This class was a wonderful dive into traditional South Indian home cooking. The step-by-step guidance for preparing kootu, sambar, and poriyal was incredibly helpful, and the emphasis on using simple ingredients to build deep, comforting flavors was truly appreciated. It felt just like learning from an elder at home—thank you for such an authentic experience!
Mary's dishes are a wonderful fusion of authentic Kerala and Tamil Nadu cuisine with modern influences. Cooking with virgin coconut oil to give her dishes a wonderfully unique and nutty flavor and alluring aroma, she uses recipes passed down by her grandmother. You may enjoy her delicious appams with a mouth-watering fish or hearty chicken stew or her delightful, fluffy yellow lemon rice with vegetable thoran, pachadi (a yoghurt and vegetable relish), papad, and pickle.
Our cooking class with Vidhya was truly one of the highlights of our trip to India. From the moment we arrived, she and her family made us feel incredibly welcome. It wasn’t just a cooking class, it was a beautiful cultural experience filled with warmth and delicious food. Vidhya went above and beyond to share her traditions (she is also a great baker)! We learnt how to make various different South Indian dishes (chutney, sambar, dosa, idlis) that were all amazing. We would highly recommend Vidhya’s cooking class!
Durga cooks authentic South Indian vegetarian food that includes lentil, vegetable, and rice dishes rich with flavors and aromas of mustard, coconut, and black pepper. Using vegetables from her own organic garden, dishes may include poriyals (tempered, sautéed local vegetables) and kootu (vegetables with lentils and coconut). A classic Tamilian meal, the dishes are served in traditional earthen pots made from a south-Indian village potter and you will eat with your hands on a banana leaf when seasonally available or stainless steel thalis. Meals end with a traditional South Indian coffee that is filtered and brewed at home.
If you have even the slightest curiosity about Ayurvedic cuisine, you will want to book a meal with Pratibha. You will taste a variety of dishes prepared consciously using Ayurvedic principles to be delicious, balanced and full of nourishment and vitality. I felt very welcome and at home. We discussed and shared many things about living fully. I also had the privilege of meeting 4 generations of Pratibha’s family. I was well fed on many levels!
I loved everything I ate, but I was particularly fond of the tamarind rice, the vegetable curry, and her homemade mango chutney/pickle and curd. Everything was extremely fresh and flavorful, and everything had an interesting story behind it.
Interested in South Indian cuisine and wanting to experience it authentically on site, Traveling Spoon took the children to experience Chettinad cuisine at Kamala's home on the outskirts of Chennai. In the cooking class, we cooked dishes using homemade recipes such as mixed vegetable soup, Chettinad chicken curry, shrimp curry (changed from the planned fried fish), rice and dosa, and the South Indian dessert "payasam." I was particularly impressed by the chicken curry, which was simple yet brought out the flavor of the ingredients and had a perfect balance with the spices. We also had the chance to try baking dosas, which was surprisingly difficult! I did it with a bang, but Kamala was very skilled. In the kitchen, we got to see cooking utensils and spice boxes unique to South India. It was fun learning about cultural differences and the ingenuity of everyday life that is rarely seen in Japan, such as how to drain rice and how to use a stone mill. At this cooking class, I didn't just learn how to cook, but I also got to experience the real background to Indian cuisine, such as the local lifestyle and way of thinking, the ingredients used, and the cooking environment, making it a truly valuable experience. I would wholeheartedly recommend this class to anyone who wants to learn how to cook in India or experience the excitement of a South Indian home!
An excellent event with nice food. Uma and her friend Mali (spelling?) were excellent hosts and their English was excellent - so we were able to have interesting and detailed discussions on a variety of subjects. The house can be difficult to find, so you or your driver will need a mobile phone to navigate the last 100 metres or so. Read more about Private South Indian Vegetarian Dining with a Local Near the Chennai Airport 2020 - https://www.viator.com/tours/Chennai/South-Indian-Vegetarian-home-cooked-meal-with-a-local-near-the-Chennai-airport/d4624-7626P493?mcid=56757
Tara was a great host. It was really interesting talking with her. We communicated beforehand regarding the recipes and prepped our ingredients to the same point before we went on line. The food was delicious!
There is no way I am going to be able to describe a day like today and give it the justice it deserves. The start began with a long overdue jog on the gym treadmill. It was refreshing to know that after a couple of days hiatus, it did not take long to get the kinks out. Downstairs for a lite fruit breakfast and then around the corner to stock up on bottled water. That left little time to prepare for the day, shower and pick up of a cake to supplement the day’s lunch. Uber at the ready and I was off to class. Was pleasantly surprised to find my hostess waiting for my arrival. It was magical the way we instantaneously hit it off. An exchange of smiles, a nod and whatever cultural barriers might have existed, evaporated. Sundari Krisha is a well-known awarded chef who specializes in vegetarian cuisine. Her classes are very well received for their flavor preparation and her willingness to accommodate the gamut of foreign palates. Her time spent in Dubai, Thailand, the U.S., Europe and India provide her with an open mindedness that serves her students and is shown in her attitude towards cooking. The day’s menu was specially formulated by my replies to her previous days’ texts. This class might have been postponed, but because of the day, I was to be her only student. There was even an invitational colored flour mandala on the marble tile, which, no pun intended ‘floored me.’ The menu began with a starter of Masala (spice mixture) Dosa (thin crisp rice flour tortilla) filled with a rich intense flavored filling (Burrito-like, if the outside was crunchy). Option to cook or watch, I opted for a lazy combination of the two. Between sets, Sundari confided about her love of cooking, her classes and how that all fit into her family life. The tidbits learned will be eagerly duplicated back at home. Who knew that premium rice is aged three years? The second course was a Shai cauliflower korma (stew) complemented by homemade roti (bread). And to finish it off, Aubergine (small eggplant) lentil mixture joined by vegetable rice. The meal was delicious and conversation flowed effortlessly. To top it off, the selected cake, a chocolate ganache, ended up being the perfect choice. Hours passed before my body told me I had spent most of it happily sitting, eating and conversing.
I participated in Meena's cooking class. Meena was very friendly and the conversation flowed easily, making it a lot of fun. Also, since the cooking class was held in her home, I was able to get a feel for Indian life. It was my first time seeing a prayer room. She had prepared the ingredients in advance, and the cooking proceeded efficiently. She had asked me on WhatsApp what I wanted to cook, so I requested South Indian curry, biryani, and ginger chai. Thank you for accommodating my request. I also learned how to make roti, which is essential for curry. I would like to try making it when I get back to Japan. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to remember the recipe, but they said they would send it to me later, so I'm looking forward to it. The finished dish was... absolutely delicious. Both the biryani and the curry were the most delicious and perfect curry I've ever eaten. I want to take the curry in the pot home with me ^_^ At the end of the day, we learned how to make ginger chai. (In the middle of cooking, we went shopping at the supermarket and bought some recommended spices.) It was a fulfilling day. This time, the weather was bad due to the aftermath of the cyclone, and other tours were canceled, but this cooking class was indoors, so it was stress-free and comfortable. She took a photo and sent it to me on WhatsApp. thank you everything I will visit again when I come to Chennai
We were greeted by Jyashree’s husband and were taken upstairs to their living area. The house was very well maintained and was full of Hindu tradition. Jyashree started with explaining the making of every dish she had prepared. We were served almost 15 different varieties of freshly prepared South Indian vegetarian food. Every single item tasted unbelievably delicious. My most favorite was the manga pachidi (a sweet and sour dish made of mangoes). Everything that she prepared was at the right consistency, spice level and quantity. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jyashree and her husband and we think she’d be a wonderful host to all travelers!
