Thai Cooking Class on Koh Samui
Taking a Thai cooking class in Thailand has been on my bucket list for some time. Taking a Thai cooking class on Koh Samui seemed like a smart idea on a warm rainy day in December.
Thai Cooking Class on Koh Samui, The final feast, 5 cooks, 9 dishes endless tastes, smells and lessons learned.
How did we choose our cooking school?
There are lots of and lots of options across Thailand. On borrowed time (my mum and extended family had the boys) we wanted somewhere close to where we were staying in Bophut. I researched on the web and through Tripadvisor, I chose InFusion and we were not disappointed.
Booking and cost
We booked our class directly about 2 weeks before. If you’re restricted by time or you really want to book with the team at InFusion I would recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. Stephanie communicated promptly leading up to the cooking course. Since we were in Bophut and the weather was terrible Stephanie organised a collection and drop off. The meeting point was Bophut Fresh Market.
Learning about the different banana varieties
Rich checking out all the different varieties of fruit.
Cooking up the daily curries to sell on the market.
We learned so much about the different vegetables, herbs and pastes.
A selection of some of the the ingredients we learned about at Bophut fresh market.
The cost was 3580 THB (approx £82)
Included in the price:
- A tour of the market with thorough explanation about various Thai ingredients.
- Instruction on how to make three dishes from a choice of over 100 different options.
- The ingredients for these dishes and one to two instruction with all the equipment.
- The opportunity to eat the fruits of our labour and taste the dishes cooked by other people on the course.
Location
Bophut is a well preserved fisherman village. The fresh market is a great place to start learning about ingredients, flavours and cooking traditions.
The cooking school was a short taxi ride from the market. Stephanie currently has two locations (next to each other) to cook. We cooked in the house where you can also book accommodation. The kitchen was perfectly laid out with portable electric hobs. This allowed us to have our own space to prepare our dishes and cook them. All the ingredients were measured and grouped by dish.
All our utensils were set out and ready for us.
Ticking one off the bucket list.
Preparing the pickles to compliment the Khaw Soi
Rich getting his Thai cooking class game face on.
We had to make our paste from scratch, all prepared and ready to be pounded.
What is on the menu?
We chose to make two currys and a soup. The menu list is extensive but I was drawn to our choices by picking the following:
Tom Yum Kung (Spicy Prawn Soup) – a firm Thai favourite that I know is easy to make and we can source the ingredients easily at home.
Massaman Curry – we love this dish at home, it made sense to learn how to make it from the experts.
Chiang Mai chicken curry with cripsy noodles, or Khaw Soi – a Northern Thai curry, it looked interesting so this was our wildcard dish.
Cooking up a storm
We were walked through each element of the recipe step by step. This included instruction on technique and explanation about how to get the best out of the ingredients. We were making two curry’s Rich and I had to each make a paste. We pounded the ingredients to a pulp using HUGE pestle and mortars.
I loved the buzz in the kitchen, it is clear the team at Infusion are passionate about cooking. Stephanie was so welcoming and her team were fantastic throughout the day. As you would imagine in Thailand there was lots of Thai hospitality and smiles all round.
The time flew and whilst the pictures can show what we cooked up they can’t provide you with the intense smells we experienced.
The End Result
Our food smelt delicious but as they say the proof is in the pudding (more on that later).
We did good!
- The soup had just the right kick.
- The massaman was tasty but i’ve had better in Thailand and at home, I think it is one we will need to work on perfecting.
- The showstopper though was our wildcard dish the Khaw Soi. I’ve not tasted a curry like it. The flavours were so delicate with just the right kick, the combination of the creamy curry with the crispy noodles and pickles made for a taste sensation.
Tom Yum Kung (Spicy Prawn Soup) – a firm Thai favourite that I know is easy to make and we can source the ingredients easily at home.
Massaman Curry – we love this dish at home, it made sense to learn how to make it from the experts.
This curry from Chiang Mai with cripsy noodles, or Khaw Soi was a taste sensation.
Stephanie had a little extra time with one cooking pair. They used the time to make a sweet egg custard dessert with passion fruit. I am not normally a fan of Asian desserts but this one was a real treat.
A little surprise
At the beginning of the cookery class we infused some tea. It was put in the fridge for us to enjoy the surprise with our meal. You mix the drink with a squeeze of lime to see the magic happen. If you don’t want a spoiler don’t watch the video…
Thai Cooking Class on Koh Samui Summary
Our time at the cooking school went by so fast. Trying out a Thai cooking class has been on my bucket list since my first visit to Thailand in 2004. Stephanie and her team made the experience so enjoyable. I can’t recommend the experience enough and I will definitely return to learn more dishes if we’re ever in Samui again.
Our Thai feast the 9 dishes the 5 of us created. There was so much variation, flavour and taste to enjoy.
Other posts about our trip to Koh Samui
