Cooking Thai D.I.Y.

In only half a day, Bangkok Thai Cooking Academy will teach you how to cook a five-course meal. Choose from their various chicken curry, stir-fry, and dessert recipes—as well as little appetizers and side dishes! Beginners and budding professionals are all welcome to book a half-day session or enroll in their eight-week chef’s academy. The famous cooking school is located right by the BTS Bang Chak, and they’re always gracious enough to pick you up from the station. The teachers here speak straight English, too, so you won’t be lost in translation!

• +66 2 020 6233

• 1940 Sukhumvit Road, Soi 60, Bang Chak Phra Kanong, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://bangkokthaicookingacademy.com/

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From the loving hands of a grandmother to your own learning mitts, Chef LeeZ is the bridge in-between. She’s had a whole lifetime of experience, starting from days in her own grandmother’s restaurant when she was only five years old. Her humorous insights and warm personality are the secret ingredients to Chef LeeZ’s success. Classes are limited to a small roster, with only eight students per session. You will have Chef LeeZ’s total guidance as you make everything from scratch—curry paste, tofu, and pumpkin custard! Each student has their own station, stove, and metal counter. Learn from your classmates with each variation of the same dish distributed to everyone.

• +66 86 568 1311

• 4/1206 Seri Thai Road, Soi 57, Alley 65, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://chefleez.com/

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The lessons begin and end outside of the kitchen for Silom Thai Cooking School. By far, their class is the most bang for your baht. Every session starts with a morning trip to the market where the instructor will accompany you to buy the day’s farm-fresh ingredients! The freshly shredded coconut, pungent gingers, and plump chilis purchased at the market will be the very same ones you use in the kitchen. Even with a diverse menu, from Pad Thai to Green Curry, the steps remain the same. The instructor sits with you on a traditional mat, grinding spices into a paste in a stone mortar and pestle. Once the prep work is done, the stove is ready and waiting outside. All the ingredients come together. The green curry paste and various other ingredients mingle in the pan, as instructor ladles coconut milk one at a time. One of the best parts is that their morning class ends just in time for lunch!

• +66 84 726 5669

• 68 Silom Soi 13, Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand

• http://www.bangkokthaicooking.com/

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As a non-stop learner himself, Ian Kittichai—an award-winning chef and founder of Issaya Cooking Studio—imparts a life’s worth of expertise through his cookbooks, consultancies, and television appearances. Issaya Cooking Studio is a progression of his flagship restaurant, Issaya Siamese Club, where he teaches the recipes on the menu of Issaya Siamese in his classes. From pushing a cart of his mother’s cooking after school to a recurring contender in “Iron Chef Thailand,” Chef Ian Kittichai has risen in life through his work in the kitchen. He’s trained in London, Sydney, and France, but he’s since come home, built up a local empire, and established this cooking school. The dishes you’ll learn veer into more gourmet territory, and beyond the most popular Thai dishes, it’s perfect for an impressive dinner date at home!

• +66 2 160 5636

• Lower Ground Floor, Central Embassy, 1031 Ploenchit Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://www.issayastudio.com/

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Chef Ian Kittichai isn’t the only one who’s changed his life through his craft in the kitchen, Khun Saiyuud Diwong—known to everyone as “Poo”—began to teach cooking classes in her own humble home when she could no longer survive on just selling home-cooked meals. She’s learned English and recruited a bunch of her capable neighbors to teach classes of 12 students, six days a week. It’s become popular with tourists who wish to learn how to cook like a bonafide local and see life in the city through the eyes of those in the Khlong Toey slums. She sticks with the classics like Mango with Sticky Rice, Pad Thai, and Tom Yum with a few other favorite dishes. The menu changes from day-to-day, so check before booking! You’ll be well taken care of, Poo and Friends offer transport to and from the Emporium Suites.

• +66 80 434 8686

• Klong Toei Market, Khwaeng Khlong Toei, Khet Khlong Toei, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://www.cookingwithpoo.com/

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From the slums of Khlong Toey to a colonial-style home, there’s a broad spectrum of classes for everyone. Blue Elephant is a long-standing restaurant that serves royal-styled dishes awarded a distinction by the Michelin Guide, The Plate. When they’re not serving up dinner to reveling locals and tourists, they’re hard at work with a daytime cooking class. It’s from this quaint European building that Blue Elephant started before branching out to locations around the world. They offer classics as well as some new recipes like Foie Gras with Sticky Tamarind. Learn from the chefs that bring these to life each night in a classroom within the Blue Elephant’s beautiful home. Each student gets to man a cooking station of the acclaimed restaurant, without the pressure of a 7:00PM dinner service.

• +66 2 673 9353

• 233 South Sathorn Road, Kwaeng Yannawa, Khet Sathorn, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://blueelephantcookingschool.com/bangkok/

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Wow your guests at your next dinner party—or have one for the first time—after a fun half-day class at Baipai Thai Cooking School! Fun meets fine Thai in the relaxed kitchen. Cooking in the open-air Thai pavilion feels like a laid-back weekend getaway, any day of the week. Throughout the class, you’ll be transported to a different setting around the villa, from your station in the upstairs studio to husking a coconut somewhere on the lawn. You don’t need to be a professional or to have any experience in the kitchen, Baipai is totally beginner-friendly. Their menu changes regularly, so you’ll be introduced to some more obscure favorites in Thai cuisine. There is also an option for Private Classes that allow you to control the menu! Baipai also offers a complimentary shuttle service to select hotels, so ask when you make a booking.

• +66 2 561 1404

• 8/91 Ngam Wongwan Road, Soi 54, Ladyao, Chatuchak Bangkok, Thailand

• https://www.baipai.com/

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Kindly slide that meat order aside. At May Kaidee’s, it’s all about that clean vegan life! Raw vegans can finally enjoy a bowl of Tom Yum or Tom Kha (Thai coconut soup) without cooking the nutrients out of the food, and without a trace of chicken or shrimp. Everyone’s favorite Thai noodle, Pad Thai, also gets a makeover using coconut noodles! Traditional recipes are featured in May Kaidee’s most popular class, which is the Thai Cooking class for vegans and vegetarians. In just half a day, you’ll be taught eight recipes that use no animal-based products whatsoever! Thai cuisine is already so light and green that the difference is hardly felt and even meat-eaters can enjoy the course. The class ends on a sweet note with a little traditional Thai dancing lesson and Mango Sticky Rice dessert!

• +66 2 281 7699

• 59 Tanao Road, Banglamphu, Bangkok, Thailand

• https://www.maykaidee.com/cooking-school

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In a cozy home-style environment, Sompong Thai Cooking School caters not just curious tourists, but also locals looking to widen their home menu! They accommodate young tag-along buddies with their own small knives—under your watchful supervision, of course. You can take the whole family for a day to learn new lunchbox recipes. Sompong Thai Cooking School is a change of atmosphere from the professional kitchens and cooking studios, with single tabletop burners, mismatched plates, and handwoven baskets scattered about. They start the day in the local market as well, then tackle four recipes during the day.

• +66 2 233 2128

• 31/11 Silom Soi 13, Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
  31/11 สีลม ซอย 13 ถ.สีลม กรุงเทพฯ

• http://www.sompongthaicookingschool.com/

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