VACATION DETAILS

Traveling Spoon

Mohara is a Sri Lankan grandmother who is full of life, love and energy. Mohara started a bakery several years ago that provides breads and savory products to supermarkets in Colombo. She is incredibly passionate about Sri Lankan cuisine and teaches cooking classes at her home. In her own words, "I love cooking as it is a form of play and worship – a form of self expression.” As a single parent, Mohara found a way to prepare quick, nutritious meals for her children that were appealing to all the senses, while making the preparation and sharing of the most simple home cooked meal a special occasion. Her cuisine is a result of the influences of her Malay heritage as well as the rich traditions of her Sinhalese and Tamil friends and neighbors. Mohara has created a delightful repertoire of curries and sambols that have distinctive colors, flavors and aromas that she cooked for her children and their friends. She now loves to share her rich culinary and cultural traditions with foreign travelers. Roll up your sleeves for a three-hour participatory cooking demonstration and lunch designed as a cultural adventure for food lovers. Your cooking experience will take places outdoors in Mohara's kitchen and will give you a rich insight into the islands' culture of cooking. Mohara, along with the assistance of her staff, will show you how to make a typical Sri Lankan curry and determine the color of the curry based on the ingredients at hand. You may even pick curry leaves from her tree and use them to season a few vegetable or seafood dishes. Your hands-on cooking class will last about two hours before you enjoy the meal you helped prepare with Mohara at her dining table. Your menu might include dishes such as chicken curry, vegetable gravies, sambol, mallung (greens seasoned with coconut), lentils and rice. Mohara also offers an optional market tour add-on of the lively Colpetty Market, an indoor concrete complex of stalls crammed with fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood where you can discover regional Sri Lankan produce.