Half-day Dandan Noodles Cooking Class with a Local Market Visit

Excellent cooking class. Lance was a brilliant guide - very friendly and interesting. It was good to go to a market with a local so that he could answer any questions we had.

I was keen on spending a few days at a Sichuan cooking school, and so after considerable research settled on Chilli Cool. Because of my dates I was unable to book a three day private class and so I spoke with Winter, the class organiser, who advised that I could take three half-day group classes instead. I booked (1) the three-dish, (2) the Baozi (steamed dumpling) and (3) the Dan Dan Mian classes. On each day I was met by Lance, the guide and translator as well as assistant chef, at my hotel. He speaks excellent English and is a charming and very friendly young man. I am a fluent Mandarin speaker and he went to great lengths to help me learn market-specific and food-related vocabulary, so if you are learning Chinese you will get in effect both a cooking and a Mandarin lesson! After he met me we would go to the market where we would be introduced to local ingredients. It is immensely interesting to see a Chinese market in full swing as it is a true microcosm of China’s bustling, intense and vivacious culture. Lance knows all there is to know about the food and points of interest and readily answers any questions. We would try everything from vegetable wraps to pickles to Chinese Bai Jiu (extremely strong liquor), and by the end of my three days I had got to know some of the stall owners - an added degree of immersion which I found very enjoyable. After the market it’s time to go to the school, which is close to the stalls and consists of a traditional style courtyard with a kitchen annexe. The chef and teacher, Raohe, is a proper character and speaks almost no English - but Lance translates for those who require it. You are taught chopping techniques using the large square Chinese kitchen knife and the more fiddly ingredients are neatly prepped for you in small bowls to save time. After cooking the dishes you settle down to a meal and wash it all down with a glass or seven of Bai Jiu or plum wine acquired in the market tour. Lance and the team have a great sense of humour, and every time my classmates were excellent company and very enthusiastic about China and its food. Overall the experience was fantastic, something reflected in the fact that I went back three times. It is very cheap for what you get, and is of particular interest to a Chinese speaker looking to practise and immerse themselves in local culture, although having the language is absolutely not a requirement. I look forward to going back next time I am in Chengdu 👍🌶🔥

I really like the dan dan noodles course I did with Ocean, Amy and the local instructor. The spice market tour was very fun, especially when it became hands-on. I had to make ten chaoshou and learn the Mandarin to buy some. This was a lot of fun and I'm so glad that it was a part of the experience. The cooking experience was also fun as well. Thankfully, it's not very complicated. They walked me through all the ingredients before we started. It definitely feels like something I can replicate on my own. And oh the noodles were delicious!

My family and I went on a half day class, while in Chengdu for a week. We had visited some of the markets before we went with Lance. The market he took us to was one of the best and it was great to be able to ask him questions about the things we had been wondering about. The kids especially enjoyed the chilli cool challenges - which got them searching for the hottest chilli etc. The cooking class was also great, hosted in a szechuan culinary school, the facilities were excellent. I definitely feel confident I could make dandan noodles at home now. Lance was a great host, all the chilli cool staff were very nice and it was a fun and interesting afternoon which we all enjoyed (even the four year old). Thank you!