Street Food cooking lessons in Bangkok -anyone know anyone or anything?

[petercouz]

My wife and I are visiting Thailand in June and we are hoping to find someone who can offer Street Food cooking lessons - preferably in Bangkok.

We found one guy on You Tube and his price is 25,000 Baht for three hours - 8,000 Baht an hour is pretty excessive I think!

I like the idea of not only lessons but perhaps some real street food experience in  night market - if anyone has any contacts please let me know

Cheers

Peter

[Andre0720]

2 hours ago, petercouz said:

My wife and I are visiting Thailand in June and we are hoping to find someone who can offer Street Food cooking lessons - preferably in Bangkok.

We found one guy on You Tube and his price is 25,000 Baht for three hours - 8,000 Baht an hour is pretty excessive I think!

I like the idea of not only lessons but perhaps some real street food experience in  night market - if anyone has any contacts please let me know

Cheers

Peter

My girlfriend and daughter went from Phuket to Bangkok some years ago, to take a course on Thai cuisine cooking. I gave them $1,000 dollars for the trip and the fees for the so-called chef.

When they came back, they simply said that it was all the same as in Phuket, food mixed with refined sugar, MSG, frying in bad cheap oils.

 

They said they lost the time and money in the ordeal. Nothing to learn there.

 

And since then, I have completely stopped eating Thai food, as I now have the opinion that it contains ingredients considered as poison now in the nutrition domain. Particularly the refined sugar, and the toxicity of high heat on bad oils.

As the only good oils are now considered to be Extra Virgin Olive oil and avocado oil I add Sesame oil to my cooking for the flavor.

 

Just about nobody knows anything about cooking in Thailand. The culture is about putting food in a frying pan, adding some refined sugar, sometimes MSG is added, then they add a sauce form a bottle bought at the Super Cheap mini mart, that contains typically another 20% of added refined sugar, stir it, and serve. Particularly the ubiquitous Soy Bean Sauce

Just a joke. Worst food on the planet.

If you want to take cooking lessons, go to France.

And just check below a picture of the quantity of refined sugar that is sold at only ONE mini-mart, in the course of about 10 days.

And Thai people wonder about how come they got diabetes.

[Foxx]

51 minutes ago, Andre0720 said:

they add a sauce form a bottle bought at the Super Cheap mini mart, that contains typically another 20% of added refined sugar

 

The bottle you show, Healthy Boy Soy Bean Paste only contains 6% sugar - and it's there because it's part of the flavour profile.  Sugar is necessary to stop chillies tasting harsh.

It also contains 2.9% MSG.  Nothing wrong with that.  Not unhealthy in any way.  It just makes the food taste better.

[KhunLA]

You're serious ... street food vs in home/building cooking lessons.   Ever heard of YouTube, or a cookbook.  Food from the street or night market, no different than in home cooking, unless you plan on buying a mobile cart/cooking station.

 

Since 'street food' seems to be a generic name to all food cooked in TH now, I'm not seeing what the difference is, since no longer needs to be serve, outside a building/on the street via mobile vendor.   They call one chickie's ฿1000 crab omelet 'street food'.   Most Thais don't pay 3 days salary for 1 omelet, no matter how many stars you get the dump.

 

Kudos to the guy who can get ฿25k from ding dong tourist  ...  that's awesome.

[Dan O]

There are legitimate thai cooking schools available to learn to use traditional ingredients and dishes. Food in Thailand varies quite a bit from North to South as the different cultural influences different spices, even in the same dishes.  They would not be considered "street food" which would be a waste of time and money to learn. Youtube videos can teach you just as much unless you are after the "experience" while in country which a decent school would provide. 

[Yagoda]

My kid did Cooking with Poo down in the Khlong Toey market and loved the entire experience. It was cheap too. Shes not a tourist either, she has a ton of Asia time

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, Dan O said:

There are legitimate thai cooking schools available to learn to use traditional ingredients and dishes. Food in Thailand varies quite a bit from North to South as the different cultural influences different spices, even in the same dishes.  They would not be considered "street food" which would be a waste of time and money to learn. Youtube videos can teach you just as much unless you are after the "experience" while in country which a decent school would provide. 

Simply attend a 'Thai cooking class' to learn some technique, and how sweet, sour & spicy is applied to you cooking.  What will offset (if an oops) or compliment each other when added to a dish.

 

I watch a lot of YouTube, not for the recipes, although will pinch them, but for the technique and cooking knowledge that their years of experience has taught them in practice.

 

Understanding what makes up flavor/taste, and how your ingredients will contribute to the final dish:

 

What to season, when to season, how to season, if to season.

[NoDisplayName]

4 hours ago, petercouz said:

My wife and I are visiting Thailand in June and we are hoping to find someone who can offer Street Food cooking lessons - preferably in Bangkok.

We found one guy on You Tube and his price is 25,000 Baht for three hours - 8,000 Baht an hour is pretty excessive I think!

I like the idea of not only lessons but perhaps some real street food experience in  night market - if anyone has any contacts please let me know

Cheers

Peter

 

Fly to Bangkok.

Wander into any street market during off-peak times.

Approach random seller.

Order two dishes of xxx at 40 baht each.

Offer additional 500 baht if they show you how to make it yourself.

[marin]

1 hour ago, Andre0720 said:

Just a joke. Worst food on the planet.

If you want to take cooking lessons, go to France.

And just check below a picture of the quantity of refined sugar that is sold at only ONE mini-mart, in the course of about 10 days.

And Thai people wonder about how come they got diabetes.

You are the joke with all your generalizations. Waste of space. 

[Korat Kiwi]

I don't know about BKK but up in CM there are heaps of cooking 'schools'.  They take students around the markets to show them all the different types of fruit and veg and how to tell if its fresh/good quality etc. 

 

They are generally well attended and don't cost the earth.  Check Mr Google.  There is bound to be lots of places available

[petercouz]

Cheers! Yes know about the many cooking schools - we dont have the time for that and my wife already has very good general experience - its more the technique of street food cooking - it is very suited to 'Thai takeaway'

[petercouz]

3 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

 

Fly to Bangkok.

Wander into any street market during off-peak times.

Approach random seller.

Order two dishes of xxx at 40 baht each.

Offer additional 500 baht if they show you how to make it yourself.

Indeed! Yes, that is exactly what we may do - not s tupid idea at all! Thanks!

[petercouz]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Simply attend a 'Thai cooking class' to learn some technique, and how sweet, sour & spicy is applied to you cooking.  What will offset (if an oops) or compliment each other when added to a dish.

 

I watch a lot of YouTube, not for the recipes, although will pinch them, but for the technique and cooking knowledge that their years of experience has taught them in practice.

 

Understanding what makes up flavor/taste, and how your ingredients will contribute to the final dish:

 

What to season, when to season, how to season, if to season.

Sure - my wife already has that experience, she understands the balance of Thai tastes and ingredients well, it is the Street style techniques she is after, which can be quite different

[petercouz]

3 hours ago, Yagoda said:

My kid did Cooking with Poo down in the Khlong Toey market and loved the entire experience. It was cheap too. Shes not a tourist either, she has a ton of Asia time

Sounds interesting - do you have aa contact for Poo - so to speak? I have seen her book in the markets and her YT vids are pretty good

[Harry Om]

Veg, but just add meat as required when cooking at home.

 

https://www.maykaidee.com/cooking-school/thai-cooking-class

[petercouz]

4 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

My girlfriend and daughter went from Phuket to Bangkok some years ago, to take a course on Thai cuisine cooking. I gave them $1,000 dollars for the trip and the fees for the so-called chef.

When they came back, they simply said that it was all the same as in Phuket, food mixed with refined sugar, MSG, frying in bad cheap oils.

 

They said they lost the time and money in the ordeal. Nothing to learn there.

 

And since then, I have completely stopped eating Thai food, as I now have the opinion that it contains ingredients considered as poison now in the nutrition domain. Particularly the refined sugar, and the toxicity of high heat on bad oils.

As the only good oils are now considered to be Extra Virgin Olive oil and avocado oil I add Sesame oil to my cooking for the flavor.

 

Just about nobody knows anything about cooking in Thailand. The culture is about putting food in a frying pan, adding some refined sugar, sometimes MSG is added, then they add a sauce form a bottle bought at the Super Cheap mini mart, that contains typically another 20% of added refined sugar, stir it, and serve. Particularly the ubiquitous Soy Bean Sauce

Just a joke. Worst food on the planet.

If you want to take cooking lessons, go to France.

And just check below a picture of the quantity of refined sugar that is sold at only ONE mini-mart, in the course of about 10 days.

And Thai people wonder about how come they got diabetes.

If we wanted to learn French cooking, France would be appropriate........

[petercouz]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

You're serious ... street food vs in home/building cooking lessons.   Ever heard of YouTube, or a cookbook.  Food from the street or night market, no different than in home cooking, unless you plan on buying a mobile cart/cooking station.

 

Since 'street food' seems to be a generic name to all food cooked in TH now, I'm not seeing what the difference is, since no longer needs to be serve, outside a building/on the street via mobile vendor.   They call one chickie's ฿1000 crab omelet 'street food'.   Most Thais don't pay 3 days salary for 1 omelet, no matter how many stars you get the dump.

 

Kudos to the guy who can get ฿25k from ding dong tourist  ...  that's awesome.

A lot of what you say is probably right, but there are definitely Street Food style techniques to learn and tips and tricks that just aren't the same as normal restaurant cooking, which my wife is already proficient in - yes she does look at YT a lot, but being at the coal face is very different - we will see how it goes and i will report back if it is a waste of time or not!

[Korat Kiwi]

When I was living in Chiang Mai (Mae Rim to be precise) there was a local guy who use to work in 5 star restaurants.  However his heart wasn't into that scene. 

 

Lucky for the residents of Mae Rim in that he set up a street stall right next to a 7-11.  Every evening from about 6 to midnight unless he ran out of food. 

 

Very good fast and healthy food.  He was a wonder to watch in action.  Many a night I'd sit there waiting for my order with a cold beer from 7-11.  Even during torrential downpours he'd be busy at it. 

 

Him and his wife were lovely people, always smiling. Would love to go back and see if they're still operating. 

[Korat Kiwi]

Main Road Mae Rim 2016

 

Amazing guy

 

 

 

[Yagoda]

1 hour ago, petercouz said:

Sounds interesting - do you have aa contact for Poo - so to speak? I have seen her book in the markets and her YT vids are pretty good

Google her, she's there. The Khlong Toey market is kickass too. Real Thailand, not your falang ghetto. Port Football team is down there

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, petercouz said:

Sounds interesting - do you have aa contact for Poo - so to speak? I have seen her book in the markets and her YT vids are pretty good

Do you drive, if so, you could park at Ekamai Gateway, and grab a taxi from there.  If not, get to Ekamai BTS (depending where staying), and get taxi from there, or from hotel

 

Cooking with Poo & Friends ... 087 686 3714 (Gmap ph #) (website)

[Denim]

5 hours ago, Yagoda said:

My kid did Cooking with Poo down in the Khlong Toey market 

 

Cooking with Poo ?

 

That is way beyond exotic.

[Foxx]

7 hours ago, Andre0720 said:

And just check below a picture of the quantity of refined sugar that is sold at only ONE mini-mart, in the course of about 10 days.

 

When did minimarts start selling sugar in such large sacks? I smell male cow ordure.

[Andre0720]

44 minutes ago, Foxx said:

 

When did minimarts start selling sugar in such large sacks? I smell male cow ordure.

They are all packs of one kilo, ready to be taken out and sold individually.

 

Amazing how intellectually challenged people can make up a story to fit a desired narrative.

You should smell yourself in this instance....

[Andre0720]

4 hours ago, petercouz said:

If we wanted to learn French cooking, France would be appropriate........

I am simply proposing an alternative to eating bad Thai food laced with refined sugar.

 

Robert Lustig: the man who believes sugar is poison

The Guardian

Aug 24, 2557 BE — Robert Lustig: the man who believes sugar is poison ... If you have any interest at all in diet, obesity, public health, diabetes, epidemiology, .

 

Sugar Is Not Only a Drug but a Poison Too

Because it can be difficult to completely cut sugar out of our diets, the least we can do is eat the minimum amount and opt for natural alternatives. If you are going to eat sugar, make sure it is the natural kind found in fruit.

By Dr. David Samadi 152, Contributor

 

Thai cooking includes refined sugar, always. So Thais eat refined sugar in every meal.

 

I walked in Phuket town, going from restaurant to restaurant, asking if they had a dish that did not contain refined sugar.

The answer was always 'no', No such thing.

Of course kids can get away with eating refined sugar.

But as i taught my son, it is important while aging, to eliminate toxic food, and certainly a product considered as a poison.

I have not been using refined sugar for some 45 years.

Then I came to Thailand. Then some 10 years later i started getting arthritis. Found out there was refined sugar in food here.

I stopped eating Thai food altogether, so did my friend who kept learning from doctors all the time.

One day he told me, 'I thought I was eating healthy here'.

We were not....

My gf is from Laos. So quite easy to cook and eat together, as she told me that in Laos, there in no added refined sugar in the food. None.

 

So the bad food, the slow acting poison, is mainly found in Thailand. Not in my country, not in Laos, and not in France, you should know.

In every meal, 3 times a day, these people poison themselves here.

My friend working as a police here, got diabetes. I told him to stop eating Thai food. Quite a shock. Because people wrongly think that Thai food is good food.

 

"In Thailand, the situation of diabetes is continually worsening, with 300,000 new cases in 2023. In 2022, there were 3.3 million new cases, 150,000 more than in 2021."

7 Reasons why sugar is called ‘The White Death’.

 

It tastes sweet to your senses, but it is actually very bitter for the body. If might make you feel good due to the beta-endorphin rush in the brain, but is very bad for the immune system in the long run. We are talking about ‘Sugar’, that is nothing more than a poison for the human body, if not consumed in a controlled manner. From causing cancer to decline in tissue elasticity, the crystal cubes are the source of many health issues that you can easily avoid by saying no to sugar.

[Andre0720]

7 hours ago, marin said:

You are the joke with all your generalizations. Waste of space. 

Go read my post above, so you can educate yourself.

[Foxx]

1 hour ago, Andre0720 said:

They are all packs of one kilo, ready to be taken out and sold individually.

 

They are not.  No way.

[Andre0720]

11 minutes ago, Foxx said:

 

They are not.  No way.

Just look at the pictures. The brown sugar packs are more visible. But the white ones also. I see them regularly.

Some packs are put on shelves, but they sell so fast, that what you see on the pics do not even go inside the mart.

Thais are addicted to refined sugar. And I think that they do not know the consequences. Most of this sugar is bought by street cooks.

Edited April 3 by Andre0720
Addition

[Paris333]

Favorite Thai Recipes

Source:

https://www.thaitable.com/

Authentic Thai Recipes for Home-Style Cooking

Source:

https://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/

 

............and Good appetite my friend (Greek from Athens  Kali orexi -καλή ορεξη)!

[proton]

Authentic street food has to be cooked in months old palm oil with heaps of sugar, salt and MSG. There should be roaches running about and the odd rat. Used plates need to be stacked up for hours in stinking water, directly in the sun is best. 😄

Edited April 3 by proton