Traditional Tamil Brahmin Vegetarian Culinary Experience - Day Trip from $26

Sundari is a cheerful, wonderful host whose easy laugh will instantly make any traveler feel at home. Sundari lives together with her husband Krishna in her in-laws' converted home, surrounded by fruit trees and filled with traditional art and decor. Sundari has been cooking since she was eight – she even cooked on her own coal stove as her mother prepared meals for her family. Her true passion is sharing her South Indian culinary and cultural traditions with guests. Guests will enjoy a traditional South Indian vegetarian meal eaten with their hands on fresh banana leaves (when in season) or stainless steel thalis. Flavors center around mustard, chilies, coconut, sour tamarind extract and native fruits and vegetables. The meal concludes with Sundari's delicious sweet South Indian filter coffee, a specialty coffee drink made by mixing frothed and boiled milk with coffee brewed in a Indian filter. If you book a cooking experience, travelers will learn to cook 4-5 South Indian vegetarian dishes. The menu might include typical Tamilian vegetarian main dishes such as rasam (a tangy peppery broth), sambar (lentil and tamarind based vegetable stew), and a variety of vegetable curries, rice, raita, condiments and snacks. Alternatively, travelers may request to learn to make a South Indian brunch of dosas, idlis and vadas with a variety of chutneys. Sundari also offers an optional market tour of the local Sastri Nagar neighborhood market, where travelers can see where Sundari gets her local wheat milled, see how coffee is ground and even visit the local temple. Guests will then walk back to Sundari’s kitchen and learn to prepare and share a South Indian vegetarian meal. Please note that the neighborhood market in Chennai where Sundari does her shopping is a busy street with roadside stores and vendors. This is unlike an open bazaar/wet market with bags of fruits and spices you might typically expect.