Mama Noi Thai Cookery School Chiang Mai

Mein erster Kochkurs und ich muss sagen, ich war absolut begeistert. Erst ging es zu einem normalen Markt und dann zur Kochschule, die etwas außerhalb war. Die Kochschule war ein richtiges Paradies und überall war es grün. Wir waren in einer kleinen Gruppe und konnten uns unser Essen aussuchen. Die Lehrerin war sehr hilfsbereit und hat uns alles in Ruhe und mit viel Geduld erklärt. Ich fühle mich jetzt wie ein Profi. Definitiv eine Empfehlung wert.

I booked a Thai cooking experience class with Mamanoi, a Chinese morning session, starting at 9 AM and ending at 1:30 PM. The total duration was about four and a half hours. No special preparations are needed, but it's recommended to wear light clothing as the venue only has fans and no air conditioning. For those who attract mosquitoes easily, remember to take mosquito repellent measures. The main process is as follows: At 9 AM, the staff from Mama's Kitchen picked us up from the hotel. Around 9:30 AM, they took a group of us to the local market. There was a dedicated Chinese and English speaking teacher who explained various common Thai vegetables and spices. From pandan leaves to red and yellow curries, from the types and aromas of basil leaves to chilies of various spiciness levels. After the explanation, the teacher gave us fifteen minutes of free time to explore the market. After visiting the market, the staff drove us to “Mama's Kitchen,” where the Chinese and English classes were held separately. Teacher TAN first let us choose our main dishes. I chose the combination of “Pad Krapow + Green Curry + Tom Yum Goong.” You can choose three main dishes, two dishes and one soup. Thai milk tea and mango sticky rice do not need to be chosen; they are mandatory desserts. After the teacher recorded our choices, she took us on a tour of the farm. After our farm tour, the teacher went to prepare the ingredients for cooking. After everyone finished taking photos and returned to the classroom, the class officially began. First, we pounded curry paste and various spices, then chopped various side dishes. The preparation work for each dish was separate. After completing the preparation for one dish, the teacher gave everyone a small mesh cover to protect the prepared ingredients from flies. Once everything was ready, we started cooking. Cooking with an open flame is fast, but controlling the heat is quite challenging. Throughout the process, everyone was like a robot; we didn't have to think at all, just followed the teacher's instructions to complete the three dishes. However, this process was quite hectic, and I couldn't take any photos myself. If you want good photos, it's better to have a companion dedicated to taking pictures. After the meal, the teacher also guided us in making Thai milk tea and mango sticky rice. After the trip ended, the teacher asked everyone for their destinations. You could return to the hotel, or tell the teacher where you wanted to go, and the teacher would help arrange transportation to your desired location. Overall, it was a pretty good experience.

This was a wonderful experience. I had a wonderful time from start to finish. The cooking class starts with a visit to the local market, then a short drive to a beautiful compound with a pond and a wonderful atmosphere. You will cook three dishes. I made Pad Thai, green curry, and Tom Yum. You will also make Thai tea and mango sticky rice. We made the rice blue from blue flowers. I can't remember the teacher's name, but she was a hoot the whole time. I was laughing the whole time. The best part is enjoying the food you actually made right next to the pond. Mucho mahalos Mamma Noi. They even give you a cookbook with all the dishes at the end. Definitely a must. I will try the other cooking classes just for fun.

What a fun experience. I'm not exactly sure how the price we paid is even profitable for the company, as there were so many support staff along the way. I think the owner just loves sharing how to make Thai cuisine with the world. We started out with a tour of a local vegetable market. (Tip: buy some trays of fresh-cut fruit for later). We opted for the English class with air conditioning. Trust me, pay the extra $3 for the AC. You get to choose your own menu from a selection of items. When first presented with the ingredients for each, I was thinking the portions were rather small, but it makes total sense. There's no way for you to eat three full-sized courses that you've cooked. Thai tea was so refreshing, and so was the mango blue sticky rice. You're also gifted a cookbook, so no need to take notes during class. I wish they had their aprons for sale; it would have made a good souvenir.

This was the most satisfying experience of my trip to Chiang Mai. I booked quite late, so I got an air-conditioned room, but I didn't actually use the air conditioning. The regular class at 120 baht is a great deal, but it was already sold out when I bought it. The itinerary was very rich: first, a tuk-tuk picked us up and took us to the market, where someone explained the different types of fruits and vegetables. Then, we were taken to Mama Noi's backyard to learn about the vegetables and spices grown there, and finally, we started cooking in the kitchen. Each person could choose three classic Thai dishes. It also came with Thai milk tea and mango sticky rice after the meal. It was very filling for one person. Ray, the cooking instructor, was very enthusiastic and cheerful, creating a great atmosphere.

Highly recommend this cooking class if you’re in chiang mai, the day started with a pickup and visit to the market where our very charismatic and hilarious leader, Nook, showed us all the ingredients and told us about how they are used. We were given some time to explore the market and were even invited to try some delicious thai snacks (We had coconut pancakes that were absolutely devine) - Next we were taken to the class where we were shown how to make all the classics, you get to choose between three choices for three courses and I chose coconut soup, massaman curry and krapoow which all turned out pretty great which is a sign of how good the class is because i’m not a great cook lol. The space is so cute too with a garden and turtles you can feed. Half day class was perfect and we even learned to make mango sticky rice and thai tea.

This was a truly wonderful experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. The pick-up was very friendly, and after collecting other participants along the way, we were taken to a local market (the kind only locals frequent). There, we could see local ingredients and learn about them from our instructor. We were given a short time to walk around and try some snacks (at our own expense) – these were genuinely local flavors, not the tourist version, including the prices. Upon arriving at the classroom, after selecting the dishes we would be making (choosing one different dish from three different categories), we were led to the vegetable (herb) garden for a simple harvest. We rubbed and learned about ingredients like basil, pea eggplant (which tasted like cucumber?), and butterfly pea flower, and their aromas. Although the time was short, it was very informative, and we even got to feed tortoises midway, which was fun. Next, we learned how to make our own Thai milk tea (with freedom to adjust the flavor). It was fantastic to sip on our Thai milk tea while cooking during the subsequent class. We cooked one soup, one stir-fry, and one curry. With the instructor's guidance, we adjusted the amount of spices, and the explanations were very easy to understand. Everything we cooked could be eaten, and we could have more rice if needed. The dessert was mango sticky rice (the instructor said it was different from what's sold outside). The stir-fried version we made ourselves was genuinely much tastier than what you find in night markets; it felt like this was the real mango sticky rice. Afterward, they drove us back, concluding the day's lesson. It was very interesting and definitely worth trying (the evening class is more comfortable). During the market visit or meal times, they were swiftly preparing and selecting ingredients, making the cooking process very smooth. For example, after finishing a dish and placing it on the dining table, we'd return to the cooking station to find the cookware already replaced, ensuring the cooking process was only enjoyable, without any tiring or frustrating moments.

It was an amazing experience, and the people who helped us, from Teacher Nook and her team, including our driver, were very helpful. The pickup and drop-off from our hotel was really nice. Highly recommended for the whole family. Teacher kept the mood of all the participants in good spirits. We wish we could do it again. We will try all the recipes we cooked back home. Thank you.

If you want to try cooking Thai food with many options, this is highly recommended. Here's our timeline: 9:11 AM Hotel pickup by songthaew (they didn't contact us, by the way; we just asked the songthaew driver if they were picking up for Mama Noi cooking class), 9:24 AM Sanpakhoi market tour, 10:00 AM back to songthaew, 10:06 AM Arrival at Mama Noi + choosing food to cook, 10:35 AM garden tour (insect repellent lotion needed here), 11:00 AM start of cooking class, 12:20 PM lunch, 12:43 PM dessert making (mango sticky rice & Thai milk tea), 1:15 PM end of class & return to songthaew.

what a great experience this was! from the hotel pickup to the mango sticky rice it was great. on the way to the school, we stopped at a market to see some of the ingredients we would be using. when we got to the school, we each got to choose 3 dishes to make (all with a vegetarian option) - one stir fry, one soup and one curry. Our air conditioned group all chose different dishes but Chef Nook walked us through the prep and cooking seemlessly with enthusiasm and humor. everything turned out great - the only bad thing was that I hadn’t come hungry enough to eat all that I prepared. make sure to come hungry! dinner was topped of with making and eating mango sticky rice - yum!