Half-Day Sichuan Cooking Class Experience in Chengdu

Chengdu, China

4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Uncover the secrets behind Sinchuan cuisine on a 4-hour cooking class in Chengdu. Under the guidance of a local chef, learn the techniques required to make delicious delicacies like Kung Pao chicken and dumplings while gaining insight into the complex flavors of Sichuan food. Afterwards, sit down to feast upon the fruits of your labor with your fellow food lovers. Return home with recipe cards to impress friends and family with your new found knowledge.

Half-day Sichuan cooking class in Chengdu
Learn about Sichuan spices and cooking techniques
Enjoy the dishes you prepared and take home the recipes
Receive more personal attention in a small group

Sample Menu

Main

Kung Pao chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is one of the most famous and popular non-spicy dishes of Sichuan cuisine.

Main

Mapo Toufu

Mapo Tofu is a very classic Sichuan specialty, you can try the unique numbing taste of Sichuan cuisine.

Main

Sweet and sour pork

Another non-spicy dish but unlike Kung Pao Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork is completely another taste. It's a dish loved by children in China.

Main

Dumplings

Dumpling is one of the most famous and classic snacks in China and you will learn several different ways to shape it.

What's Included

Dinner
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Local English-speaking chef

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Departure point: Free picking up service from your city hotel or residence in Chengdu (all hotels within 3rd Ring Road), if you stay outside the 3rd Ring Road, then need to be picked up at the main gate of Wuhouci, or please contact us in advance to arrange to be picked up from your hotel and pay extra cost to driver. Return point: Returns to original departure point.

Operating hours
.16:00

What To Expect

Depart from your Chengdu hotel with your experienced guide and venture to the established cooking school. Head inside and don your chef’s hat to begin learning the techniques behind delicious Sichuan cuisine. Listen as your professional chef explains the complex flavor combinations and subtle spices used to create local specialties and then begin preparing four traditional Chinese dishes.

Inhale the enticing aromas as you cook dishes including Kung Pao chicken, sweet and sour pork, fish-flavored eggplant and soft steamed dumplings. Inquire in advance to request to cook a dish of your own choice.

After toiling in the heat of the kitchen, add the finishing touches to your Chinese feast and then sit down to devour your dishes. Chat with your fellow food lovers in the relaxed environment of the cooking school and then depart bearing recipe cards to ensure you remember your newly learnt recipes.

Return to your hotel with your knowledgeable guide at the end of the tour.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Course duration depends on number of participants
If you'd like to learn to cook a Sichuan dish not on the menu, please request this dish in the Special Requirements box at time of booking; this cannot be guaranteed, but the chef will try to accommodate your request
Not wheelchair accessible

Pushchair accessible
Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 5 travellers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveller's review)

Featured review

Christina_S

This was a super intimate experience, with just me and my young teenage sons. They both were up for experimenting with some cooking, and this was just the right level of challenge for us all. We started with a couple classics and then moved to harder dishes, even folding dumplings - she was a master and made beautiful fish and other animals, while we prayed ours would stay together through cooking. The food was fresh and abundant. The lessons were quick and clear. The recipes were simple and delicious. Such a great experience. Pro tip: WRITE DOWN the recipes. They were so simple we were sure we'd remember them. But after a week more in China, we forget everything but to buy black vinegar and that they call it corn flour but we call it corn starch.

Reviews

4.2

based on 17 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

The best time I had in China

Christina_S, Aug 2024

instructor didn't speak a word of...

Carole_M, Jul 2018

instructor didn't speak a word of english but it didn't matter she was very sweet and a great cook. I was the only student on this day but we had a great time and the food was so yummy

The small kitchen was perfect for a...

Sharon_O, Oct 2017

The small kitchen was perfect for a morning class of 2. Instructions were confined to sweet and sour chicken, kung pow chicken, pork and shrimp dumplings and bean curd in XO sauce. The teacher demonstrated and we each repeated the steps of prepping the ingredients and the sequential combining and cooking them, and eating them. We were stuffed. This was good for developing some skills cutting everything with a small cleaver and cooking everything quickly in a very hot wok.

The cooking class was very basic...

Achim K, Sept 2017

The cooking class was very basic. Food was good and we cooked four dishes. The cook spoke hardly English and was not able to provide any background information on Chinese cooking.

The cooking class was in a kitchen...

Lisa A, Aug 2017

The cooking class was in a kitchen of a Hostel. The woman spoke only a little English but was very nice. We made 3 recipes and got to take English versions with us to make at home. The food was very good. Overall a very nice experience.

It was perfect! I was picked up...

Penny S, Mar 2017

It was perfect! I was picked up promptly in a private van and taken to the kitchen for my class. It happened that I was the only one there that day so it was a private lesson. Every question I asked was answered and was given tips as I went along. Very enjoyable and tasty too. Got to take my food back to the hotel for my son and daughter-in-law to enjoy. She is Chinese and said it was some of the best she had tasted! The whole experience was great. Would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking and food.

Cooking class was very easy to...

Elizabeth F, Sept 2016

Cooking class was very easy to follow and I am confident that I will be able to replicate dishes once I am back home.

My boyfriend and I booked this...

Drew R, Mar 2016

My boyfriend and I booked this about a day in advance. Samtours was quick to respond about arranging hotel pickup. The taxi driver was ontime and dropped us off at Holly's Hostel, which is close to Wuhouci and the Jinli walking street area. Some of the ingredients like tofu and green onions were pre-chopped and the garlic and ginger had already been peeled which made the cooking go fast. I took notes on the preparation and recipe as the instructor lead us through them. Each one took 15-20 minutes for the two of us to prepare and were delicious. We made mapo doufu, sweet and sour pork, kungpao chicken, and dumplings. The mapo dofu was my favorite and the sweet and sour pork was my bf's favorite. Looking at the hostel menu, we could have ordered these for about 100 RMB, but I definitely intend to make all of these again and the recipes are pretty simple and easy to follow, so I thought the tour was money well spent. We were done around noon this was the lunch session.

Nice and interesting cooking class...

Bart, Jun 2015

Nice and interesting cooking class, Pretty expensive our group was just the two of us, so the cooking class was at the chef his home.

Could not want a better experience...

mitchkaufman, Dec 2014

Could not want a better experience, Easy cooking directions and recipes. Hands on experience. Food as good as any I have had at restaurants. In fact I made one of the dishes almost immediately on my return home. It received rave reviews. If you enjoy cooking or even eating a worthwhile experience

Brilliant Good english...

Andy Bud, Aug 2014

Brilliant Good english speaking guide Good humour Small group Tasty dishes Recipies to repeat at home. I would recommend to friends

I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking...

Amy J, Jun 2014

I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class. I was the only student that day and asked if we could substitute gong pao chicken dish as I had learned to make that previously. The chef was very accommodating and gave me a couple of different options. In the end, we made four different dishes including mapu tofu, twice cooked pork, dandan noodles, and pork ribs with potatoes. The class was taught at the chef's home with an ayi present to help with the dishes. The chef's English was very good. If you are looking for a fun way to learn more about the local dishes, this is an excellent option and I feel that I could make some of these at home too.

I've done lots of cooking courses...

Mark J, Jan 2014

I've done lots of cooking courses, but none quite like this. The driver picked us up promptly, but didn't speak much if any English. So no real idea where we were headed. We went to a simple but clean guesthouse with cafe. The cooking was all done in the cafe's little kitchen. The dished we cooked were all simple home cooking - nothing complicated. The teacher had a little English, but she had a helper who translated. If you're looking for a lot of explanation of ingredients or how the flavours fit together, this probably isn't for you. But if you're looking for an idea of what a home cook would do in pleasant and clean surroundings, this is a great experience. The staff were friendly, helpful and it was great fun. The dishes we cooked were Kung Pao Chicken, sweet and sour pork (not the sickly sweet variety, but actually a really good dish), eggplant Sichuan style and pork dumplings. We got the recipes to take home. Well worth it. M

I did the morning class. I got...

Jackiex, Oct 2013

I did the morning class. I got picked up on time and taken to a working kitchen in a hostel. Everything was ready and although the chef had limited english, she knew all the necessary words. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Avoid eating breakfast if you do the morning slot, the cooking starts as soon as you get their and you eat each dish as you cook it. Would definetley recommend.

Great tour! Got picked up at my...

Kylie_H, Oct 2013

Great tour! Got picked up at my hotel and taken to a family run cafe! Asked if I could change one of the dishes which they were more then happy to accommodate ... Definitely recommend it if u are a foodie who wants to interact with the locals!

Had a great time and the staff was...

Kevin G, Jul 2012

Had a great time and the staff was friendly and full of humor. We went to the market to learn about the food firsthand, then we made delicious versions of typical Sichuan dishes. Thanks!