Whatever your budget, Bangkok offers a range of cookery classes to help spice up those kitchen skills

Text by Jane Chon of Cool Hunt Inc.
Photography by Ben Owen-Browne
Translation by Amanda Mao

The heat, the crowds, the traffic – for many travellers to Bangkok there seems to be little respite from them, in a city where entrance to an air-conditioned building is its own saving grace. But in the capital city of Thailand, with its beautiful temples, efficient waterways (Bangkok is sometimes called ‘the Venice of the East’) and towering skyscrapers, the biggest reward is often found in its culinary experience.

Thai cuisine is known for its assertive combination of flavours – spicy, sour, sweet and bitter – resulting in a bright complexity, sweet perfume and bracing heat. Fresh herbs, chillis, coconut milk, tamarind and palm sugar come to mind, as does the nearly ubiquitous nam pla, or fish sauce.

There are many luxurious places to sit and enjoy something to eat in Bangkok whilst being transported by its beauty. But while photos of the ornate shrines at Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) may relay their beauty, a picture of tom yam in a bowl doesn’t quite do justice to the balancing act of the soup’s hot and sour elements. Luckily, Bangkok provides a variety of cooking classes at renowned schools ready to cater to travellers who wish to take the essence of Thai cuisine back to their native countries. With instruction primarily in English, visitors can learn to cook new favourites in the setting most suited to their tastes.

Nived Ravikumar is one example. A Los Angeles resident who has travelled extensively all over the world, he made sure to take a cooking class when he found himself in Thailand.

“One of the draws of going to Thailand was the food itself – just from having grown up being very exposed to it.” His parents, who hail from Chennai in India, were not satisfied with the Indian food in Los Angeles, and Ravikumar’s family would often find themselves eating at Thai restaurants on special occasions.

“I like how it’s among the spiciest food I’ve had, but it’s not pure spice,” says Ravikumar. “Thai food balances everything really well – it’s spicy, it’s sweet, it’s tangy.” And while he once found this balance of flavour to be a kind of mystery, after taking a lesson he found it to be “surprisingly simple”.

In Bangkok, temples from the restoration of Rama III co-exist with brazen commercial developments. On Sathorne Road, one might stumble upon the historic Thai Chine Building, home of The Blue Elephant Bangkok. With its butter-yellow exterior, white trim, and the manicured lawn tucked behind it, the Thai Chine building is a visual breath of fresh air, as it seeming to evoke a time with decidedly less hustle and bustle.

With locations all over the world, The Blue Elephant has brought royal Thai cuisine to many people, and its Bangkok cooking school counts celebrities as well as Michelin-starred chefs as students. The morning classes include a trip by Sky Train – one of the fastest ways to get around Bangkok – to the Bang Rak morning market, where the instructor introduces the local flora and fauna of Thai cuisine. Lemon grass, kaffir lime, sweet basil, glistening fresh fish and even the infamous durian make their appearances.

Then there are the classes at the Mandarin Oriental, one of the most celebrated hotels in Bangkok. Along with its countless services and amenities, the Oriental has also offered cooking courses for over 20 years, which are open to guests and non-guests alike. Held in a cottage near the hotel spa, they are presided over by Chef Narrain. The courses are a testament to his individual talent – the noodles in a curry are perfectly pan-fried; while a pineapple is transformed into a number of edible spoons to hold an amuse of minced pork.

At the other end of the scale is Silom Thai Cooking School. Best for travellers on a budget, it is perhaps the least formal. Located in an actual apartment, the classroom is privy to the sounds of the mosque down the street and children playing below the window.

The lesson itself begins on the brightly coloured mats that cover the ground. With everyone seated on the floor, curry paste is pounded in a mortar and pestle and the mise en place is prepared by working over a small round cutting board. But despite its discount price, no student leaves hungry, filling themselves with dishes like kao soi goong (curried noodles with prawn).

Baipai Cooking School is one of the most lively. Established in 2002, the renovated two-storey home is open and airy. Furnished in traditional woods, in every corner there seems to be a gurgling fountain or pink and white orchids growing effortlessly from ceramic pots. The classes, available Tuesday through Sunday, are very hands-on and students get to know each other at the communal work stations. Instructor Nirachara Wongturun and her sous-chef Kedsara Boonprathum keep things boisterous and engage in cooking show-type interaction and demonstrations as they prepare ang keaw wann gai (green curry with chicken). When the students go back to their woks to create the dish for themselves, laughing at and helping each other, they find themselves forgetting the heat of Bangkok’s afternoons in the presence of some of the best cuisine that South-East Asia has to offer.

Practicalities

The Blue Elephant
2,800 baht (approx. US$84) per person per class
233 South Sathorn Road, Kwaeng Yannawa, Khet Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand 10120
+66 2 673 9353-4
www.blueelephant.com/school

The Mandarin Oriental
4,000 baht (approx. US$120) per person per class
48 Oriental Avenue Bangkok, Thailand 10500
+66 2 659 9000
www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok

Silom Cooking School
1,000 baht (approx. US$30) per person per class
68 Silom Soi, 13 Silom Road Bangrak, (Opposite Narai Hotel), Bangkok, Thailand 10500
+66 8 4 726 5669
www.bangkokthaicooking.com

Baipai Thai Cooking School
1,800 baht (approx. US$54) per person per class
105/12 Soi Naksuwan, Nonsee Road, Chongnonsee, Yannawa, Bangkok, Thailand 10120
+66 2 294 9029
www.baipai.com