Northern Thai immersion in Lamphun
Host offerings
Meet Nid
Nid grew up in Lamphun, a small region an hour outside of Chiang Mai. An adventurous soul, she left to travel and cook in restaurants worldwide. Of all the cooks she met, she says the best is her mother. Her passion is helping travelers to learn the Northern Thai dishes that she grew up eating. Learn about rural life, sitting on mats in an open-air kitchen and cooking true Northern Thai cuisine over traditional charcoal clay pot fires.
What to expect
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal (1 - 6 guests) Your meal might include steamed fish in banana leaf, Nid’s special fried chicken, or laap pla duk (grilled minced fish salad) one of Nid's specialties. Experience a delicious side of Thai cuisine you’ve never seen - or tasted - before.
Cooking experience (1 - 6 guests) In a hands-on cooking lesson you will learn to make several dishes alongside Nid and her mother. Be prepared to chop, mince and pound as you create a beautiful Northern Thai meal featuring family recipes perfected by Nid and her mother over the years. As with many traditional Thai families, Nid's mother does her cooking outside. You will be sitting outside Nid's family home on mats placed on top of the ground, and together with Nid and her mom enjoy a hands-on cooking lesson where you will have the chance to make some of the authentic Northern Thai dishes you won't find in other Thai cooking schools or restaurants.
Market visit (1 - 6 guests) This is truly an off the eaten path experience. Nid will pick you up at your hotel in Chiang Mai and drive you about an hour to her home village in Lamphun. You'll stop at Ton Payom, a local market, to learn about the regional produce and then continue to Nid's mother's home to begin cooking.
Notes: The experience cost includes transportation to and from Lamphun with pickup at your Chiang Mai hotel, a market tour, cooking lesson and lunch. Please be sure to include your hotel name on the reservation form so Nid can arrange for your pick-up.
Languages spoken: #<HostLanguage::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy:0x00007ffad6e229e8>
GOOD REVIEWS
{ "survey_monkey" : [{"author_name" : "Nicole and Charles Paloux", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We had an incredible day with Nid and her family - one of the highlights of our trip. can't recommend the experience highly enough."}], "trip_advisor" : [{"author_name" : "Donna F", "rating" : 5, "body" : "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!"}, {"author_name" : "Joshy-LG", "rating" : 5, "body" : "One of the best experiences of this trip- or any other. With warmth and generosity, Nid welcomes us into her mother’s countryside home after a morning of shopping for produce in the market. We spent an afternoon cooking, had an amazing meal, and left with new friends. Can not recommend highly enough if you are looking for an authentic and local experience near Chiang Mai. "}, {"author_name" : "Juliana C", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We had a wonderful time with Nid and both agreed that this was the highlight of our trip. In addition to the food being amazing, the experience provided one of those rare traveling opportunities in which you really get an authentic glimpse of life in the place where you are. Plus Nid was so warm and welcoming."}, {"author_name" : "nicolepal", "rating" : 5, "body" : "We feel so lucky that we were able to spend a day with Nid and her family. Of our three week trip throughout SE Asia, this was certainly the highlight. Nid picked us up from our hotel at The Four Seasons Chiang Mai and we left this lovely little bubble for an authentic thai culinary adventure. First Nid took us to an amazing market - there wasn't a tourist in site. On the drive there it didn't take long to understand how passionate Nid is about Thai food and cooking. And we could already tell she is a lot of fun and that we were in for a great afternoon. Nid showed us around the market introducing us to produce and products we'd never seen before and together we decided what dishes we'd make based on what looked good and fresh and what appealed most to us. We sampled some of the most delicious sausage I've ever had and bought some fresh curries and produce. Then we hopped back in the car and headed to Nid's parents house. We spent the afternoon cooking on mats on the ground and in clay stoves. We made thai green curry (my husband's favorite), banana flower salad with pork, catfish salad (I don't eat fish but tried this and it was actually my favorite thing), papaya salad, and bananas cooked in coconut milk for dessert. We used a lot of fresh herbs and veggies from Nid's mom's garden as well and we ate the rice that they grow themselves. Everything was incredibly fresh and beautiful. Nid's mom worked with us and we loved how no-nonsense she is - she watched my husband's knife skills like a hawk since she likes it to be done just right - there was no 'tourist pass' which we appreciated. The food was amazing. We felt sad to leave at the end of the day and felt privileged to have had the opportunity to meet Nid and her family and spend the day in their home. I can't recommend highly enough. Nid is so passionate about what she does and she is such a talented chef, teacher, and just a lovely person to be around."}] }
