Traditional Tamil Brahmin Vegetarian Culinary Experience

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Bio:

Sundari is a cheerful host whose easy laugh will instantly make you feel at home 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. She delights in sharing her South Indian culinary and cultural traditions with guests.

What to expect:

Market Visit:

You will start your experience with a tour of Sundari’s home and an overview of the food you will be cooking before embarking on your market visit. At the local Sastri Nagar neighborhood market you will watch as Sundari gets her wheat milled, see how coffee is ground and even visit the local temple. You 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.

Cooking Experience:

Learn to cook 4-5 dishes, part of a South Indian vegetarian meal that you will eat with your hands on stainless steel plates or fresh banana leaves. Menu may include typical Tamilian vegetarian main dishes such as rasam (tangy peppery broth), sambar (lentil and tamarind based vegetable stew), and a variety of vegetable curries, rice, raita, condiments and snacks. Alternatively you may request to learn to make a South Indian brunch of dosas, idlis and vadas with a variety of chutneys instead.

Meal:

Enjoy a traditional South Indian vegetarian meal that you will eat with your hands on stainless steel plates or fresh banana leaves (if seasonally available). Flavors center around mustard, chilies, coconut, sour tamarind extract and native fruits and vegetables. Menu may include typical South Indian Tamilian dishes such as rasam (peppery soup of lentils and spices made with lemons, tomatoes or tamarind), sambar (lentil and tamarind based vegetable stew), kuzhambu (a tangy and spicy South Indian specialty flavored by sun-dried vegetables), vegetable curry, kootu (a special dish made of vegetables, lentils and coconut), rice, raita, appalams (also known as pappadams) and a spread of Indian condiments and snacks. Your meal concludes with South Indian filter coffee, a specialty coffee drink made by mixing frothed and boiled milk with the decoction obtained by brewing finely ground coffee powder in a traditional Indian filter.

Choose a starting time, either: 12:00pm or 6:00pm.

Note:

Sundari only serves vegetarian food as she is a Tamil Brahmin who only eats vegetarian. If you join Sundari for dinner or anytime on the weekend, her husband, Krishna, will join you. He is a foodie who loves meeting new people.

Sundari only offers dinner experiences on weekdays (Mon - Fri) and lunch and dinner on weekends (Sat-Sun).