Private Tour
Traditional Vegetarian Cooking Class in Chennai with Gayathri
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
Gayathri was raised by her grandma, who was an expert cook - she hailed from Thanjavur, which boasts of a rich and unique food culture that Thanjavureans are very proud of! It is from her grandmother that Gayathri learned to cook. Gayathri and her family are travel enthusiasts and have enjoyed hosting friends from different parts of the world. And now she is excited to meet travelers and introduce them to South Indian cuisine and culture. Learn to cook one main dish and one side dish in your 1.5-hour, hands-on cooking class in Chennai. For a meal at Gayathri’s home, you can except to try a traditional, vegetarian meal while seated on the floor, eating with your hands from banana leaves. She hails from a Tamil brahmin family and they only cook vegetarian food at home.
• Traditional South Indian vegetarian cooking lesson in a local home
• Introduction to South Indian cuisine and culture
• Learn about medicinal herbs used in a traditional Tamil brahmin kitchen
• 100% private activity
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
If any travelers in your party have any allergies, dietary restrictions or cooking preferences please advise at time of booking
Menu may vary depending on the season
Private, personalized experience
Gayathri only offers a vegetarian meal. Instead of the traditional meal, if you'd like to try South Indian breakfast foods, Gayathri can offer dosa (a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine made from a fermented batter of ground black gram and rice), sambhar (a tangy lentil soup with vegetables), medu vada (traditional South Indian fritters made with black lentils) served with coconut chutney and filter coffee. So please let her know your preference when booking your Chennai cooking experience online
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
This is a unique opportunity to visit the home of a local and explore traditional culture and cuisine. Learn to cook one main dish and one side dish in your 1.5-hour, hands-on cooking class in Chennai. Gayathri will also teach you about the various medicinal herbs used in a traditional Tamil brahmin kitchen. You will also cook in traditional vessels, such as kal chatti (soap stone vessel), eeya chombu (tin alloy vessel) or mann chatti (terracotta vessel) – depending on the dish you will be cooking. To make the tomato-onion chutney you will also use a traditional stone grinder. Chop, stir, fry, learn about local ingredients, spices and some tip and tricks, before you sit down to share the meal you helped prepare.
Sample Menu
main
Sambhar or rasam, served with hot rice and ghee
main
Poriyal (stir fried vegetables cooked with mild spices and coconut)
main
Kuzhi paniyaram (rice dumplings) served with kaara chutney(tomato onion chutney)
main
Homemade curd, pickle and papad
dessert
Filter coffee
What‘s Included
Homecooked vegetarian meal
Private cooking class with your host Gayathri
Hotel pick up and drop off
Options
Cooking Class and lunch
Cooking Class and Dinner
Reviews
14 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great cooking class
519rebekahf,Jan 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a wonderful experience! Our family of 5 all agreed this was one of our favorite experiences while in Chennai. Gayathri was so lovely and we enjoyed the time in her home kitchen with she and her husband. She answered all of our questions and showed how to make 4 dishes that we ate! So happy we were able to do this.
This class was a...
LI J,May 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This 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!
Good experience
Trek03671890115,Feb 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00She is very friendly and helpful. Her family also welcomed me warmly. It was a very valuable experience for me to learn South Indian home cooking. And her food was very delicious. I highly recommend her class.
Best cooking class I've had in India!
timvG2300YW,Jan 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I would highly recommend taking this private cooking class! Gayathri and her family are super welcoming. Arriving I felt like family straight away. We made typical south Indian dishes witch where super tasty and witch I can't wait to try at home. This cooking class will give you a look in south India's friendliness and there way of life!
Wonderful and delicious way to spend an evening in Chennai
MSJAW,Jan 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This is a wonderful way to spend an evening in Chennai. Gayathry is a delightful host (as is her husband whose name we unfortunately cannot remember) and an extraordinary cook. We spent quite a while after we arrived chatting and sipping lemonade in their comfortable home. The topics varied and e felt as if we had sat down with new friends. The actual class is really more of a demonstration than a hands-on class, but Gayathry explained everything she was doing and provided answers to the many questions we asked. We were amazed at her ability to balance talking and cook so many different things at the same time. Everything was delicious. Her dal was some of the best we’ve ever eaten and her chutney unusual, complex, and a wonderful condiment. More importantly, we felt that she had explained everything thoroughly enough that we will be able to cook the same foods when we get back to the US. She promised to send us the recipes and we look forward to trying them in the future.
Take this class, you won't be disappointed
meerawarren,Jan 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I was very happy to sit down with Gayathri and her husband in Chennai to learn the intricacies of Tamil cooking. I had specific requests that she met. They are both very gracious hosts. I would recommend this class wholeheartedly.
Best cooking class in Chennai!!!
Sightseer58480356550,Jan 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I participated in her cooking class last time and it was a great experience, so I participated again this time. This time I requested to cook with millet. I was very satisfied with the lesson because I learned various knowledge about millet and interesting ways to eat it. Everytime the food she makes is very delicious. And her family is also very warm and always touches my heart. If you travel to Chennai, you should definitely take her class.
A lovely time for Uefa in travel memories
和人 児,Sep 26, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I was welcomed by the Gaslya family, who were friendly and kind in a cozy atmosphere and had a wonderful time I'm very happy to learn about home cooking in South India using fresh ingredients.
Great local experience
loicb772,Apr 16, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I had a great experience of preparing traditional dishes and learning about plants used for their therapeutic effects.
Delightful!
rachbp13,Feb 11, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was delightful! Gayathri and her husband welcomed us warmly into their home. The experience was fun and we learnt a lot. The food was delicious! The hosts are fluent in English, the kitchen is clean and they used filtered water for all the cooking, so we felt very comfortable.
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