** This is a part of a series of posts about my blog trip to Thailand. **

Having the opportunity to eat authentic Thai food in Thailand was one of the things I was most looking forward to when I was offered to go to Thailand for a familiarization trip early this year. I love their food, I always have. I read our itinerary: Thai cooking classes! Learning to cook authentic Thai food! in Thailand, no less!

Our tour guide took us to the Chao Prahya River where we boarded a boat going to Amita Thai Cooking School. The cooking class is popular for being hands on, taught in a charming school/home by Tam and her husband (they lived in LA for several years).

~ me and the lovely Ms. Tam ~

A van picked us up at the hotel, to the dock where we traveled by boat, saw Temple of Dawn, Thai way of life along the Chao Prahya river, and then arrived at the school.

The Temple of Dawn, as seen from the river.

When we got off the boat, Ms. Tam She ushered us into her lovely home and garden and served us this refreshing lemongrass mint cold tea.

It even came with a straw made out of lemongrass stalk! It was a refreshing drink on a hot and humid day in Bangkok.

Our welcome drink was accompanied by tempura style vegetables, no, plants – suntan flowers, some leaves I don’t know and a white and blue flower. It was delicious.

Ms. Tam’s lessons are held in an antique canal-side home in Thonburi, making it the homiest of Bangkok’s Thai cookery schools. First, we listened to Tam’s lecture of what we would be cooking that day.

The dishes we were about to prepare: Thai green curry, papaya salad, satay and a mango dessert. I can’t wait!

She explained the four delicious dishes before leading us through her nursery herb garden to pick first-handedly fresh Thai ingredients for our dishes.

Tam’s delightful garden is literally overflowing with herbs and other plants. Jasmine plant:

Tam tore leaves off small shrubs or pulling roots out of the ground, showing us those herbs which we otherwise buy as dried in jars outside Thailand.

After the garden tour, it was time to get our hands dirty…

~ ingredients for Thai green curry ~

Preparing green papaya salad with one of Tam’s staff (we are assigned one each). I can’t believe how easy it was to make this tangy appetizer/salad. Just pound and mix away everything and it’s done!

Here’s the green curry and the papaya salad:

It was a memorable day, we got on a boat, saw amazing sights, cooked, ate, laughed, toured the wonderful spice garden, walked around their charming Thai home, four hours of time spent with truly gracious people at Amita’s.

And of course, gobbling that authentic Thai food which I couldn’t believe I was able to cook myself!

** Recipes of the four dishes will be posted from tomorrow. **

Each Cooking Class at Amita Thai Cooking School has been designed as a half day course in the morning from 9.30 am to 1.30 pm, there are thai cooking class every day of the week (except on Wednesday which is closed). If you first need more information or have questions on our Thai cooking class, please contact us: info@amitathaicooking.com

Net price per person: 3,000 Baht

Included in price:

• 3 hour hands-on cooking experience of 4 dishes
• Visit our herbs and spices garden for an introduction to the essence of Thai cooking
• Lunch
• Welcome herbal drink
• Recipe of the day
• Transfer by car from your place of stay in Bangkok to Maharaj Pier
• Boat transfer from Maharaj Pier to Amita Thai Cooking Class
• Return transfer by car to your place of stay in Bangkok

* Photos taken using Canon EOS 550D and Canon PowerShot SD960IS