Learn to cook South Indian meals in Chennai: Hands-on class

You shop for the ingredients yourself, including the banana leaf that becomes your plate.

Learn to cook South Indian food in a home kitchen in Besant Nagar, Chennai, where you'll shop for ingredients at a local market, watch a cooking demonstration, and participate hands-on in preparing a vegetarian meal you then eat for lunch. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, and the class runs four hours with an English-speaking guide.

Step-by-step itinerary

South Indian cooking experience in Chennai

• Pick up from hotel
• Introduction to South Indian cuisine
• Shopping for ingredients
• Cooking demonstration and participation
• Enjoy the cooked South Indian meal

The experience

A guide picks you up from your hotel and takes you to a traditional cook's home in Besant Nagar. She walks you through South Indian cuisine (its specialties and the ingredients that define it) before taking you to a local market to buy what you'll need. The shopping itself is part of the learning: you'll select a banana leaf, the traditional plate on which the meal is served, along with rice, spices and vegetables for the day's menu.

Back in the kitchen, you watch a cooking demonstration and then step in to help prepare the meal. The cook guides you through each dish (sambar, rasam, vegetables, vada, and a sweet), so you're not just observing but doing the work. The menu is vegetarian and designed to show you the range of South Indian cooking in a single sitting.

When everything is ready, you sit down to eat the food you've cooked. Lunch is included, and you leave with both a full stomach and the knowledge of how to make these dishes at home. Let the operator know about any food allergies when you book.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from your hotel or cruise terminal.
• English-speaking guide for the full four hours.
• all ingredients for the meal.
• lunch of the dishes you've cooked.
• taxes and fees.

Options for this experience

2 options

Pickup from a city hotelGuide in English · 11:30Pickup is included from a city hotel

Pickup and drop-off at the Cruise TerminalGuide in English · 10:00Includes pickup, and lunch is included

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 11:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 6 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 11 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by 5 Senses Walks

Is this one for you?Choose the hotel pickup if you're staying in the city, or the cruise terminal option if you're arriving by ship and want the class timed to your port schedule. Either way, you're learning in a home kitchen, not a commercial cooking school, so the pace is intimate and the cook adjusts to your questions.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

7 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What exactly do I cook during this class?

The menu is a traditional South Indian plate meal with rice, sambar, rasam, vegetables, vada, a sweet and pappad, all vegetarian. You participate in preparing each dish under the cook's guidance.

Do I need cooking experience to join?

No. The class is suitable for all physical fitness levels and designed for anyone interested in learning South Indian cooking, whether you've cooked before or not.

Where in Chennai does this take place?

The class happens in a traditional cook's home in Besant Nagar, a neighborhood in Chennai. You'll also visit a local market to shop for ingredients as part of the experience.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, the guide, all ingredients, lunch, and taxes and fees are included. You can choose pickup from your city hotel or from the cruise terminal.

How long does the whole class take?

The class runs four hours from pickup to drop-off, covering the introduction, market shopping, cooking demonstration, your hands-on participation, and lunch.