Northern Thai (Lanna) cuisine in a countryside home with market tour and cooking class

Meet Panphailin (Lyn)

Lyn lives in Hang Dong, a countryside town that is a scenic 20-minute drive away from the bustling Chiang Mai city center. Lyn learned her way around the kitchen by helping her mother prepare Lanna (Northern Thai) cuisine and desserts that they sold in the local market. Lyn still enjoys the old-fashioned way of cooking on charcoal and using authentic Thai utensils. She started a cooking school of her own and is very proud of the family recipes she inherited from her mother. Lyn is excited to share her culinary traditions with travelers from around the world. Lyn also has a degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Chiang Mai - which has given her immense knowledge on how humans live, interact with each other and how their behavior is influenced by social structures, institutions and of course, the foods they eat.

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: (1-9 guests) You will be welcomed by the sweet smell of flowering fruit trees and herbs from Lyn’s beautiful organic garden that also includes a varieties of banana plants. You are immediately transported to paradise! The open-air cooking and dining area is built from wood and bamboo - peek through the gaps in the bamboo for a picturesque view of the lush garden. Your Lanna meal may include dishes such as keng hung lay (Chiang Mai curry), sai aao (Chiang Mai sausage), keng care (local vegetable and chicken curry), tom som kai bai makham (hot and sour chicken soup in tamarind) and taam kanoon (jackfruit salad). Your meal may end with a dessert of khao neaw lamyai (sweet longan and coconut cream) or kanom krok (Thai coconut pudding) or krabong fak thong/bli (deep-fried pumpkin/banana blossom).

Cooking experience: (1-9 guests) In Lyn's Lanna cooking class you will make original Lanna recipes using many of the same kitchen tools Northern Thai people used years ago. First you will tour Lyn’s large organic garden where she plants and harvests several of the vegetables she uses in her cooking. Lyn will describe the produce in her farm and will also encourage you to smell, touch, pluck and taste the herbs and plants. This tour definitely incites all five senses! Later you will join Lyn in the kitchen to learn how to make authentic Northern Thai cuisine that she grew up eating. Lyn loves cooking in the authentic way so you will learn to cook on a traditional stove using earthen clay pots. You will learn to prepare 2-3 Lanna dishes in your hands-on cooking class that will last two hours. Lyn is excited to share her culture through food and offer an authentic/traditional cooking class in Chiang Mai. Lyn can also accommodate vegetarian diet in her cooking class.

Market visit: (1-9 guests) Lyn will pick you up from your Chiang Mai hotel and take you to a local market with numerous fruit, vegetable and meat stalls. At the market, you will be introduced to the ingredients used in Northern Thai Lanna cuisine that you will later use in your cooking class. Since Lyn grows her own vegetables in her organic garden, her knowledge on local ingredients is exceptional. Feel free to ask her questions about the herbs and spices used in Northern Thai Lanna cuisine - you will learn something new. You may also pick up a few ingredients from the market before driving to Lin’s countryside home for a cooking class and meal.

Notes: The experience cost includes transportation to and from Hang Dong with pick-up and drop-off from a central Chiang Mai hotel. Your full-day experience lasts about 6-7 hours and includes a market tour, cooking lesson and lunch, as well as a tour of Lyn’s organic farm. Please be sure to include your hotel name on the reservation form so Lyn can arrange for your pick-up. (Pick up from hotels located outside of Chiang Mai city center can be arranged at an extra cost, please email reservations to find out more).

Languages spoken: English, Thai

Sample menu

• Abb Pla - Grilled Fish wrap in banana leaf
• Laab Muu Kao or Laab Muang - Chiang Mai Minced Pork Spicy Salad
• Laab Pla -  Minced fish Spicy Salad (can make for vegan/vegetarian)

Traveler reviews

Our Lanna cooking experience with Lin was the highlight of our honeymoon. We’re loved the chance to explore the local market and make some delicious food from scratch all while learning about all of the different ingredients used in Thai cooking, learning about Thai and Lanna culture, and getting to know Lin and her assistants. Lin’s home and garden was is so beautiful and it was a lovely place to spend the day cooking and enjoying each other’s company. Lin is such a friendly, funny, and amazing woman and I hope we have the chance some day to go back and visit.

- Anniewi February 15, 2020

We loved our traditional Lanna cuisine experience with Traveling Spoon. Our host, Lin, was warm and charismatic, while also beinh super informative and knowledgeable. We began with a pickup at our hotel, then stopped by a covered market where we purchase a wide range of food that Lin planned to incorporate into our meal including jackfruit, green mango, and a chicken. Then, we went to Lin's demonstration kitchen, which was set up with woodfired cooking and prep stations for all of us. We spent several hours preparing local Lanna dishes, much of which included homemade curries using ingredients from Lin's beautiful organic garden (turmeric, etc.). The setting was gorgeous, Lin was a great teacher, and the food was absolutely out of this world. I highly recommend. Note, we did this experience with two families comprising six teenagers (ages 12 to 19); and the kids loved it.

- paulbE6293PA January 05, 2020

What an amazing experience! Lin picked us up from our hotel and took us to a very local market to buy a few ingredients for our class. We saw quite a few interesting types of vegetables, meat/seafood (live eels) and Lanna specialties. Lin was great with explaining everything and answered any questions you had; great local insight! From here, Lin drove us to her home which has a beautiful garden. Once you walk through the garden, her prestigious cooking school kitchen appears! We cooked 3 dishes and 1 dessert (which you pick before the class); from beginning to finish, took about 4-5 hours. The food was very flavorful and most importantly - spicy! Lin catered to our love for spice and the heat was spot on! Lin sat with us for our meal and taught us how to eat the Lanna way. Additionally, Lin had 3 other staff members helping clean and prepare, which made for a more enjoyable and relaxing experience. Would highly recommend Lin and Love Chiang Mai cooking school! 10/10.

- MRGBGG2015 December 28, 2019

My friends and I arrived in Chiang Mai and wanted to do a traditional cooking class and heard about traveling spoon through a referral. Lin arrived at the hotel exactly at the scheduled time and was very accommodating as two people in our party had dietary restrictions (one seafood allergy/one pescatarian). She discussed with us possible meal options in hopes of leaving everyone satisfied and happy. We had an amazing time with her shopping in the market and then we headed back to begin our cooking class. We created a 4-course meal from scratch including appetizers and dessert. The food was amazing!!!!!!!!!! Lin made sure we were all comfortable with her great sense of humor and wonderful conversations. This experience was not only enjoyable but memorable. Lastly, she left us with a parting gift and the leftovers the next day were even better!! This cooking class is highly recommended as Lin was an awesome and knowledgeable host.

- Malorie T July 25, 2019

My sister and I had a truly amazing and enjoyable time shopping and creating a meal from scratch with the guidance of Lin and her assistants. She makes you feel very comfortable and empowers you to traditionally prepare the region's cuisine. We are both Gluten Free and she conferred with us at length to determine what menu we should make. It does take up some time FYI. She picks you wherever you are in town. But truly one of the most memorable parts of our trip.

- muteone June 08, 2019

We had a great afternoon/evening and a fantastic meal that was the highlight of the trip food-wise. Lin and Rain were so wonderfully friendly and helpful introducing us to the cuisine as well as the culture and it was a spectacular way to kick off our trip, feeling like we were visiting friends in a country where we don't actually have any.

- Peter C June 04, 2019

Lin was an absolute delight to spend an evening with. She's personable, smart, funny, and a great chef. With Lin, my girlfriend and I had what may be the peak experience of our 2 week trip to SE Asia. Lin's beautiful home /cooking school is just outside of Chiang Mai and her class was equal parts delicious, fun, informative, and hands-on. Basically, we accidently had an incredible date night with Lin as our guide. There was a second, larger (6-7 people) group having a similar experience as well, so Lin's school can accommodate larger groups. However, having them on site as well in no way detracted from our experience.

- Jonathan K September 16, 2018

I have been living in Chiang Mai for 6 months and this was by far one of my favorite, memorable, and educational experiences yet! Lin was absolutely amazing with every single detail. I look forward to going back to visit her and have already cooked one of the dishes she taught us at home!

- Melissa September 07, 2017

Panphailin (Lin) Puntira was one of the sweetest women we have ever come into contact with along our travels. We have been traveling for more than 2 years now and love to experience how the locals live. This time with her made our hearts full of love and we learned so much about the Thai, Lana culture. We are going to see her again before we leave Chiang Mai. Everyone needs to go have a lovely day with Lin! She spent more time with us than expected. Picked us up at 9am and didn't drop us back home until almost 630 at night! A lovely market visit where we got to lean all about the different foods and how to use everything in cooking. Then off to her home/school where we got to relax and cook four meals with her as a private experience. She has her own garden and we got to walk around and pick things from it for our meals, just simple fantastic. THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)

- Tiffany & Stepehn February 18, 2017

This was my first Travelling Spoon experience but certainly not the last one. Lin was a fantastic host. Even before I met her, she emailed me a few times to inquire about my food preferences and to arrange pick-up etc. Communication was prompt and thorough. On the day of my experience, she arrived on time and drove me to a large local market to shop. She took the time to explain and answer many questions I had on different food ingredients and Thai cooking in general. It was a short scenic drive to her countryside home. Her huge outdoor kitchen was well-equipped and organized. It was apparent that she and her helper had made a lot of preparation prior to my arrival. During the cooking session, she walked me through every step from cleaning, cutting, pounding to cooking. After making and eating Khao Soi, she showed me around her lovely organic garden and we picked some fresh vegetables for the next few dishes. The foods made (by myself!) were all delicious. A bonus was that her daughter was available to take pictures of the whole experiences for me. Lin is a wealth of knowledge about Thai cuisine. Her passion in hosting, teaching and cooking truly radiates. I left with new knowledge in Lanna cuisine, a satisfied stomach and a new friend! It couldn't be better, thanks Lin!

- Christine February 14, 2017