India is a land of traditional spices with every state boasting its own unique flavours. Visitors to Varanasi are always eager to savour its cultural delights but we think the city offers a more enriching experience through its food. Join us for a very special cooking lesson in the home of a local family where you will learn traditional cooking methods and enjoy a lively meal full of lip-smacking delicacies and good conversation
Highlights
- Visit the bustling Varanasi vegetable market and learn how to barter with friendly local vendors
- Learn about the traditional spices and cooking techniques used in North Indian cooking
- Enjoy lunch with a local family in their own home and find out about everyday life in the city
- Travel around with your own chauffeur in an air-conditioned vehicle
Duration: 4 hours
Pickup location:Hotels in Varanasi city.
Pickup time: 11.00 AM
Drop off location: Your hotel in Varanasi.
Your local guide will meet you at your Varanasi hotel and whisk you off to our first stop, the local vegetable market.
We’ll hop from stall to stall and enthusiastically barter (as the locals do) with the vendors for our ingredients. Once we have collected everything we need and explored the market, we’ll make our way to the home of a local Indian family.
You will be warmly welcomed by your hosts and encouraged to draw on their years’ worth of knowledge about traditional Indian cooking methods and the art of blending exotic spices and herbs to produce succulent, delicious curries.
We will begin by preparing a masala chai, a sweet, spicy milk tea blended with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices such as cardamom, fennel, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Then we’ll have a go at making some pakodas, a treat that locals usually enjoy with tea.
While you tuck into your tea and pakodas, your chef will talk about Indian cuisine and what to expect during the cooking class. Then it’s time to adorn our aprons and put our culinary skills to test!
During your hands-on lesson, you will learn how to prepare many delicious things, including pilau rice, dhal, raita and chapattis (Indian flatbreads).
No meal is complete without a dessert, so your food odyssey ends on a sweet note with a halwa-making session. Halwa is an aromatic sweet treat made from sooji (similar to semolina) and sugar, then garnished with dried fruits and nuts.
It’s now time to put your aprons aside and sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labours with your hosts. Find out what it’s like to live in this ancient and holy city and compare it with tales of your own hometown.
After lunch, your guide will escort you back to your hotel in Varanasi. Don’t forget to ask about what else there is to see, do and eat during your stay in this magical city.
Have a good Day.
