Market Tour and Hands-On Cooking Class Colombo

Nim is an exceptional chef, and a fun teacher! The market tour was packed with cultural insights and information about local produce, as well as being a former chef, Nim also is a food producer and looks after a farm - and so is exceptionally knowledgeable when it comes to produce. The cooking lesson is set in a beautiful relaxed environment a little out of the hustle and bustle of the comercial district, we had a leisurely cooking session making rotis and currys and sharing food stories. Already at home we are making sri lankan food and carry with us the values of using fresh ingredients!

We had a magical first day in Sri Lanka at the market, learning about the cuisine and culture of Sri Lanka. Our guide showed us and explained all the flavors that make the food in Sri Lanka so special. And we cooked an incredible meal , with great explanation so we now can make roti and curry back home. I highly recommend this experience!

I was lucky enough to book a culinary experience with Rustic Cooking Class in Colombo on my trip to Sri Lanka and I’m so glad I made that choice. I met the wonderful Nim at the markets who took me on a culinary food and culture experience , introducing me to a world of amazing ingredients I’d never come across before. Nim is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to food and he took the time to explain the fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices of Sri Lanka, how they were cooked and how they complemented each other. I learnt so much from him. Once we had decided on our meal options and bought the ingredients we took a tuk tuk to his wonderful home where we set to work preparing an authentic feast. Those dishes became my favourite meal in Sri Lanka which was a big call as I was in the country for a month and tried a lot of food! What I loved most about the experience was sitting on the verandah with Nim overlooking the lush gardens enjoying a beer and some great conversation. He’s such a lovely man and so knowledgeable on the food, culture and history of Sri Lanka. I highly recommend you do yourself a favour and book Rustic Cooking Class. It’s a fabulous authentic experience.

I had a great experience with going to the local market and cooking local dishes. Nim is a wonderful person. I learned so much about vegetables, fruits and all the spices and even about real and fake cinnamon :) and we talked about so much more than cooking and Sri Lanka - it felt like an afternoon/evening with a friend. Thank you so much for your time and introducing me how to cook a delicious pineapple and chicken curry, coconut sambol and coconut roti.

Amazing experience - as a solo traveller transport was organised by Tuk Tuk to the market location, about 40 minutes outside of Colombo. I was kept informed of the time and the details of the transportation. Met by Nim, who then guided us through an authentic local market - explaining local unusual fruit, vegetables and also about the importance of markets in the Sri Lankan lifestyle. We then was transported to Nim's lovely home where we participated in cooking - we made a wonderful Chicken Curry, a Jackfruit Curry, Pineapple and Banana Curry, along with Coconut Roti. Sitting on the verandah overlooking the lush garden, a cold drink (beer or water) with Nim telling us about Sri Lankan life, cooking, history and food. I really learnt so much. Nim is an excellent cooking guide, has great english, food and cultural knowledge and was great fun!!

My wife and I had a wonderful time! We met our guide and Chef, Nim near a local market. We spent about an hour learning about the various fruits and vegetables available. Then each of us in our small group of three chose the fruit or vegetable that would be the base of our curry. Once decided we walked about adding the various necessary ingredients to our basket. After, we rode to the home that was perfectly set up for a cooking class. We spent the next couple of hours making roti and our curries. Then we feasted… a wonderful, authentic experience!

To add to yesterday’s review, we left our water cooler bottles at Nim’s, he organised a rider to come to our hotel Galle Face to deliver the water bottles. We thank him for the action of going that bit further.

A great day from start at the markets to finish driving away. Nim really impressed us in his sharing of his culinary knowledge and skills.

In a trip full of highlights, this may have been the biggest of them all. It was fascinating to tour the market—learning about new vegetables, spices, condiments, fruits, and methods of preservation and preparation. Nim was an incredibly knowledgable and patient host, allowing our curiosity and appetites to guide our experience. Once we had gathered all the ingredients, we enjoyed a relaxed and intimate evening preparing our meal, talking about food, nutrition, Sri Lankan culture and history, and generally having a fantastic evening making a wonderful new friend. I'm convinced touring markets and cooking meals with local ingredients and local people is the absolute best way to experience a new place. Our time with Nim is proof of that. Thank you Nim!!!

A truly authentic experience. We had a wonderful afternoon / evening with Nim, exploring the market, finding new vegetables we hadn’t heard of before, and then a really informative evening learning about Sri Lanka’s unique cuisine. Nim is also extremely knowledgeable and we had excellent conversations and felt like we were old friends by the time we left. Worth every penny for a really local experience!