Silom Thai Cooking School Review

Before we even got to Thailand I already knew I was going to be taking multiple cooking class. Thai food, after all is one of my favorites and there was no way I was leaving the country without a handful of recipes mastered.

So when I saw that Silom Thai Cooking Class offers the most reasonably priced daily cooking classes with high TripAdvisor ratings I signed up.

I was told to meet at the Sky Train stop closest to the cooking school where Mai the manager met the whole female group of us. She led us to meet our cooking instructor Jai, who from across the street had a smile on his face from ear to ear and was happily waving to us.

Off to a good start.

Jai greeted us with jokes and inquiries about our names and where we were from. After handing each of us a small bamboo basket with a complimentary bottle of water we proceeded to the local market, just down the street from the cooking school itself.

At the market Jai led us through the different stations with quick intros into the produce and poultry for sale. At the chicken vendor he even lightheartedly said that if you want to buy a fresh chicken the vendors hold out the chicken for you but you have to cut its neck. Was he kidding or serious? Luckily, we just bought pre-cut raw chicken breasts.

From there we hopped over to the coconut station where ladies were using huge machines to shred fresh coconuts – we would be using the shredded coconut to make home-made coconut milk. This I found to be particularly exciting.

We were actually shopping at the market too, so each person got their little bundle of ingredients to carry in the basket.

Our last stop – a large produce station where Jai stopped at nothing to have us oohing and aahing over the scents of the fresh Thai ingredients, including kaffir lime leaves, cilantro root, thai basil, etc.

Truly a colorful and enjoyable market experience to start off the cooking class.

When our international group of 8 ladies (from Japan, China, New Caledonia, Australia and Denmark) got back to the cooking school we were led into the classroom where in true Thai cooking fashion we would do all the prep work seated on the floor.

We each were given separate mini tasks to get started; mine was to mix the tamarind with hot water to make our own tamarind sauce.

From there Jai and his helper took over while we retreated to the dining area for a break.

As we entered the classroom to get started we were all in awe by the colorful layout of fresh produce neatly arranged in a basket on the floor. It was a gorgeous sight.

We got started on the coconut milk. First we gently massaged a little bit of water into the shredded coconut, making sure it absorbed all of it. Then we held the bamboo basket over a big bowl and as more water was added we squeezed the liquid out of the shredded coconut, creating our own home made coconut milk. Fascinating.

A precurser to the real hard work – making the green curry paste from scratch. My task was to dry toast the spices while the rest of the gals minced some of the other ingredients. We took turns pounding everything together, as after just a couple minutes your arm really does start to hurt.

Our first full recipe of the day – hot and sour Thai soup, more formally known as Tom Yum with Shrimp – one of my favorites.

With our killer Thai knives and round wooden chopping blocks we started to prepare the ingredients. Our soup would be made from scratch so no pre-packaged tom yum pastes here.

With our little baskets of ingredients we lined up outside the classroom by our woks to start. Jai was walking up and down to direct us in the process, and within minutes our soup was ready.

The rest of the morning we alternated between prepping the ingredients in the classroom, preparing the dish outside, and enjoying our labors in the dining area. All the while Jai kept us entertained with his lighthearted jokes and easy going personality.

During the course of the class we prepared 5 dishes; tom yum soup, chicken green curry stir fry, chicken penang curry stir fry, chicken with cashew nuts and mango sticky rice.

The verdict? Everything was finger-licking good and I devoured every last bit of it.

I had made the soup many times in the US, but always with the pre-packaged paste and it doesn’t even compare to the real deal made from scratch and with the freshest of ingredients. Light but full of flavors, the soup was the perfect first course.

Though I had made chicken with cashew nuts in a Chinese cooking class months ago this dish was completely different, with additions of wood ear mushrooms, baby corn and a different sauce, and this too was a hit.

For the green curry paste stir fry instead of the soup consistency you generally find this dish to be in Thai restaurants we let our sauce thicken so it coated all the ingredients. With the fresh green curry paste I would have been happy to just eat the sauce along by the spoonful, so the addition of the other ingredients just made it ever so better.

The penang curry stir fry was a perfect next course as it had a completely different flavor profile from the green curry paste and it was great to try both curry pastes and compare them.

To polish off our lunch time feast, for dessert we had mango sticky rice – a dish I had not yet tried in Thailand. Though I am not a fan of rice pudding I instantly fell for this dish. The glutinous rice cooked perfectly, without being mushy yet fully absorbing the coconut milk and taking in a hint of vanilla flavor from the pandan leaves. With a fresh slice a mango this dish was perfect.

By the end of the cooking class I was practically in foodie heaven and stuffed to the brim. As a gift from the cooking school you get a booklet with all the recipes offered at the school (there is a different menu each day) along with an introduction with photos of all the Thai ingredients in both English and Thai. This is incredibly helpful when trying to recreate the dishes at home and shop for the ingredients. The booklet has a beautiful layout and is your own mini Thai cookbook to bring home with you.

Overall I had a wonderful time at the Silom Thai Cooking School and would not hesitate to recommend it to everyone passing through Bangkok. Jai was an awesome cooking instructor, both personable and skilled in Thai cooking. His English was great and easy to understand and he was more than happy to answer any questions and make jokes all through the cooking class.

The entire cooking school set up is colorful and full of friendly staff.

Next time you’re in Bangkok take a break from the food stalls and learn how to prepare your own authentic Thai meals.

Note: In return for this review I received a complimentary cooking class, but as always all opinions expressed are entirely my own