Authentic Burmese cooking class in Chiang Mai
Host offerings
Meet Min
Min learned to cook traditional Shan cuisine from his mother and is eager to share his family recipes. Most of the dishes he offers are only prepared at home and cannot be found in restaurants. Min had been a local guide in Myanmar for many years and recently moved to Thailand. He is excited to showcase his Burmese food and culture. Min is full of interesting information about Myanmar, its people, food and culture.
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) Min and May will welcome you to their cooking studio, which is set up in a beautiful garden in the backyard of a café. The kitchen and dining area are out in the open, in the middle of the garden, surrounded by nature! After you chat about the food and culture in depth, you will sit down with Min and his family to enjoy traditional Inthar and Shan cuisine that may include dishes such as brown bean soup, kim-paung-khaw (spring onion tempura), tomato salad or eggplant salad or tea leaf salad and steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves. End your meal with seasonal fruits and tea or coffee.
Cooking experience (1 - 6 guests) In your Chiang Mai cooking class, you will join Min and his wife, May to cook popular Shan dishes in his open, outdoor kitchen in the middle of the garden. This is a hands-on class, where you will learn to make 2-3 Burmese dishes from scratch. Learn about Inle food, culture and their way of life during your two-hour cooking class with Min before sharing the meal you helped prepare with him.
Notes: Pick up and drop-off from your central Chiang Mai hotel is included in the price of your booking. Please write your hotel name and address when creating your booking. Min can also prepare a lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan meal, on request, so please inform him while booking your Chiang Mai cooking class online. Please note on days when Min is unavailable, his wife May will host the experience alone.
Languages spoken: #<HostLanguage::ActiveRecord_Associations_CollectionProxy:0x00007f9c64280ca0>
Sample menu
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
- Brown bean soup
- Kim-paung-khaw (spring onion tempura)
- Tomato salad or eggplant salad or tea leaf salad
- Steamed fish wrapped in banana leaves
- Seasonal fruits and tea or coffee
GOOD REVIEWS
{ "ambassador" : [{"author_name" : "Kelly", "rating" : 5, "body" : "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."}], "survey_monkey" : [{"author_name" : "Rose A.", "rating" : 5, "body" : "My experience with Min on Inle Lake was one of my favorite, most memorable experiences of a recent 10-day solo journey throughout Myanmar - and I packed my trip full of incredible things. Min confirmed my class via email about 2 weeks prior to the date and then on the day of my cooking class, Min arrived at my hotel early in order to pick me up for the day. I could tell immediately that Min is very outgoing and friendly and we chatted the entire boat ride to the market - about my trip, my job, Inle Lake, our past experiences, similarities and differences between our countries, American politics and more. Min is one of the best English speakers I encountered during my time in Myanmar - and he actually knows some spanish, too! Going to the market to shop with Min was so much fun - and felt different than the previous market visits I had done to just have a look around. He had me trying samples of different foods, bargaining with vendors and explaining why he was choosing this or that. I also got to make decisions about what we would cook. After the market visit, we continued on to his village, which is made up of about 70 houses, and where Min has built two small houses specifically for use for his cooking classes. Each has a kitchen, large table for preparing the food and outdoor porch with picnic table and two umbrellas as well as a bathroom and sink - perfect. Here, Min's wife, May, and sister, Yin, are beginning to prepare the ingredients for the class. Min says right away, \"please, make yourself at home\" and he means it. Take water or soda from the fridge, take photos, take a break, whatever you want. Throughout the morning, we worked together to make 8 different dishes. I had lots of questions for Min and May and we talked a lot in between their instructing me. Once all the food was all ready, we sat together outside and enjoyed a feast - green tomato salad, fried spring onions and veggies, vegetable curry, a fish dish, a chicken dish, chickpea tofu dish, smoked eggplant salad and more. It was all delicious! Afterwards, Min or May gave me a tour in a canoe through their village, their floating gardens and then they invited me into their home for a tour and tea. Added bonus - they have an adorable 2 year old son!! All in all, amazing experience and HIGHLY recommended."}], "trip_advisor" : [{"author_name" : "weau", "rating" : 5, "body" : "Also Mr. Min ist ein perfekter Reiseleiter und Koch. Sein Kochstudio mitten am See ist sensationell. Mehr als 8 Gerichte wurden zubereitet, deren Zutaten zuvor auf einem der 5-Tages-Märkte per Boot gemeinsam eingekauft wurden."}, {"author_name" : "Freya G", "rating" : 5, "body" : "Today promptly at 8am I was greeted by the animated Mr. Min in my hotel lobby. After quick introductions we made our way down to the local market and bought all the ingredients for the feast we would be cooking. Along the way Min explained what the different types of vegetables, fish and foods were (some I had never heard of before, let alone seen).We then made our way by boat to Min’s purpose built kitchen where his sister was waiting, already busy chopping and preparing. It was beautiful out on the lake with the mountains in the background.Min’s English is very good and he explained everything in detail. It was a very hands on class and at the end I was given a little laminated book of all the dishes we had prepared to be able to go home and cook from.Another thing which I really liked is that Min is very concerned about our environment and the impact of tourism so he tries to be sustainable wherever possible. He has a composting toilet, uses cloth napkins and hand towels instead of paper towels, has refillable purified water and has an annual project of planting one tree per customer as a way of giving back. He was kind, generous, intelligent and interesting. Thank you Min for teaching me about Inle and Shan cooking and for your wonderful company. Keep up the good work!"}, {"author_name" : "Rose A", "rating" : 5, "body" : "My experience with Min on Inle Lake was one of my favorite, most memorable experiences of a recent 10-day solo journey throughout Myanmar - and I packed my trip full of incredible things. Min confirmed my class via email about 2 weeks prior to the date and then on the day of my cooking class, Min arrived at my hotel early in order to pick me up for the day. I could tell immediately that Min is very outgoing and friendly and we chatted the entire boat ride to the market - about my trip, my job, Inle Lake, our past experiences, similarities and differences between our countries, American politics and more. Min is one of the best English speakers I encountered during my time in Myanmar - and he actually knows some spanish, too! Going to the market to shop with Min was so much fun - and felt different than the previous market visits I had done to just have a look around. He had me trying samples of different foods, bargaining with vendors and explaining why he was choosing this or that. I also got to make decisions about what we would cook. After the market visit, we continued on to his village, which is made up of about 70 houses, and where Min has built two small houses specifically for use for his cooking classes. Each has a kitchen, large table for preparing the food and outdoor porch with picnic table and two umbrellas as well as a bathroom and sink - perfect. Here, Min's wife, May, and sister, Yin, are beginning to prepare the ingredients for the class. Min says right away, \"please, make yourself at home\" and he means it. Take water or soda from the fridge, take photos, take a break, whatever you want. Throughout the morning, we worked together to make 8 different dishes. I had lots of questions for Min and May and we talked a lot in between their instructing me. Once all the food was all ready, we sat together outside and enjoyed a feast - green tomato salad, fried spring onions and veggies, vegetable curry, a fish dish, a chicken dish, chickpea tofu dish, smoked eggplant salad and more. It was all delicious! Afterwards, Min or May gave me a tour in a canoe through their village, their floating gardens and then they invited me into their home for a tour and tea. Added bonus - they have an adorable 2 year old son!! All in all, amazing experience and HIGHLY recommended. - Rose"}] }
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.
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.
Kelly, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
