You can expect an authentic vegetarian South Indian cooking class and meal - cooked using family recipes, local spices and vegetables. Your meal will be served the traditional way on banana leaves. A few dishes that you might cook and eat together are kuzhambu (lentil curry), lemon or ginger or garlic rasam (spiced soup), kootu or avial or olan (vegetables cooked in a coconut gravy) and rice. End your meal with an Indian dessert such as payasam (milk pudding) or sakkara pongal (sweet made with jaggery and lentils) or kesari (South Indian dessert made with semolina) and filter coffee. • Private South Indian cooking class in Chennai • Learn to cook vegetarian South Indian dishes such as sambar, kootu, rasam or dosa • Experience South Indian hospitality in a residential neighborhood of Alwarpet • Vegetarian options available
Out at sunset: the 5:00 PM departure is under way when the sun sets, around 5:47 PM in the coming weeks.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 8.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 313 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
PRIVATE Chennai Cooking Class in a Local Home with Meena lasts about 3 hours.
Prices start at $54 per person for this Chennai experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
Children aged 5–11 pay from $30, adults from $54. Infants go free.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Meet Meena directly at her apartment in Alwarpet, close to Crowne Plaza and Raintree Hotel in Chennai. Please check the 'Before you go' section on your voucher for the exact address, the above only offers neighborhood details, and not the exact address. Exact address can be found in your voucher. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, TA.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 8 travellers can book together.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 52 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Traveling Spoon.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
I was worried about getting to Mina's house, but she kept in close contact, which was reassuring ☺️ I was worried about English too, but you taught me so I could understand it slowly ☺️ It was a wonderful and memorable experience. Thank you, Mina! 😊
I spent a lovely couple of hours learning to cook a delicious meal in Meena's home. She was very knowledgeable and patient, and I learned how to make several dishes in Meenas lovely home. I had a really nice time and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to do something a bit different on their visit to Chennai.
Thank you so much for welcoming us into your beautiful home and preparing the dishes we wanted to try! ✨ You explained everything so clearly, and we had such a wonderful and enjoyable time. It was such a special experience! 🥰 And of course, everything was absolutely delicious! 😋
They invited us to their lovely home and showed us what we asked for! They explained it in an easy way and it was a great fun and wonderful time ✨ Of course the food was delicious 😋
Booking a home cooking class with Meena through Traveling Spoon was a highlight of our time in Chennai. The entire experience was both deeply educational and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. We were welcomed into Meena’s home for a hands-on session focusing on authentic South Indian cooking. She is an exceptional teacher—patient, knowledgeable, and clear in explaining traditional techniques, local spices, and flavor profiles step by step. Preparing the dishes hands-on gave great insight into home-style recipes that you simply don't get in standard restaurants. The highlight was sitting down together to enjoy the delicious, full-course meal we had prepared. Sharing food in a local home setting added an authentic and warm personal touch to the afternoon. If you are visiting Chennai and want an authentic, immersive culinary experience, this cooking class with Meena is highly recommended.
I had such a wonderful time with Sundari! The traditional dishes she taught me were absolutely delicious, and I learned so much throughout the experience. Sundari is a warm, charming, and caring person who went above and beyond to make sure I had a great time, even outside of the cooking lesson. If you’re looking for the best places to buy spices or other local products, just ask her—she’ll happily point you in the right direction. Having traveled to many countries, she brings a unique perspective and a wealth of life experience that truly enrich her cooking and teaching. Although Chennai is a long flight from Japan, I’d definitely come back to learn more of her amazing recipes. Thank you so much for such a memorable experience!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review! We're delighted to hear you had such a wonderful time cooking with Sundari. It's wonderful that you enjoyed learning to prepare traditional dishes and that the experience was both delicious and enriching. Sundari has a genuine passion for sharing her culinary heritage, and we're so glad her warmth, generosity, and wealth of travel experiences made your time together even more meaningful. We're also happy to hear she was able to share her local recommendations and help you make the most of your visit to Chennai. Thank you for choosing Traveling Spoon. It means so much to hear that you'd travel all the way from Japan to cook with Sundari again! We hope to welcome you on another unforgettable culinary adventure in the future.
This hands-on class with Meena completely exceeded our expectations! Meena made us feel incredibly comfortable, safe, and welcome in her beautiful apartment. She is so kind and absolutely hilarious! Meena was incredibly accommodating and customized a fully vegan menu for us. She even went out of her way to teach us how to make two different types of dosas after I mentioned they were my favorite food I’ve tried on this trip so far. We loved learning about common ingredients in Indian cooking and how to use them. Plus, Meena was sweet enough to send us the recipes immediately after class. We can't wait to try making them at home and highly recommend this experience!
I learned so many things about Indian food from you. Thank you for teaching me so kindly, even though my English is not very good. Everything we cooked was so delicious! I will take home the dishes I cooked today and enjoy them. When I return to Japan, I will try to cook them again using what I learned from you. Thank you for the wonderful experience!!
My husband and I had an excellent experience with Meena! Prior to our time together she solicited our likes and curated a meal just for us. When we arrived, she was so personable - wiling to answer questions and share about many life in Chennai. And that was even before we started cooking! Her spacious kitchen made following her so easy. We wound up with such tasty dishes: dahl, cauliflower gobi, paneer tikka, basmati rice, roti, dosa. Meena shared South Indian spice tips that I will be able to incorporate into my own cooking back home. Moreover, she promptly sent recipes I requested that will help me even more. I highly recommend Meena for a fun and filling cooking/eating cultural adventure!
Meena is such a warm, friendly person and a great cook. She is the ideal person you want to take a cooking class from because she has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to South Indian cooking, and she's ready and happy to share it. She is very patient with any questions you have, and able to accommodate requests to make specific recipes (I asked to make dosa). When I was with Meena it felt less like I was learning from a teacher or a stranger, and more like I was learning from a friend. I highly recommend this experience to anyone wanting to try cooking South Indian food.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRIVATE Chennai Cooking Class in a Local Home with Meena | 3 hours | 5.0 (52) | $54 | |
 Private Market Visit & Cooking Class in Sundari's Chennai Home | 3 hours | 4.9 (45) | $54 | View |
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