There’s no doubt about it – Thai food is absolutely delicious. Learning how to cook Thai food is even better. One of the best activities you can do while exploring Thailand is to take a cooking class. However in the sea of choices, it can be overwhelming to choose just one. Don’t worry I’ve made it simple for you. The absolute best cooking school in Chiang Mai, Thailand is Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School.
There are two things that make Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School stand out above the rest. Those two things are the location of Sammy’s farm and of course, Sammy! Sammy’s Cooking School is located about 40 minutes outside the city of Chiang Mai and let me tell you, it is BEAUTIFUL. This cooking school looks like a mini tropical oasis. Upon arriving, you’ll be surrounded by the most beautiful plants and ambiance that you’ve ever seen. Apart from the scenery – Sammy himself is so charismatic, funny and knowledgeable. His passion for cooking and food shines through right away.
All the food you’ll use throughout cooking class is grown on Sammy’s family farm. Upon arrival, you’ll walk through his farm and into his garden where everything is grown. Sammy taught my group the process of how coconut milk and coconut water is made from the coconuts grown on his very own trees. He also let us pick, smell and experience all the herbs used in cooking class – all of which are grown on the farm. My group got to experience and handpick kaffir limes, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric and holy basil. In addition to the beautiful garden full of produce – Sammy also has a small pond full of Koi fish. But don’t worry you won’t have to go fishing for lunch or dinner. It’s just really cool to see all the fish and Sammy will even let you feed them and believe me they’re always hungry.
Once you’re done exploring the garden and the fish pond – it’s time to cook! There’s a four course meal offering and the best part is, each of the four meals are completely customizable. Sammy and his team does an excellent job of asking about food allergies and meal preferences too. I chose to learn how to cook red curry with chicken, hot and sour prawn or Tom Yam soup, stir fried minced chicken with Holy Basil and lastly for desert, mango with sticky rice.
All the ingredients and cooking utensils for each meal are prepped by Sammy’s staff before hand. When it’s time to start cooking, Sammy will guide you through each step expertly – even showing you the basics of how to turn on the gas stove properly. Cooking class was incredibly fun. It was so easy to follow Sammy’s cooking instructions. All my dishes turned out so full of flavor and absolutely delicious! An added bonus, Sammy also sends you home with his own cookbook that has all the recipes you made in class and then some.
You won’t cook everything all at once. There’s time in-between each course to sit, eat and fellowship with your group. Sammy’s team does all the work to clean each station and also prep the ingredients for the next meal. The icing on the cake of this experience is the nap – post cooking. I can’t say this enough, Sammy’s farm is stunning. There are hammocks and rest areas sprinkled throughout the garden and farm. You’ll be surrounded by beautiful tropical plants and trees – get ready for what maybe the best nap of your life.
I promise you, one visit to Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School and you won’t ever want to leave.
Sammy’s Organic Thai Cooking School
Location:
190 Moo 3 Papai , Chiang Mai, Thailand, Chiang Mai
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +66 81 570 9279
