Lotus Culinary Travel: Chengdu Cooking Classes

Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Book this tour or make an inquiry

Learn Authentic Sichuan Cooking in Downtown Chengdu

In New One-Day Culinary Tour

Lotus Culinary Travel now offers a one-day hands-on cooking experience in downtown Chengdu, the culinary capital of Sichuan. If you're traveling in China, you owe it to yourself to spend at least one day learning about the country's boldest and most loved cuisine. Our cooking class, market tour and "little eats" sampling comprise a mini culinary tour that will make a big impact on your understanding of authentic Sichuan cuisine and your ability to shop for and prepare it.

In the cooking class, learn from some of Chengdu's top chef-instructors how to recreate the mala burn of mapo tofu; the scorched-chili sweet-and-sour of gong bao (kung pao) chicken with peanuts; the earthy, homestyle flavor of twice-cooked pork; the complex sweet heat of yu xiang egggplant; and other authentic sauces and dishes that are nearly impossible to find in the West.

In the market tour, learn the difference between red and green Sichuan pepper; how to choose the best Pixian chili bean paste; which Sichuan pickles are used for what; and why some ground chilies are prized for color, some for fragrance and some for heat. Stock up on all of the above, plus freshly made sesame paste and sesame oil and locally made artisan black vinegar.

At the xiao chi (little eats) restaurant, sample a feast of small plates and snacks that started out as Chengdu street food but gradually moved indoors to be served under one roof: dan dan noodles, Sichuan cold noodles, spicy zhong dumplings, the famed long chao shou (dumplings) and more.

The tour runs from 9 a.m. to around 3 p.m. and specifically includes:

Four-hour cooking class at central Chengdu's top professional culinary school. Chef-instructors will demonstrate four classic Sichuan dishes and then each person will make three of those dishes from start to finish. The class is taught in Chinese with English interpretation by our culinary tour director, who is a native Chengdunese. Small classes allow individual instruction and ample time for questions. Appropriate for beginning cooks, the authentic recipes and professional techniques are challenging enough to satisfy serious home cooks. For private tours, menus are customizable; for join-in tours, menus rotate, providing several options.

One-hour in-depth market tour. A short stroll away is a traditional Chengdu wet market, where you'll learn about Sichuan ingredients and artisan foodstuffs. You'll meet producers and farmers and learn about spices, pastes, doufu products, cured meats, breads, noodles and dozens of different kinds of Sichuan pickles and cold dishes, as well as try some of the mouth-watering prepared foods. This is the last stop on the tour, allowing you the opportunity to stock up on local ingredients at your leisure.

Tasting tour. Besides eating your own creations from the cooking class and trying the local delicacies at the market, we'll stop along the way at restaurant- and shop-filled Kuanzhai Alley, sampling an array of xiao chi, traditional Sichuan street snacks including dumplings in spicy sauce and dan dan noodles.

Lotus Culinary's recipe and ingredient guide. Our proprietary guide provides the recipes for classic Sichuan dishes and shopping tips to help you locate authentic ingredients upon your return home.

Join-in tour

Tours are offered every Thursday from March through November and run with a minimum of four people and a maximum of 10.

Price: $150 US per person

Private tour

Private tours are offered most dates year-round, Monday through Friday

6 to 10 people: $120 per person

4 to 5 people: $150 per person

3 people: $175 per person

2 people: $235 per person

Cooking Class Only

We also offer the four-hour cooking class as a stand-alone option.

Private cooking class

6 to 10 people: $100 per person

4 to 5 people: $130 per person

3 people: $150 per person

2 people: $235 per person