Sri Lankan Cooking Class in Sigiriya: Learn 8 Curries

Cook eight curries the old traditional way, then sit down to eat them

A three-hour cooking class in Sigiriya where you learn to prepare eight Sri Lankan dishes (including rice and curry, kottu roti, hoppers, deviled prawns, and green jackfruit curry) using both traditional and modern tools inside an authentic village kitchen run by a local family. You cook alongside your host, then share the meal you've made with curd and treacle for dessert. English-speaking guide and pickup included.

The experience

The class starts in a working village kitchen where a local family teaches you to cook the way they do at home. You'll prepare eight different dishes that span Sri Lanka's regions: the rice and curry that sits at the heart of the nation's food, kottu roti made from layered bread, hoppers cooked in a fermented batter, deviled chicken or prawns with their sweet and spicy sauce, and green jackfruit curry. The kitchen uses both primitive and modern tools so you can recreate these meals when you're back home, not just understand them in theory.

You work through the cooking process with hands-on help, learning the distinct tastes that separate the low country curries from the hill country and northern versions. The seafood dish, deviled prawns, sits alongside the vegetarian options, so there's range in what you're making. As you cook, your guide explains the ingredients and techniques in English. The whole class takes three hours.

When the cooking is done, you sit down to eat everything you've made, finishing with curd and treacle, the traditional Sri Lankan dessert. Bottled water, coffee and tea come with the meal. Your pickup from your accommodation is included, so you don't arrange transport separately.

What’s included

• Instruction from a local family in their village kitchen.
• eight Sri Lankan dishes cooked with your hands-on help.
• bottled water, coffee and tea.
• lunch of everything you've cooked.
• curd and treacle dessert.
• English-speaking guide.
• pickup from your accommodation.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 18:00

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (10 to 70 years) · Under 10: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 24 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Wheelchair accessiblePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Tharu Cooking Class

Is this one for you?The class runs three hours and involves standing and active cooking at the stove, so it suits travelers who are comfortable with kitchen work and heat. You're learning by doing, not watching a demonstration, which means you'll leave knowing how to make these meals yourself.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What eight dishes do you actually cook in the class?

You cook rice and curry, kottu roti, hoppers, deviled prawns, deviled chicken, green jackfruit curry, and two additional Sri Lankan specialties. Each one teaches you a different technique and flavor profile used across the island's regions.

Do you use traditional cooking equipment or modern tools?

The village kitchen has both. You'll work with primitive tools the way a local family cooks every day, but also modern equipment so you can make these dishes in your own kitchen at home.

Is the meal included after you finish cooking?

Yes. You eat lunch together (the eight dishes you've cooked) with curd and treacle for dessert, plus coffee and tea. Bottled water is also provided throughout the class.

How does pickup work?

Your guide picks you up from your hotel or accommodation in Sigiriya and brings you back after the class ends, so you don't need to arrange separate transport.

Can you do this class if you have mobility concerns?

The kitchen is wheelchair accessible. The class is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries. Public transportation options are available nearby if you prefer to make your own way there.