1-Day Chengdu Homemade Cooking Adventure
1-Day Chengdu Homemade Cooking Adventure
4.9
About
Where better than a Chengdu home kitchen to take an authentic Szechuan cooking class? We offer the one and only homestyle cooking class in Chengdu. You will spend half a day with a local host family who will take you step-by-step through the process of cooking a traditional Szechuan meal. You will learn three local dishes from scratch. Prepared to be amazed at the gems at the local farmer’s market and learn the secrets of Szechuan kitchen while enjoying your chit-chat with the locals. All local host families are located in the 1st Ring Road area of Chengdu and easy to find. If there's any particular dish you would like to learn how to cook, don't hesitate to let us know.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
1,545 within 3 miles
Attractions
194 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.9
12 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Koogy
Oegstgeest, The Netherlands2 contributions
Aug 2013 • Couples
We subscribed to the cooking class without tremendous expectations, but it turned out to be the highlight of our experience of Chengdu. Sichuan's cuisine being rightfully famous, we thought we'd give it a try although I hadn't done this kind of experience before.
The organizers were very professional as well as friendly, which sparked some interesting talks while feeling like we were doing and learning something. We went to right outside the city (20min car), to a zone called Lotus Pond Moonlight, a scenic area with a concentration of artists. It was pleasant to get out of the city.
There we were welcomed by the host family's house, that spoked only chinese but our organizer translated. In fact, the balance between the structure provided by organizers contrasting with the genuine chinese house, kitchen and the trip to a local farmers market (where we were told we were the first foreigners to come :-p) was what made it so good.
The class itself was facilitated by the pre-slicing and dicing of meat and vegetables we had just got from the market. We learned to cook Mapu Dofu, meat balls and simple cucumber and another veggie salad. It was great to use that blazing wok adequately and to see how simple these recipes can be. Also great was to see that loads of oil and artificial taste aren't required to get these dazzling tastes.
Another 3-4 dishes were done by the cooks to save some time, I am sure we could've watched and learn more but we opted for beer. The meal was one of the best I had in China, so fresh and varied (which is not so much the case in Sichuan, cuisine is great ok, but often things can taste the same).
The precious tips distilled made me feel confident about trying to cook more chinese food at home.
Great activity!
The organizers were very professional as well as friendly, which sparked some interesting talks while feeling like we were doing and learning something. We went to right outside the city (20min car), to a zone called Lotus Pond Moonlight, a scenic area with a concentration of artists. It was pleasant to get out of the city.
There we were welcomed by the host family's house, that spoked only chinese but our organizer translated. In fact, the balance between the structure provided by organizers contrasting with the genuine chinese house, kitchen and the trip to a local farmers market (where we were told we were the first foreigners to come :-p) was what made it so good.
The class itself was facilitated by the pre-slicing and dicing of meat and vegetables we had just got from the market. We learned to cook Mapu Dofu, meat balls and simple cucumber and another veggie salad. It was great to use that blazing wok adequately and to see how simple these recipes can be. Also great was to see that loads of oil and artificial taste aren't required to get these dazzling tastes.
Another 3-4 dishes were done by the cooks to save some time, I am sure we could've watched and learn more but we opted for beer. The meal was one of the best I had in China, so fresh and varied (which is not so much the case in Sichuan, cuisine is great ok, but often things can taste the same).
The precious tips distilled made me feel confident about trying to cook more chinese food at home.
Great activity!
Written September 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bill L
Everett, WA30 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
My parents and I attended the Chegdu Cooking Class with Chef Lingdang and had a wonderful evening cooking and visiting in her home. She was a wonderful host and readily accommodated our food requests. She is a vegetarian but cooks all foods. Have never seen a vegetarian cook spareribs like she did!
First we went to the local market and watched her purchase all the ingredients we would use and then accompanied her back to her home to begin the cooking class. It was loads of fun and after eating our prepared dishes we sat and visited with each other over (many) beers! She was a delight to meet.
First we went to the local market and watched her purchase all the ingredients we would use and then accompanied her back to her home to begin the cooking class. It was loads of fun and after eating our prepared dishes we sat and visited with each other over (many) beers! She was a delight to meet.
Written June 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neilmcl73
Manchester, UK5 contributions
May 2015 • Friends
Sichuan food is one of the great attractions of Chengdu but it isn't always accessible for tourists given the difficulties of reading or understanding Mandarin.
This tour was fun and informative - we started off in the Market where I had the opportunity to discuss what was on sale and suggest a few extra ingredients - I wanted to try the 1000 year old preserved eggs! Anyway, once done in the market, we went for a short walk to a local appartment, where we spent the remainder of the morning drinking tea, and cooking while my hosts assisted with the preparation, kept me topped up with tea, answered my questions and took lots of photos. Finally, we had lunch along with a few beers.
This tour was fun and informative - we started off in the Market where I had the opportunity to discuss what was on sale and suggest a few extra ingredients - I wanted to try the 1000 year old preserved eggs! Anyway, once done in the market, we went for a short walk to a local appartment, where we spent the remainder of the morning drinking tea, and cooking while my hosts assisted with the preparation, kept me topped up with tea, answered my questions and took lots of photos. Finally, we had lunch along with a few beers.
Written May 24, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moon s
2 contributions
Jul 2014 • Solo
I had just half a day of free time at the end of a business trip, and so signed up for this home cooking class. Liked that the organizers accommodated my request for vegetarian Sichuan dishes. The actual experience far exceeded my expectations, though. It was much more than a cooking class - instead it was more like a host family / cultural exchange program. Both the teacher (host) and the guide could not be more hospitable. The guide drove me from the hotel to the teacher's house. Upon arrival, I was treated to the best aged pu-erh tea I've ever had, served in beautiful antique tea cups. (The teacher even gave me some tea as a souvenir!) We then walked to the local market to peruse and to shop. I got to buy some sichuan pepper and the like to take home with me, which was a lot of fun. Back at the house we then cooked 3 dishes - a yellow chive salad (a hot and seasoned oil is poured over the chives and the chives get cooked somewhat on the plate), a long-stir-fried scrumptious maitake mushrooms (very satisfying), and a dish with loofah squash and special sea vegetable (supposed to be rich in collagen and good for vegetarians), along with rice and an additional soup that the teacher made. I learned that there are at least 3 different kinds of cooking methods that all get (mis)translated as "stir fry" in English. (I'm hoping that the kind guide will send me the translations of the recipes in English soon, so I can remind myself what those 3 methods are called!! Chauncey, I'm waiting for those recipes :)) Everything was delicious, and was made even more delicious because of the herby, refreshing tea (have not seen this kind before) that the teacher served at the end of the meal. The whole experience opened my eyes to the home Chinese cooking as quite distinct from restaurant Chinese food and a welcome addition to my cooking repertoire. The teacher spoke no English, but the guide speaks English very well, and the conversations were easy and relaxed.
出張の終わりに半日だけフリータイムができたので、四川料理のホームクッキングクラスに申し込みました。カップルで参加すれば一人３００元ですが、一人で参加したので６００元支払いました。ベジタリアンのメニュー希望に応じてくれて、先生本人も１０年以上ベジタリアンという人から教わることができ、とても良かったです。ホテルからガイドさんが運転して先生のお宅に連れて行ってくれました。彼は英語がとても上手で、細やかに気を使ってくれるとてもいい方です。驚いたのは、先生の息子さんが日本のファンだとのことで、マンションの一室に、インターネットで買ったという畳が敷いてあって、茶室のようになっていて、そこでとてもおいしいプーアール茶を頂きました。何年も寝かせてあるものだそうで、まろやかでまるで以前飲んだものとは違うものでした。先生は書道をされる上、アンティークのコレクターでもあるそうで、お茶室には自筆の掛け軸がかかっていて、使っている器もさりげなくアンティークのものばかりで、全く予想していなかったおもてなしを受け、嬉しい驚きの連続でした。ひとしきりお茶を飲んでおしゃべり（ガイドさんが通訳してくれます）した後、近くの市場に買い物に。材料はもうすでに買ってあったのですが、いろいろ野菜の名前や各種スパイス、乾物など、通訳してくれて、四川料理に欠かせない花椒
や、湯葉など、おみやげを買う事ができました。お宅に戻り、料理に。今回作ったのは、黄にらのホットオイルがけサラダ風、舞茸の炒め物（１kgも大量に使って、じっくり炒めて量を減らしていき、最後にはうまみがとても凝縮されたご飯が進む味になります）、ヘチマ（のような野菜です）と海藻の一種（名前が分かりませんでしたが、独特の風味があります。コラーゲンが大量に含まれているのだそうです）の、とろみのついたスープ的な仕上がりのお料理の３点。どれも、レストランのメニューでは見た事のないものばかりで、家庭料理としての中華料理はこういうものなんだ、と開眼した気がします。それにズッキーニのスープも先生が付け足して作ってくれて、ご飯と一緒にガイドさんと３人で食べました。とっても美味しかったです。食後に、今度は見た事のない、鮮やかな緑のお茶を入れてくれて、これがとても消化促進に良さそうな味で、中華料理とお茶の組み合わせというのも、ヨーロッパ料理とワインの組み合わせのように、なくてはならないものなのかな、という気もしました。
親日派の息子さんのいらっしゃるこの先生は、文化的造詣が深く、またチベットや山にも詳しそうで、日本人の方でこのクッキングクラスに興味のある方には特におすすめします（ただし、ベジタリアンなので、それでもいい方のみになりますが）。 他のホストファミリーの方もきっといい方だと思います。ガイドさんが際立って性格の良い方なので、その点もお勧めできます。
出張の終わりに半日だけフリータイムができたので、四川料理のホームクッキングクラスに申し込みました。カップルで参加すれば一人３００元ですが、一人で参加したので６００元支払いました。ベジタリアンのメニュー希望に応じてくれて、先生本人も１０年以上ベジタリアンという人から教わることができ、とても良かったです。ホテルからガイドさんが運転して先生のお宅に連れて行ってくれました。彼は英語がとても上手で、細やかに気を使ってくれるとてもいい方です。驚いたのは、先生の息子さんが日本のファンだとのことで、マンションの一室に、インターネットで買ったという畳が敷いてあって、茶室のようになっていて、そこでとてもおいしいプーアール茶を頂きました。何年も寝かせてあるものだそうで、まろやかでまるで以前飲んだものとは違うものでした。先生は書道をされる上、アンティークのコレクターでもあるそうで、お茶室には自筆の掛け軸がかかっていて、使っている器もさりげなくアンティークのものばかりで、全く予想していなかったおもてなしを受け、嬉しい驚きの連続でした。ひとしきりお茶を飲んでおしゃべり（ガイドさんが通訳してくれます）した後、近くの市場に買い物に。材料はもうすでに買ってあったのですが、いろいろ野菜の名前や各種スパイス、乾物など、通訳してくれて、四川料理に欠かせない花椒
や、湯葉など、おみやげを買う事ができました。お宅に戻り、料理に。今回作ったのは、黄にらのホットオイルがけサラダ風、舞茸の炒め物（１kgも大量に使って、じっくり炒めて量を減らしていき、最後にはうまみがとても凝縮されたご飯が進む味になります）、ヘチマ（のような野菜です）と海藻の一種（名前が分かりませんでしたが、独特の風味があります。コラーゲンが大量に含まれているのだそうです）の、とろみのついたスープ的な仕上がりのお料理の３点。どれも、レストランのメニューでは見た事のないものばかりで、家庭料理としての中華料理はこういうものなんだ、と開眼した気がします。それにズッキーニのスープも先生が付け足して作ってくれて、ご飯と一緒にガイドさんと３人で食べました。とっても美味しかったです。食後に、今度は見た事のない、鮮やかな緑のお茶を入れてくれて、これがとても消化促進に良さそうな味で、中華料理とお茶の組み合わせというのも、ヨーロッパ料理とワインの組み合わせのように、なくてはならないものなのかな、という気もしました。
親日派の息子さんのいらっしゃるこの先生は、文化的造詣が深く、またチベットや山にも詳しそうで、日本人の方でこのクッキングクラスに興味のある方には特におすすめします（ただし、ベジタリアンなので、それでもいい方のみになりますが）。 他のホストファミリーの方もきっといい方だと思います。ガイドさんが際立って性格の良い方なので、その点もお勧めできます。
Written August 20, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
anneogthue
Sorring, Denmark1 contribution
Aug 2016 • Couples
This experience was awesome. It was a great opportunity to meet the locals and having an authentic evening with them.
Written July 24, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie R
4 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
What a treat! We were invited into a private home and after learning about traditional tea ceremonies we visited a fresh food market and then got to work in the kitchen, cooking up an amazing feast! Spending time with the family and their friends, as well as the tour guides led to much laughter, great memories and very satisfied bellies. Highly recommended!
Written October 6, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MayaPZ
256 contributions
Sep 2017 • Couples
Highly recommended experience for any traveler in Chengdu!
We corresponded with Ed by emails before arriving to China, he was very patient and very responsive (even emailed us before to make sure we remember the details).
We met Ed near a subway station downtown and then Lingdang (the brilliant chef) arrived with her sweet dog, Dollie, and we walked to the local market.
Lingdang bought the ingredients and explained about every product we were interested in. She also asked questions regarding products we have in Israel and Ed was very helpful, translating everything.
We then arrived to Lingdang's home, where we also met her husband, Tall guy! Overall we had a great time cooking with Lingdang as she knew why every step was necessary in the cooking process.
After preparing the 3 dishes we all sat to eat - and then came the beers and liquor (and some extra snacks she prepared)! We had a really nice evening, talking about everything and eating delicious food. Finally, I would say that cooking and eating was just an excuse to get to know these great people we wouldn't get the chance to meet, otherwise.
We met Ed at 16:30 and left to the hotel at about 21:30.
In terms of price, it is not cheap (probably not for a low-budget traveler) but we feel like it was worth it!
THANK YOU, ED and LINGDANG!
We corresponded with Ed by emails before arriving to China, he was very patient and very responsive (even emailed us before to make sure we remember the details).
We met Ed near a subway station downtown and then Lingdang (the brilliant chef) arrived with her sweet dog, Dollie, and we walked to the local market.
Lingdang bought the ingredients and explained about every product we were interested in. She also asked questions regarding products we have in Israel and Ed was very helpful, translating everything.
We then arrived to Lingdang's home, where we also met her husband, Tall guy! Overall we had a great time cooking with Lingdang as she knew why every step was necessary in the cooking process.
After preparing the 3 dishes we all sat to eat - and then came the beers and liquor (and some extra snacks she prepared)! We had a really nice evening, talking about everything and eating delicious food. Finally, I would say that cooking and eating was just an excuse to get to know these great people we wouldn't get the chance to meet, otherwise.
We met Ed at 16:30 and left to the hotel at about 21:30.
In terms of price, it is not cheap (probably not for a low-budget traveler) but we feel like it was worth it!
THANK YOU, ED and LINGDANG!
Written October 21, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NatashaDP
Mumbai, India12 contributions
Oct 2015 • Business
A group of 20 of us were in Chengdu for an experiential learning journey organised by Leaders' Quest, the social enterprise that I work with. It was the first time most of us were meeting each other and on the our first evening, we organised with Dragon Expeditions, a home cooking evening for the full group. Turns out, they hadn't had such a big group before and the home that we were going to use was not ideal for a business-group. We decided two days before the event to change the venue to Buddha Zen hotel where we stayed which worked wonderfully. Amy from Dragon Expeditions and Ling Dao the main chef along with the whole team was fantastic. They worked tirelessly with me to create a wonderful, professionally executed, high quality, very tasty meal for the group. After a short trip to a nearby local food market, we split up into four stations where the home-cooking team took great care of us. The food was very tasty and really set the bar for the rest of the week. Huge shout out to the whole team who were fantastic, always smiling and really came together to create such a joyful evening for us. HUGE thanks to Amy and the team for such a special evening! I highly recommend them.
Written November 10, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
interjochen
Brussels, Belgium2 contributions
Aug 2015 • Friends
Cindy organized a cooking lesson for us including shopping on a local market. The market alone already was a worthy experience. There we have seen (and tasted) things one could never get on any European market. Ling Dang also brought us to a local stall were we could buy the best Sichuan pepper in town. So we were able to bring some home (yummie)
We were allowed to choose a broad selection of dishes. Additionally we had the special wish to learn making dumplings, what Cindy made possible for us.
We learn a lot from our host Ling Dang. Both ladies were extremely helpful, pleasant and we highly enjoyed our time with them.
We already cooked the dishes again at home with great success so we would always recommend them.
We were allowed to choose a broad selection of dishes. Additionally we had the special wish to learn making dumplings, what Cindy made possible for us.
We learn a lot from our host Ling Dang. Both ladies were extremely helpful, pleasant and we highly enjoyed our time with them.
We already cooked the dishes again at home with great success so we would always recommend them.
Written September 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The telephone number is not valid and no website seems to be available. Perhaps this business is no longer operating? Please advise or update information asap. Thank you.
Written May 20, 2017
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing