Traditional Chettinad Cooking Class in a Local Home near Chennai
Description
This is a special opportunity to visit a traditional South Indian Chettiar home near the Chennai seashore. Get picked up from your Chennai hotel and drive out of Chennai to reach Kamala's home located 5 minutes from the sea. Relax in her charming home and learn to cook South Indian dishes with an expert home cook. Kamala will teach you to make 2-3 dishes (including how to pour dosas) before you sit down together to enjoy a typical South Indian meal. You might try dishes such as Chettinad chicken, minced mutton nuggets, egg dosa, fish curry, jackfruit masala, and one of our favorites, piping hot dosas (roasted, rice pancakes) fresh off the griddle, all served on a fresh banana leaf. Please note that this home is a 45 minute drive from the heart of Chennai, located midway between Chennai and Mahabalipuram, a popular tourist destination. Her home is also 20 minutes away from Dakshinachitra, a beautiful open-air museum of South Indian heritage and culture.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Your host will organize your pick-up from the concierge desk of your Chennai hotel and drop off after. The drive to her home may take between 50-60 minutes, depending on traffic.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
- Kamala's home is about 1 hour outside of central Chennai by car, her home is en route to Mahabalipuram, Chennai's popular tourist sight of the coastal temples of the Pallava Kings. 5 minutes away from the beach and 20 minutes away from Dakshinachitra, a beautiful open-air museum of South Indian heritage and culture.
- Hotel pick up and drop off is included (maximum 4 guests per vehicle), your host will provide convenient round-trip transfers.
Reviews(14)
I told him that I had a restaurant serving South Indian food and wanted to discuss a menu to be taught, and he arranged a lesson with both Chettinadu and Tamil food, taking into account the menu I wanted to learn. I had a valuable time with Kamara's thoughtful and easy-to-understand lessons, who also prepared recipes for me. The finished dish was also very delicious. It was really good to be a part of it.
You can learn cooking carefully from a calm and experienced teacher. A resume is provided so you can easily refer back to it later. The kitchen is clean and you can see that she loves cooking. It's the perfect class to experience cooking in Chennai.
I'm interested in South Indian food, and I'm like, "I want to see it in earnest there!" That's why my Traveling Spoon child has been experiencing Chetinade cooking at Kamala's home in the suburbs of Chennai. Cooking classes use recipes straight from home, such as mixed vegetable soup, Chetinade chicken curry, shrimp curry (changed from the planned fried fish), rice and dosa (dosa), and the South Indian dessert Payasam. The chicken curry, in particular, is simple but brings out the umami of the ingredients, and I was impressed by the exquisite balance with the spices. There is also a dosa baking experience, which is surprisingly difficult! I'm banged up, Mr. Kamara's sleight of hand. The kitchen also features South Indian cooking tools and spice boxes. I enjoyed learning about cultural differences in ways of living that are rarely seen in Japan, such as how to drain rice and millstone darline. It was a really valuable experience, not just learning how to cook, but also being exposed to the real world background of Indian food, such as local life and way of thinking, ingredients used and cooking environment. If you want to learn how to cook in India, or if you want to impress a South Indian family, this class is for you!
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your thoughtful and beautifully written review. We’re thrilled to hear that your cooking class in Chennai with Kamala was both delicious and culturally enriching. At Traveling Spoon, our goal is to create meaningful connections through food, and it’s wonderful to know that you were able to experience the depth of South Indian cuisine and daily life firsthand. We’re especially happy that you enjoyed learning Chettinad recipes, trying your hand at dosa-making, and discovering traditional cooking tools that reflect the region’s culinary heritage. Kamala takes great pride in sharing her family recipes and her culture, and we know she will be so touched by your kind words. Thank you again for choosing Traveling Spoon -we hope to welcome you back for another authentic food experience in the future! Warm regards, The Traveling Spoon Team
On February 22, I attended a traditional cooking class in the Chettinad region through Traveling Spoon with Kamala. The menu included a Chettinad-style cauliflower soup, chicken curry, prawn masala, both with freshly made dosas, and for dessert, a tapioca payasam. Kamala taught the class very clearly, with helpful tips and even suggesting alternatives for ingredients that are hard to find outside India. Its style is very pleasant; the three hours flew by and each dish was exceptional. Kamala's hospitality and excellent communication made the experience even more special. His house offers the perfect atmosphere; in addition, he had the detail to help me with my return to Chennai. The class was a memorable moment of my trip and I recommend it to those who want to know more about the cuisine of South India or the Chettinad region.
I had a lovely experience in Kamala’s kitchen cooking. Kamala made me feel very welcome and taught me everything I wanted to know about her local food. She even gave me recipes to take away. Kamala spoke fluent English so our conversation flowed and was very enjoyable.
Kamala curated a wonderful experience for me. She is the most gracious host. Her knowledge of Chettinad cuisine and culture is beyond compare. She worked with my dietary restrictions to craft a lovely menu and spent the time to answer all my questions. I would wholeheartedly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to learn about Chettinad cooking!
We really enjoyed our cooking class with Kamala. She was helpful and responsive before the course so we knew we were in good hands. We learned a variety of local dishes and she was also happy to discuss others. It was very personal to have the class in her home. She also provided notes afterwards so I will be able to recreate the dishes for my family in the UK.
I registered for the Chennai cooking workshop on January 23 at 9:30 a.m., I paid, I did not receive confirmation: when is it?
Hi Dream34350057026, please may we know the name of the host that you booked for Jan 23 so we can verify? Upon checking our system, there was no confirmed and paid booking for a host in Chennai for Jan 23. To further discuss this, we kindly request you to get in touch with us through reservations@travelingspoon.com so we can issue a full refund if needed. Thank you.
Kamala was an amazing cook and a teacher. I went with my daughter and we both learned so much. I highly recommend this course to experience the culture.
We had a really nice evening here. One comment would be that you watch, rather than participate, in the cooking which is still a good way to learn.
