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VIEW PHOTOS
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Host: Monica

Agra, India

USD
$16-$38 per person

An authentic Mughlai meal near the Taj Mahal

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Monica

Monica has been cooking since she was a young girl and still remembers the first dish she ever prepared for her family - poha, an ethereal flattened rice dish seasoned with spices. She learned most of her cooking skills from her grandmother and mother-in-law, who taught her to make an excellent kadhi chawal (yogurt curry served with rice).

In addition to cooking and feeding her loved ones, Monica helps her husband run the family restaurant, which was started by her father-in-law in 1960 making it one of the oldest restaurants in Agra. Cooking runs in the family as both her husband and son are trained chefs. Her son owns a café in Agra called Overdoze. When not cooking, Monica runs a small boutique out of her home that showcases Indian clothes and fabrics.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-10 guests) Monica lives with her husband, Sanjiv, and their son and daughter in a simple apartment just steps away from the architectural wonder that is the Taj Mahal. She will welcome you into her home with a warm smile and while you sip on your welcome drink, tell you about Mughlai cuisine and culture. Monica prepares typical home-style dishes from Uttar Pradesh, a state whose cuisine has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques. The dishes commonly cooked include mutton (goat) and paneer (fresh cheese) redolent of rich spices such as cardamom and saffron.
Your meal will be served at the dining table and may include dishes such as tandoori chicken, malai ki sabzi (vegetables cooked with cream), onion paratha (flatbread stuffed with onions and potato), butter chicken, gobi aloo (cauliflower and potato), bhindi masala (okra stuffed with spices) and kheer (rice pudding). Monica’s daughter is a talented artist and would love to showcase some of her art in the form of mehendi (henna) designs for all those interested; she also makes beautifully decorated diyas (earthen oil lamps).

Cooking experience: (1-10 guests) During the winter months, Monica will begin the cooking experience with a barbeque - you will learn how to marinate chicken and paneer (fresh Indian cheese) and cook it in a tandoor, an outdoor clay used for baking and cooking.

You will then move indoors to watch Monica's cooking demonstration at her dining table (rather than the kitchen), where she uses a portable cooktop to demonstrate how to prepare the meal that you will dine on together. She prepares some of the ingredients in advance in order to save cooking time as Indian food can take a while to cook. You will watch as she demonstrates how to make chana masala (chickpeas cooked in Monica’s special masala), dal tadka (cooked lentils, tempered with oil or ghee, spices and herbs just before serving), jeera aloo (potatoes with cumin seeds) and boondi raita (yogurt served with tiny, crispy fried balls of gram flour). Please note that this is a cooking demo, not a hands-on cooking class.

Languages spoken: English, Hindi

Traveler reviews

4.33 (3)
Monica and her family were amazing hosts!!! Super friendly and welcoming made us feel very comfortable from the beginning of our meeting. The food was plenty but most important delicious!! Exactly what we hoped for a home made meal!!
- evangeline October 10, 2022
Great experience with Monica, learnt many new things and a lot about fresh spices. Butter chicken was a Sol outlet delicious as was all the other food served, fantastic opertunity to spend time in a family home and see some real Indian cooking culture... Would highly recommend, thankyou Monica
- Will N February 16, 2019
It was very expensive for what it was. We booked the market visit and cooking class. I thought we would be cooking but we watched Monica cook. The food was fresh and very well prepared and Monica explained everything very well. We paid for transport to and from the spice market and our driver was asked to drive there and back. It wasn't a spice market it was a chemist and newsagents selling spices at the back of the shop. Monica bought some spices she didn't use and said she was a spice merchant so it was just for show. Monica bought some vegetables at a vegetable cart on the side of the road and then we returned home. Not quite a vegetable and spice market experience. The cooking class lasted the correct time and there was plenty of food. I bought alcohol with the experience but was not aware that this was one drink per person. We were only made aware of this at the end when she gave us a bill. I paid $20 for the alcohol and we were charged 350 Rupees per drink when I believed I had already paid. $220 plus 2,000 Rupees is far too expensive for this trip!!!!
- Jenny Burnett March 24, 2017
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Monica

$16-$38 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $30 $25 $16
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $38 $32 $26
Alcohol
 $5 per person
Transportation
 $26 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $30 $25 $16
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $38 $32 $26
Alcohol
 $5 per person
Transportation
 $26 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:30pm-2:30pm 7:30pm-9:30pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 11:00am-2:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm

Meet Monica

Monica has been cooking since she was a young girl and still remembers the first dish she ever prepared for her family - poha, an ethereal flattened rice dish seasoned with spices. She learned most of her cooking skills from her grandmother and mother-in-law, who taught her to make an excellent kadhi chawal (yogurt curry served with rice).

In addition to cooking and feeding her loved ones, Monica helps her husband run the family restaurant, which was started by her father-in-law in 1960 making it one of the oldest restaurants in Agra. Cooking runs in the family as both her husband and son are trained chefs. Her son owns a café in Agra called Overdoze. When not cooking, Monica runs a small boutique out of her home that showcases Indian clothes and fabrics.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (1-10 guests) Monica lives with her husband, Sanjiv, and their son and daughter in a simple apartment just steps away from the architectural wonder that is the Taj Mahal. She will welcome you into her home with a warm smile and while you sip on your welcome drink, tell you about Mughlai cuisine and culture. Monica prepares typical home-style dishes from Uttar Pradesh, a state whose cuisine has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques. The dishes commonly cooked include mutton (goat) and paneer (fresh cheese) redolent of rich spices such as cardamom and saffron.
Your meal will be served at the dining table and may include dishes such as tandoori chicken, malai ki sabzi (vegetables cooked with cream), onion paratha (flatbread stuffed with onions and potato), butter chicken, gobi aloo (cauliflower and potato), bhindi masala (okra stuffed with spices) and kheer (rice pudding). Monica’s daughter is a talented artist and would love to showcase some of her art in the form of mehendi (henna) designs for all those interested; she also makes beautifully decorated diyas (earthen oil lamps).

Cooking experience: (1-10 guests) During the winter months, Monica will begin the cooking experience with a barbeque - you will learn how to marinate chicken and paneer (fresh Indian cheese) and cook it in a tandoor, an outdoor clay used for baking and cooking.

You will then move indoors to watch Monica's cooking demonstration at her dining table (rather than the kitchen), where she uses a portable cooktop to demonstrate how to prepare the meal that you will dine on together. She prepares some of the ingredients in advance in order to save cooking time as Indian food can take a while to cook. You will watch as she demonstrates how to make chana masala (chickpeas cooked in Monica’s special masala), dal tadka (cooked lentils, tempered with oil or ghee, spices and herbs just before serving), jeera aloo (potatoes with cumin seeds) and boondi raita (yogurt served with tiny, crispy fried balls of gram flour). Please note that this is a cooking demo, not a hands-on cooking class.

Languages spoken: English, Hindi

Traveler reviews

4.33 (3)
Monica and her family were amazing hosts!!! Super friendly and welcoming made us feel very comfortable from the beginning of our meeting. The food was plenty but most important delicious!! Exactly what we hoped for a home made meal!!
- evangeline October 10, 2022
Great experience with Monica, learnt many new things and a lot about fresh spices. Butter chicken was a Sol outlet delicious as was all the other food served, fantastic opertunity to spend time in a family home and see some real Indian cooking culture... Would highly recommend, thankyou Monica
- Will N February 16, 2019
It was very expensive for what it was. We booked the market visit and cooking class. I thought we would be cooking but we watched Monica cook. The food was fresh and very well prepared and Monica explained everything very well. We paid for transport to and from the spice market and our driver was asked to drive there and back. It wasn't a spice market it was a chemist and newsagents selling spices at the back of the shop. Monica bought some spices she didn't use and said she was a spice merchant so it was just for show. Monica bought some vegetables at a vegetable cart on the side of the road and then we returned home. Not quite a vegetable and spice market experience. The cooking class lasted the correct time and there was plenty of food. I bought alcohol with the experience but was not aware that this was one drink per person. We were only made aware of this at the end when she gave us a bill. I paid $20 for the alcohol and we were charged 350 Rupees per drink when I believed I had already paid. $220 plus 2,000 Rupees is far too expensive for this trip!!!!
- Jenny Burnett March 24, 2017
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $30 $25 $16
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $38 $32 $26
Alcohol
 $5 per person
Transportation
 $26 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $30 $25 $16
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $38 $32 $26
Alcohol
 $5 per person
Transportation
 $26 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 12:30pm-2:30pm 7:30pm-9:30pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 11:00am-2:00pm 6:00pm-9:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

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    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

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