Panang curry looked like…

The cooking process was fun even though someone started a small fire. Our teacher was very animated and hilarious.

Since this experience, the goal is to try a cooking class wherever I go. It is also another great away to make new friends if you are travelling solo. If you are in Thailand, I highly recommend you try a cooking class. Bonus is you get to eat the food you made.  

Rumbi is a 30-something living in Edmonton, Alberta. She loves photography, trying different foods and new experiences. Her love for travel and photography began as a young child, mostly influenced by her father. Rumbi writes about her experiences to not only share her adventures but to inspire others out there to take the scenic route and experience this world.