Every tourist and traveler that passes through Thailand will not escape without sampling the quintessential meal of Pad Thai, mango sticky rice and a fruit shake. These items have become a staple of Thailand and they are certainly delicious – there’s no arguing that. But how many of travelers experience a truly authentic Thai meal when in Thailand? The kind that is not on the backpackers trail. The kind that requires traveling off the beaten path to experience, or “off the eaten path” as Traveling Spoon calls it.
Traveling Spoon connects travelers with these “off the eaten path” experiences, allowing them to sample authentic local cuisine with none other than the locals themselves. They offer a truly a unique experience that is a great alternative to the traditional Thai cooking schools offered on every corner in the Old City of Chiang Mai. Not only do you get to eat traditional Thai food with the locals, but its a chance to really connect with a local family and learn about the culture and history of Thailand. We were intrigued with this concept and couldn’t wait to give it a try in Chiang Mai.
Visiting a Local Thai Market
Our morning started at 8:30 am when Nid, a Chiang Mai local and culinary chef, picked us up from our apartment in Chiang Mai and headed straight for the local Thai market. This is no Sunday Walking Street that we are talking here, but an actual fresh market that the locals visit to stock up on everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to curry pastes, fresh honey, meat and fish. Since just in the past few weeks we started cooking at our apartment, we were excited to get the grand tour of the market, along with some introductions to the odd looking fruits and vegetables that you will never find in a US supermarket. Nid walked us through the entire market, allowing us to sample an array of items and even picked us up some old style iced coffee that comes in a bag. Your first trip to a market like this can be intimidating and we were overwhelmed by the pungent smells the first time we visited. Being there with Nid was a completely different experience and now we feel confident enough to shop there on our own in the future.
- Swipe left/right to see more
-
-
-
-
-
After spending about an hour touring the market, sampling items and picking out the ingredients for our meal, we set off on the one hour drive away from the madness of the city towards Nid’s family’s farm in Lamphun, Thailand.
On the Farm in Lamphun
Arriving to Nid’s parent’s home in Lamphun, surrounded by mountains and farms with no noisy traffic or foreigners in sight for miles, was a breath of fresh air. We were greeted with warm welcomes from Nid’s family and invited to take a tour around their spectacular backyard, where they grew all of their own fresh ingredients from chili peppers to lemongrass and star fruit. We carefully selected all of the herbs that we would be using for our meal, and even picked a few star fruit from the tree to sample while we prepared our food.
If you have never had star fruit, it is certainly interesting. If you taste it as is, it is extremely tart and nearly impossible to eat. However, just add a pinch of salt and it suddenly becomes deliciously sweet. I was a huge fan of it and Nid filled a bag of them for us to bring some home at the end of the day.
Preparing Our Authentic Northern Thai Cuisine
On the menu for the day was a minced cat fish salad, banana flower curry, stir-fried fern (looks like morning glory), a tomato and egg paste we used for dipping, and a delicious banana and coconut milk dessert. Let me just note that after living in Chiang Mai for a year, all of these were new dishes for us.
After gathering our fresh ingredients from the farm, we hit the mats to begin our preparation. We let Charlie handle the machete to mince up the grilled catfish, while I began pounding away at our ingredients to form a curry paste. Nid, along with her mother and sisters, guided us through while they chopped up the fresh veggies and herbs. It was at this time it became very clear we don’t spend very much time in the kitchen 😉
After the preparations were made, the cooking began. Everything was cooked on an authentic Thai BBQ grill over clay cooking pots that required us to take the squat the position. The aromas of the fresh garlic sizzling over the fire had our mouths watering the entire time. Fortunately, part of our job was to sample as we cooked to make sure everything was to taste. There was no “2 tablespoons of this” and “1/2 cup of that” involved.
- Swipe left/right to see more
-
-
-
-
-
Eating with a Local Family in Thailand
By far, the best part of the entire day was when we got to completely grub out on this delicious local cuisine we just helped to prepare. The traditional way to eat is family-style with a side of sticky rice and that’s just what we did. The family joined us and we chatted about anything and everything while we ate, and ate, and ate. And just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore, the sinfully sweet bananas and coconut milk were served and we couldn’t help but indulge.
Visiting a 1700 Year Old Temple in Lamphun
After we stuffed ourselves silly, we said our farewells to Nid’s family and headed to the local Buddhist temple up on the mountain that overlooks the countryside of Lamphun. While we have visited plenty of temples in Thailand, we’ve never visited one with a Thai local that could explain the history, legends and symbolism that we didn’t even know existed. We strolled around the peaceful temple grounds where there were no other tourists, only a handful of Monks. We listened to Nid’s stories, admired the beautiful countryside and relished in the peace and quiet that is so hard to find in the bustling city of Chiang Mai.
- Swipe left/right to see more
-
-
-
We are so grateful to Traveling Spoon for this amazing opportunity to experience authentic Thailand and we would recommend it to anyone looking to “travel off the eaten path”. Traveling Spoon currently has hosts in many cities throughout Asia. If you would like to book an experience like ours, head over to
Traveling Spoon to create your itinerary.
Use the code tradingtravelers10 to receive 10% off if you book before January 31, 2015.
Don’t forget to check out the video of our experience with Traveling Spoon!
