Thai Food & Culture Tours - Chili Paste Tour

★ Official TAT License: 14/01332 • 100% Private Gourmet Tours

Bangkok Food & Culture Tours • Est. 2012

Chili Paste Tour

Thai Food & Culture Tours by Food Tour Guide and Thai Cooking Instructor Chin Chongtong

Founded in 2012, Chili Paste Tour. Food tour guide and Thai cooking instructor.

The company takes its name from the English translation for nam prik, a vast genre of Thai relishes made by pounding with a mortar and pestle. A tiny bit of nam prik provides a huge punch of flavor, making it a staple in non-wealthy Thai homes going back many centuries. Nothing epitomizes Thai food quite like chili paste.

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Signature Day Programs

Day / Night Tours

Small-group and 100% private tours led by Chin and expert guides. Step away from tourist hubs into century-old communities, authentic family recipes, and local waterways.

2,900 – 5,500 Baht Offered any day

Old Bangkok Food & Culture Walk

Banglamphu: where food is the soul of a city

Along the narrow streets of Bangkok's Old City, or Banglamphu, families have been perfecting their recipes for generations. The result is some of the most unforgettable food in the entire kingdom, prepared with heart, but often disguised behind nondescript old shophouses and markets tucked into mazes of alleyways. In this historic area, Bangkok's compelling heritage is expressed in every bite.

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2,900 – 5,500 Baht Offered any day

Thonburi Food & Art Walk

Explore the lesser-known half of Bangkok

Few foreigners venture west into Thonburi's tangle of alleys that have been around since 'Bang Kok' was an unknown plum-growing village. Defined by teak wood houses rather than skyscrapers, the area allows you to slip behind Bangkok's gleaming facade. Here in the hidden corners, you'll find an easygoing attitude, great food and enduring Thai arts and crafts.

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3,300 – 6,800 Baht Offered any day

Markets & Farms of the Tha-Jeen

Experience the river's bounty

Just west of Bangkok's urban sprawl, the Tha-Jeen River snakes through centuries-old farming communities, ancient temples and riverside markets that burst with local produce. Sun-soaked fields of lotus, orchid, rice and pomelo stretch for miles, cared for by weathered farmers who are dedicated to the traditional ways of Thai life. It's an enchanting area, and you are most welcome.

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3,000 – 7,500 Baht Offered Sat-Sun only

Amphawa & Tha Kha Floating Markets

Journey into old style Thailand

With its peaceful rural atmosphere, proud tradition of local foods, enchanting canal-side villages and floating markets that don't happen merely for tourism, a visit to Samut Songkhram province is like taking a step back in time. Join us for this day trip to see, taste and experience the best of old style Thailand.

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3,900 – 8,500 Baht Offered any day

Countryside Cooking Class

Rural Thai food & canal-side life

Tiny Samut Songkhram province churns out salt and seafood from the Gulf along with a breathtaking array of fruits and veggies that thrive beside the inland canals. We invite you to explore these intriguing ingredients at a dizzying market before learning to prepare several locally loved dishes in a quiet canal-side kitchen.

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Custom Inquiries Offered any day

Cooking Cottage Bangkok & Custom Tours

Tailored private food experiences

Don't see exactly what you're looking for in our pre-designed programs? No worries — we're flexible! We're experienced at putting private custom tours together that have ranged from extensive multi-day trips through several provinces to simple half-day jaunts around Bangkok.

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Critical Acclaim & Reviews

What Travel & Food Writers Say About Chin

We have often been repeatedly recommended by travel and food writers, including Thailand travel blogger guru Richard Barrow and the authors of Thailand's Best Street Food and Anne's Kitchen. Guests' online feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive.

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Chin is a dynamo, a one-woman street-combing machine with as much know-how of this country's cuisines and cultural mechanisms as any chef this side of David Thompson—and more spirit than a Muay Thai prize fighter.

— Bangkok 101 Magazine

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What I found particularly amazing about Chin's method of working was her constant attention to detail, always making sure that every single dish she introduced to us was of the highest quality in both taste and cleanliness. Her ability to be flexible and adapt to our schedule and needs was a huge plus — when she noticed that I had a swollen ankle from a recent sprain, she worked a visit to a traditional Thai doctor into our tour, which was such an interesting experience, definitely not something from the books. That kind of service is pretty incredible.

— Braised and Confused

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Deep Culinary Journeys

Multi-Day Trips

Immerse yourself deeper into Thailand's regional food traditions, agricultural delta communities, coastal seafood, and countryside cooking.

3 Days / 2 Nights 31,000 – 36,000 Baht

Countryside Cooking & Homestay (3 days 2 nights)

Slice deeper into a lifestyle of food

This multi-day program will immerse you in the agricultural lifestyle and food traditions found some 100 km southwest of Bangkok. Relax at a family-run homestay, watch monks row their sampans on morning alms round, visit villages that specialize in a single food product, and then tie it all together with daily cooking at Chin's kitchen by the canal.

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3 Days / 2 Nights 40,000 Baht (2 persons)

Chanthaburi Food Trip (3 days 2 nights)

A province of abundance

Beaming on the Gulf coast, the "Moon City" of Chanthaburi delivers a fantastic sub-regional food tradition focused on seafood, fruit and herbs. Between bites you'll see coastal viewpoints and heritage architecture from the Thai, Chinese, French, Vietnamese and Khmer.

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4 Days / 3 Nights 60,000 Baht (2 adults)

Isaan Roots & Branches (4 days 3 nights)

Unforgettable food and hospitality

Thailand's Northeastern region, also known as Isaan, is a place of verdant rice fields, relaxing rivers and an intense cuisine made from ingredients grown in backyard gardens and dense forests. Settle into the locals' slow-paced lifestyle and fish in the Mekong River, watch silk crafted by hand, splash in waterfalls and enjoy plenty of that famous Isaan food in Chin's home province of Ubon Ratchathani.

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Special Multi-Day Inquiries

Ayutthaya - Uthai Thani (3 days 2 nights)

Explore ancient Ayutthaya and the tranquil heritage river town of Uthai Thani. More information about the tour please contact chilipastetour@gmail.com.

Cooking in Trang: Andaman Food & Farm (5 days 4 nights)

5-day, 4-night food tour and deep cooking journey in Southern Thailand. Venture far off the beaten track on a delicious journey into the rich culinary heritage of Trang. Prepare 30+ dishes at our garden kitchen and homestay. For more details, email chilipastetour@gmail.com.

Meet Your Host & Guide

Founded in 2012 by Chin Chongtong

Chili Paste Tour is the creation of Ubon Ratchathani native and Bangkokian of 15 years, Chin Chongtong, who is also the main guide and cooking instructor.

Chin spends nearly all of her time exploring, studying and experimenting with Thai cuisine. In her own kitchen, at country farms, at Bangkok's street stalls, markets and anywhere else where people are serious about food, Chin can be found tirelessly searching for the best and most interesting ingredients and flavors.

With a sharp palate that tends towards the sour rather than the sweet, Chin feels that MSG and mass-produced seasonings are taking Thai food in a worrisome direction. Though she doesn't shun new ideas, she is naturally devoted to preserving the roots of Thai food.

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Chin Chongtong Founder, Guide & Cooking Instructor

Have a Question or Would Like to Reserve a Tour?

For all inquiries and reservations, please email directly to chilipastetour@gmail.com or call +66(0) 93 615 4141.

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TAT Licensed Operator License No. 14/01332 (Tourism Authority of Thailand)

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TripAdvisor Excellence 12+ Years of 5-Star Reviews & Hall of Fame

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100% Private & Authentic Direct booking with Founder & Host Chin Chongtong