Ubud: Balinese Cooking Class, Market Tour & Farm Visit

4.99

(230 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t expect the air at the Ubud market to smell so much like cloves and something sweet — maybe jackfruit? Our guide, Putu, handed me a wrinkled turmeric root and grinned as I tried to guess what it was. It was barely 8am but already noisy with women bargaining over chilies and men stacking little pyramids of green beans. I’m not usually awake this early on vacation, but for this Balinese cooking class near Ubud, you kind of have to be. The market’s only part of the day trip though — after we picked up spices (and got gently teased for my haggling skills), we hopped back in the shuttle toward the countryside.

The family house we stopped at next was quiet except for chickens scratching around the garden. Putu explained how every building has its place — kitchen here, shrine there — and showed us their tiny temple tucked behind frangipani trees. I tried saying “terima kasih” (thank you) and got a big smile from his aunt, who poured us coffee that tasted like roasted rice. There’s something about being welcomed into someone’s home that just sticks with you.

We walked down a muddy path to their farm, where everything felt impossibly green after last night’s rain. My shoes were already muddy by the time we started picking lemongrass for sate lilit. The chef showed us how to use a lesung (mortar and pestle) — I thought my arms would fall off pounding those spices, but honestly? The scent that came out was wild. Coconut, chili, ginger… it all mixed together in the air while everyone laughed about my very uneven chopping skills.

Lunch was what we’d made: sayur urab with crunchy coconut, steamed fish wrapped in banana leaf, soup with young banana stem (didn’t know you could eat that). We ate outside while cicadas buzzed so loud you had to raise your voice. On the way back to Ubud I realized I still smelled like galangal and woodsmoke — not complaining though. There’s something about making food with your own hands in Bali that stays with you longer than any recipe.