Gianyar market visit and hands-on cooking class in Ubud

We had a wonderful time with Kadek and Putu. Kadek picked us up promptly at our hotel and took us on a tour of the local market, explaining the various sights. Below is a picture of flower vendor’s stall. Putu and her sister welcomed us into Putu’s home and treated us both as honored guests and old friends. It turned out to be the seventh birthday of Putu’s youngest child, so before we started cooking we got to sing Happy Birthday with him and his friends and watch his delight as he opened his present. The cooking lesson went on for hours: chopping, grinding, steaming, frying, grilling. We made a vast amount of food, joking and laughing with Putu the whole time. The food was amazingly good, better than in a fine restaurant because the ingredients were so fresh, many coming directly from Putu’s family fields. I still marvel at the fact that I made coconut milk with my own two hands. Here’s a few more pictures. I recommend this class with great enthusiasm to anyone who wants to experience the fine home cooking of the Balinese and their sincere and gracious hospitality.

Best Christmas Dinner Ever. We had the most amazing Christmas dinner with Kadek and Putu and their family. My teenage children were a little skeptical of the idea of having dinner in someone’s home but during the meal they both told me it was the best idea ever!! (Huge compliment from teenagers!) Putu taught us how to make multiple dishes and had everyone involved. You have your choice of how much you want to participate or you can sit back and watch too. The food was the best we have had thus far in Bali! Chicken satay with peanut sauce, pork, chicken, tuna... and vegetarian dishes for me! Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience. We would recommend this experience highly!!

We had the most amazing Christmas dinner with Kadek and Putu and their family. My teenage children were a little skeptical of the idea of having dinner in someone’s home but during the meal they both told me it was the best idea ever!! (Huge compliment from teenagers!)Putu taught us how to make multiple dishes and had everyone involved. You have your choice of how much you want to participate or you can sit back and watch too. The food was the best we have had thus far in Bali! Chicken satay with peanut sauce, pork, chicken, tuna... and vegetarian dishes for me! Thanks so much for an unforgettable experience. We would recommend this experience highly!!

Kadek and Putu have such a beautiful, down-to-earth family that we got on so well with. We cooked some amazing dishes (that we'd suggested prior to arrival) and spent a lot of time talking about our respective lives and cultures. Would definitely recommend these guys to anyone travelling to Ubud who wants to learn some local cuisine and immerse themselves in a Balinese family and village lifestyle. Thanks again

Incredible Balinese Cooking Experience. This is a must do experience in Bali! We loved every minute with this family. Kadek met us on time at our accommodation in Ubud and then took us to the local market in his hometown of Gianyar. We toured the market and Kadek told us about some of the foods we would be cooking with. Such a cool experience! From there we went to his sister Putu's home, where she and Kadek's wife (Ketut) met us to cook a beautiful Balinese meal. We made seven different traditional Balinese dishes and my partner and I were involved in the chopping and preparing of each dish from the start. They also gave us a sheet with recipes to take with us. Putu and Ketut were wonderful teachers and showed us how everything was to be prepared. Afterwards, Kadek took us to his home to see his garden, which was such a treat. This family was amazing, warm and so welcoming. This was the highlight of our trip to Bali. We can't wait to come back!

We had a wonderful time with Putu, Wayan and Kadek, learning about Balinese traditions and culture, the market, the veggies and spices grown in Putu's garden, and of course how to cook the most scrumptious food! Everyone was so warm and welcoming and Putu even baked a delicious surprise birthday banana cake for Ruben! A must if you're visiting Bali!

We absolutely loved our Traveling Spoon experience. It was really fun, meaningful, and educational. The whole purpose of traveling for us is to broaden our minds and learn by meeting people with different ways of life. Doing this cooking class was perfect for that as we got a really intimate experience cooking in the home compound and seeing how they live through how they cook and eat. It was really special to spend several hours one-on-one with a local who really spoke English well and was able to communicate to us so much about his way of life. Our conversation and interaction started and centered around food but we branched out to many other topics like health, daily life, spirituality, and family. The environment of cooking in a local traditional kitchen was also very fascinating and immersive for us. We were really impressed with how self-sufficient the Balinese way of life is since almost all of the food was grown at home and many of the tools were home made as well. The oven for example was simply a brick fireplace with some holes cut into it to let the fire heat the pots and pans. And our coconut grater was a special piece of prickly bark! Our teacher Made was a really good teacher and really took care and time in making sure that he passed on a lot of knowledge to us so that we could bring our lessons home with us and keep them forever. We spent an amazing 4 hours together and made 5 different dishes, we really felt we got our money's worth and had a huge feast at the end! There were also two other women helpers (Putu and Kaidek) who didn't speak English with us but helped with the cooking. They were very sweet and welcoming and amazing to watch in the kitchen. We love the idea of Traveling Spoon and are very excited to try it in other places that we visit! We have already told multiple friends about it :)

We had such an amazing experience! This is my second time visiting and cooking with Kadek and their family. I loved them so much I came back again with my mom. They made us feel so at home and like we were part of their family. We bonded and made some great memories! When I come back again I have a family to visit. And the food was out of this world! We learned so much and it was extremely delicious! They are so fun and easy to cook with! Such a happy and positive family! Incredible experience!

Our hosts were absolutely wonderful! They made us feel instantly like a part of their family, sharing insights about the culture, language, and general way of life in Bali. Our host led us through the market, helping us bargain and try local favorites, before welcoming us into their home. They lived on a beautiful compound where we learned to cook the most amazing Balinese dishes. So much food! I will absolutely do this again in the future!

Thanks to Kadek and Putu and their families for a lovely experience! The food was divine (and I think I might even be able to recreate some of the recipes), and I loved meeting your families and visiting your home and learning more about Balinese people, food, and culture.

This was my first time using traveling spoon. It was the highlight of our trip. Our host family was so incredibly welcoming during our 4 hour visit. They were quite possibly the nicest people we have met. Initially my husband and I were nervous brining our daughter (1.5 years). We wanted to be able to participate in the cooking experience while tending to her. The entire family helped out with our daughter. She had an absolute blast with all the kids. I loved how the experience exposed us to many aspects of the Balinese culture including: the religion, history, food and the people. Anyone who gets to experience the traveling spoon with Putu and Kadek is very lucky! They treat you like your their family from the moment you enter their home.