Jyashree prepares a traditional South Indian Iyer sapaad, a vegetarian Tamil Brahmin spread consisting of a wide variety of dishes all prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients and served on a banana leaf. You'll taste dishes such as sambar (lentil and tamarind based stew with country vegetables), rasam (peppery soup of puréed tomatoes, spices, and tamarind or lemon), vegetable poriyal (sautéed vegetables with regional spices and freshly grated coconut), moorkuzhmbu (spicy yogurt gravy with coconut, red chilies, mango and curry leaves), and a vegetable roast (either potato, cauliflower or colacassia, marinated in spices and fried to golden brown perfection).
The meal is accompanied by rice and handmade dosas (crispy South Indian crepes). You will also sample Jyashree's homemade pickles and chutneys, which vary based on the seasons, such as lime and tender mango pickle, sweet and sour mango pickle, dhal (chutney made of red chilies, garlic and grated coconut) or her green tomato, chili and garlic chutney.
End with a homemade sweet, perhaps her badam kheer (a creamy, cold dessert made of ground almonds, milk and saffron) or a payasam (dessert made from milk or coconut milk, sugar or jaggery, mixed with tender coconuts, bananas or jackfruit).
Meet Jyashree at her home and after a drink and snack, drive together to the local market. Explore the local vegetable, fruit and flower vendors' stalls, learn about the different varieties of regional produce, and get a feel for the local neighborhood Unlike a typical market, this is more of a neighborhood street market experience where you will see everyday local life. Please note that the street may be uneven and chaotic so wear comfortable footwear.
Join Jyashree in her kitchen where she will teach you to prepare a variety of rices, a vegetable poriyal (sautéed vegetables with spices) and a rasam (a peppery soup that is an essential element to the South Indian Iyer sapaad), the basics of a typical South Indian meal. You can expect the cooking lesson to last about 1-2 hours before you share the meal you helped prepare which will include additional dishes Jyashree prepared in advance. if you wish to learn how to make dosas or appams or anything else in particular, please let Jyashree know in advance so that she can be prepared.
Jyashree only serves vegetarian food.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Attention to detail is Jyashree's signature cooking talent. She still follows the traditional way of cooking and uses authentic, traditional vessels and organic country vegetables to prepare South Indian Iyer cuisine, which is vegetarian by definition. Her ammamma (mother's mother) taught her that the smallest detail has the ability to elevate simple, everyday dishes to the level of masterpieces. Jyashree would watch as her grandmother prepared gulab jamuns, an elaborate dessert that requires hours of patience and skill, from scratch and as she steamed idlis (a simple traditional South Indian breakfast staple) to perfection. Her grandmother would line the idli batter with homespun muslin cloth to give it an extra texture, the kind of additional detail that has long been abandoned by most cooks for the sake of efficiency. Jyashree focuses on these small touches to bring an extra element of care and refinement to her cooking.
She says, "Now when I cook, I don't just use her years of experience and favorite earthen pots that have passed down from generation to generation in the household, I also think "what would ammamma do?" And so when you sit at my dining table, I'd like to think you'll meet some part of her too - a feisty feminist and homemaker whose way of life shaped me in her mold."
Jyashree lives in a comfortable home with her husband and their three beloved dogs. They look forward to welcoming you to their table and sharing their South Indian culture and cuisine with their guests.
"Food in my house is not just something we eat - it is a central part of our life and relationships."
"We were greeted by Jyashree’s husband and were taken upstairs to their living area. The house was very well maintained and was full of Hindu tradition. Jyashree started with explaining the making of every dish she had prepared. We were served almost 15 different varieties of freshly prepared South Indian vegetarian food. Every single item tasted unbelievably delicious. My most favorite was the manga pachidi (a sweet and sour dish made of mangoes). Everything that she prepared was at the right consistency, spice level and quantity. We thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jyashree and her husband and we think she’d be a wonderful host to all travelers! "
"My friend and I booked this experience, at first unsure if we could make it since we booked it barely 24h in advance. A quick tip- if you can use Whassap to contact the number provided by Traveling spoon, it should be able to reach the hosts directly. Makes everything easier!
As for the cooking class, Jyashree and her husband were the warmest and most knowledgeable of all things delicious and south indian. We were surprised to find that they welcomed us into their beautiful home, and got to hang out with their sweet lab dog! (Btw they will graciously put the dog in another room if preferred.) After a short intro, we headed off to the local vegetable market to get some extra ingredients. The market tour was loud, colorful and so much fun! After coming back, we made chutney, dosa, curry, and observed many other dishes being prepared. We were so full with lunch that Jyashree kindly packed away our food for another delicious meal later in the day! My friend and I felt as though we got adopted by an Indian mama, and it was hard to leave when it was time to do so.
Anyways, if that paragraph was way too long to read, BOOK THIS. You shall not regret it!"
"Wow! Amazing hospitality, We learned recipes and got to do hands-on supervised cooking on three dishes. And, we could elect the level of chile we cooked with, from USA our tourist heat tolerance is milder than South India's love of chile. The many other spices layered under the heat are wonderful.
On arrival, our host took us on a car tour of a local shrine, the beach front, and a bustling outside vegetable market identifying unfamiliar fruits, vegetables, spices, and lentils.
Back home, we were greeted by a friendly yellow lab! We visited, then adjourned to the kitchen, making three dishes. What fun. We learned a lot!
Highly recommend this experience."
"Such fun! What a lovely experience - meeting Jyashree & Ravi was a highlight of our trip. From our first contact, responses were prompt and information was clear. We were met at our hotel by Ravi, Jyashrees lovely husband and went to a local cafe where we had the best coffee and traditional Idly for breakfast. A walk around the vegetable market showed us a number of vegetables we had never seen! Then to their home where we received a warm welcome. We cooked a number of dishes under Jyashrees guidance and then had an absolute feast! We look forward to recreating them when home. The whole event felt like meeting old friends and if this entertaining couple is ever our way, we look forward to welcoming them to our home…. on the basis that Jyashree supervises the cooking!! Thank you SO much. Xx"
