Mr. Min was an incredible host. He picked me up right at my accommodation and we went to a local market together. He explained every ingredient we purchased together in great length, and I left the market feeling as though I had some basic knowledge of everything we were about to cook. We then climbed aboard his modest boat and headed to his home in the middle of Inle Lake! His brother drove the boat, and his sister helped prepare the meals. A cooking class with Mr. Min is definitely a family affair and was great fun. Anyone making their way to Myanmar needs to experience his class for themselves! Mr. Min provided me with loads of information on the country and the food. I loved the green tomato salad. I hate tomatoes, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this particular dish. It was seasoned with a delicious peanut sauce and so easy to make. I loved this class because even though all of the dishes are of Shan descent, they are all easily made anywhere in the world.
A truly wonderful and memorable experience at Pea's! Her very friendly son picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel in Chiang Mai! Pea showed us around her garden, and we were able to participate in her very well-organized cooking class, just the two of us. It will remain a special moment that we won't soon forget! Thank you, Pea, don't hesitate to come!
My husband and I had a wonderful time starting from the pick up at our hotel. Jah, Pea’s son, picked us up on time and and enriched our visit to the cooking school by sharing a bit about himself,his family, his city and more The ride to and from the cooking school with him was a very positive and informative part of our evening. Thanks, Jah! It is definitely worth taking a class from Pea. She is quite the teacher—-organized, passionate, and very accommodating. I eat meat. My husband is a pescatarian, and she managed to have food choices for both of us to cook and eat We spent time in her lovely garden and learned how to create our own recipes using Thai cooking principles of flavor and ingredients available to us. The food was delicious and we ate every bite! We have taken cooking classes in several other countries. This one was unique as Pea stressed home cooking and how to adapt it to our own family. I highly recommend taking a private class from Pea instead of a group class somewhere else The personalized attention is worth every bit of your time. . Thank you, Pea and Jah! Come eat with us in Minnesota sometime!
The experience with Panphailin in Chiang Mai was exceptional from A to Z. Not only is she a phenomenal cook and owns her own beautiful cooking school and organic garden outside of Chiang Mai center, but she is also a warmhearted, funny and a welcoming person. She picked me up on time at my hotel and took me to a local market where she answered and encouraged all of my questions and explained the different local ingredients. Then she showed me around in her huge organic garden where she plants and harvests most of the vegetables she uses for her cooking. She let me try different plants and explained everything to me in perfect English. She is very patient and polite and always made sure I felt at home. She let me help her prepare the food, always explaining the details and I learned a lot. The cooking school is beautiful, clean and she even owns special traditional stoves where she cooked the meals. She makes sure to take into account your taste (spicy or not), your allergies and preferences. The food she cooked was just delicious, healthy and tasted amazing. I would recommend her to everybody who visits Chiang Mai for an extraordinary culinary and cultural experience.
I start this review by saying that we love to do cooking classes wherever we travel. It always gives us good insight into authentic ingredients and one on one time with people who are passionate about their culture and their food. Nid is one of the most passionate cooks I have ever met. From the moment we met her she skillfully moved us through the market, identifying all of the fresh ingredients, letting us smell and touch the produce. She explained all ingredients and even showed us where to get parnang paste packed to take home.I was humbled that Nid took us to her childhood home, and her family was so welcoming and sweet. We spend the day pounding ingredients in the mortar pestle, chopping with the machetes and stirring over the outdoor cooking apparatus. The end results were pure mouthwatering perfection. This day will always be remembered by both of us as one of our best ever experiences while travelling! I plan on coming back and spending more time with Nid, and who knows? Maybe she’ll come to Vancouver one day to help me open an authentic Thai restaurant!
