Asian Street Food: A Full-Day Cookery Experience & Shared Feast

Accommodations can be made for vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free diets

A vibrant, hands-on cookery experience exploring the bold, exciting flavours of Asian street food and how to build them with confidence in your own kitchen.

This full-day course is about more than recipes. It’s about understanding flavour how to balance heat, acidity, sweetness, salt and texture to create dishes that truly come alive. Through a mix of demonstrations and hands-on cooking, you’ll learn principles that can be applied far beyond Asian cuisine.

The day finishes with a generous shared feast, celebrating everything you’ve created together and in the summer months, we’ll head outside to enjoy it al fresco in our garden when the weather allows.

The Day at a Glance

Flavour-building, hands-on cooking and a shared street food feast

The day includes a series of demonstrations introducing the foundations of great street food including slaws, pickles, chutneys and marinades that bring freshness, contrast and balance to dishes.

You’ll then move into a structured but relaxed cooking session, where each pair prepares a different dish. This allows the group to create a wide-ranging menu together, while giving you the opportunity to focus on specific techniques and flavour combinations.

Throughout the day, we’ll guide you through how flavours are built, not just in Asian cuisines, but in a way that can be translated into your everyday cooking at home.

The course culminates in a vibrant, communal feast, where everyone shares their dishes, discusses flavours and reflects on what they’ve learned.

What You Might Cook

Dishes vary depending on the group and seasonality, but may include:

• Vada pav (spiced potato dumplings in bread)
• Carrot and onion bhajis
• Kimchi mandu (Korean dumplings)
• Assam laksa (hot and sour noodle soup)
• Chicken kathi rolls
• Sticky pork rice crackers
• Thai beef satay
• Thai red curry paste from scratch
• Laal maas (spiced meat curry)
• Lemongrass tofu
• Bánh mì baguettes

Everyone makes their own:

• Asian slaw
• Fresh paratha

The emphasis is on understanding flavour, technique and balance rather than rigidly following recipes.

Schedule of the day

09:30 – Welcome and refreshments

09:45 – Demonstration: paratha dough and first roll (guests prepare dough)

10:30 – Demonstration: laal maas

11:15 – Demonstration: green papaya salad and Asian slaw (guests prepare)

12:15 – Demonstration: Assam laksa

12:45 – Finish and prepare paratha for cooking
Demonstration: mint and coriander chutney

13:00 – Refreshment break

13:20 – Introduction to dishes and flavour profiles
Guests cook in pairs and prepare a range of dishes
Paratha cooked alongside

15:20 – Finish dishes and sit down to eat together
Discussion of dishes, ingredients and techniques
Q&A

16:00 – Wrap-up and depart

Timings may vary slightly depending on the group and flow of the day.

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FAQs

How is the day structured?

Courses are hands-on and interactive. Most recipes are prepared in pairs, with guidance and support available throughout. Guests with more experience may be gently encouraged to take their dishes further.

Although many guests attend on their own, most cooking is done in pairs, which helps keep sessions relaxed and sociable. If working in a pair might be an issue for you for any reason, please contact us in advance and we’ll always do our best to accommodate where possible.

Can you cater for dietary requirements?

The key dietary details are noted at the top of each course listing, there may be other accommodations that we can make. Please let us know of ALL dietary requirements at the time of booking. We will always aim to accommodate where possible.

Can children attend this course?

Yes, children are welcome as full paying guests.

• Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by a full paying parent or legal guardian, who remains responsible for them throughout the class.
• Young people aged 15–18 may attend without a parent or guardian. A completed parental consent form is required for all attendees aged 15–18. These courses are aimed at adults, and young people must be able to participate independently and behave appropriately without requiring additional supervision.

Please indicate ages at the time of booking.

Do I need to bring anything?

Everything needed for the course, is provided. Guests will be emailed approximately one week before the event with any final information, including whether there is anything specific to bring or any changes to arrangements.

For some courses, there may be food to take home. Where relevant, we recommend bringing containers, this will be noted in advance.

What time will we eat?

Meal times are often unconventional and usually take place towards the end of the class, once the cooking is complete.

Throughout the session there will be tastings, and you’ll be encouraged to taste as you cook. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available throughout the day to help yourself.

Schedules are illustrative and timings/content may vary slightly. End times are given as a guide only. As these are hands-on, experiential courses, timings may vary slightly depending on the size and pace of the group and the season.

Is the course accessible?

Accessibility needs vary, and we’re always happy to discuss individual requirements in advance.

We have a portable ramp available and can allocate designated parking spaces where needed. Any adjustments are best discussed ahead of time so we can explore how to accommodate you wherever possible.

Foraging sessions, will involve mixed terrain. Please contact us before booking if you have any accessibility concerns.

There can be a lot of standing on hard floors, please contact us if you are concerned about this. There may be adjustments that can be made.

Can I buy this course as a gift?

Our courses make great gifts.

When booking, you can also purchase:
•    a physical gift card sent by first class post
•    a physical gift card sent by second class post

Alternatively you can simply print and present the booking confirmation. If undecided, you can purchase a monetary-value gift voucher, which can be redeemed online against this or any other course.

What is your cancellation and rescheduling policy?

We operate a strict four-week cancellation policy. Cancellations or requests to reschedule within four weeks of the course date are not refundable. However, bookings are transferable and someone else can come in your place, we just ask that you let us know.

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions of Booking for full details.

Can I be added to a waiting list for future events?

If a course is fully booked or the date doesn’t work for you, please email us and we’ll notify you when new dates or related events are released. Even better still, subscribe to our newsletter and we will send sporadic updates or follow us on social media @GroundUpCookery for top tips, foraging and fermentation news and event details.