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Host: Malki

Colombo, Sri Lanka

USD
$18-$58 per person

Catch fresh lake fish and cook it in a local's home in Piliyandala

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

Meet Malki

Malki was a preschool teacher and is now a homemaker and proud mother. She is very passionate about cooking and it gives her immense joy to cook for friends and family. Even as a child Malki was always fascinated by watching her mother cook which is how her love for food started. Her family relish their mother's cooking and Malki truly enjoys cooking traditional Sri Lankan dishes for them everyday. She is excited to share her love for cooking with travelers who would like to learn more about Sri Lankan food.

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: (1-5 guests) Malki lives with her husband and lovely daughter in the suburbs of Colombo. It is about 20 km from Colombo city, very close to the beautiful Piliyandala lake. This is a leafy, residential suburb and is much quieter and cooler than the city - you will notice the drop in temperature as soon as you leave the city and are close to the lake area. Join them at their dining table to enjoy some family recipes that Malki learned from her mother growing up. A few dishes that you may try are prawn curry cooked in coconut milk, pineapple or beetroot curry, beans, okra or eggplant accompanied with Sri Lankan rice. You will end your meal with yoghurt and fresh fruit.

Cooking experience: (1-5 guests) Join Malki in her clean and well organized kitchen for a 1-hour cooking class. Before you start she will introduce you to the spices used in Sri Lankan cooking. You will then cook a seasonal vegetable and a prawn or fish curry from scratch along with her. First learn to clean and marinate the prawn or fish, then prepare the gravy and cook it. Later help chop, stir and cook okra or eggplant or another seasonal vegetable, before you sit down at the dining table to enjoy the meal you helped prepare with Malki. You will help prepare two dishes during your cooking class and Malki will pre-cook the remaining 2-3 dishes that you will be eating.

Market visit: (1-5 guests) Meet Malki and Mahesh at their home and drive together for about 15 minutes to the Piliyandala market. Piliyandala is a suburb of Colombo (18 km from Colombo city) and has a thriving market in the town center. This is a huge open market where locals like to shop for their vegetables, fruits and spices. Walk around the market and learn more about the regional and local produce. You may even buy a seasonal vegetable for your cooking class. On the way back from the vegetable market you will stop at the lake to buy some fresh fish or prawns! The fishermen go fishing early morning and sell their produce during the day. The seafood is very fresh here and if you feel adventurous you can hop on a boat and go fishing as well!

Notes: Malki can offer a vegetarian meal on request. Please let her know when booking your experience.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Fresh juice or king coconut water
  • Fresh lake fish or prawn curry
  • Sri Lankan rice
  • 2 seasonal vegetable curries
  • Fresh fruit with yoghurt

Traveler reviews

This is a new host who does not yet have any reviews. You can see reviews of our other Colombo Traveling Spoon experiences on TripAdvisor:
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Malki

$18-$58 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 $24 $18
Cooking Experience + Meal
$44 $38 $32
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$58 $52 $46
Alcohol
$6 per person
Transportation
$18 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$30 $24 $18
Cooking Experience + Meal
$44 $38 $32
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$58 $52 $46
Alcohol
$6 per person
Transportation
$18 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
10:00am-1:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
9:00am-1:00pm 4:00pm-8:00pm

Meet Malki

Malki was a preschool teacher and is now a homemaker and proud mother. She is very passionate about cooking and it gives her immense joy to cook for friends and family. Even as a child Malki was always fascinated by watching her mother cook which is how her love for food started. Her family relish their mother's cooking and Malki truly enjoys cooking traditional Sri Lankan dishes for them everyday. She is excited to share her love for cooking with travelers who would like to learn more about Sri Lankan food.

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: (1-5 guests) Malki lives with her husband and lovely daughter in the suburbs of Colombo. It is about 20 km from Colombo city, very close to the beautiful Piliyandala lake. This is a leafy, residential suburb and is much quieter and cooler than the city - you will notice the drop in temperature as soon as you leave the city and are close to the lake area. Join them at their dining table to enjoy some family recipes that Malki learned from her mother growing up. A few dishes that you may try are prawn curry cooked in coconut milk, pineapple or beetroot curry, beans, okra or eggplant accompanied with Sri Lankan rice. You will end your meal with yoghurt and fresh fruit.

Cooking experience: (1-5 guests) Join Malki in her clean and well organized kitchen for a 1-hour cooking class. Before you start she will introduce you to the spices used in Sri Lankan cooking. You will then cook a seasonal vegetable and a prawn or fish curry from scratch along with her. First learn to clean and marinate the prawn or fish, then prepare the gravy and cook it. Later help chop, stir and cook okra or eggplant or another seasonal vegetable, before you sit down at the dining table to enjoy the meal you helped prepare with Malki. You will help prepare two dishes during your cooking class and Malki will pre-cook the remaining 2-3 dishes that you will be eating.

Market visit: (1-5 guests) Meet Malki and Mahesh at their home and drive together for about 15 minutes to the Piliyandala market. Piliyandala is a suburb of Colombo (18 km from Colombo city) and has a thriving market in the town center. This is a huge open market where locals like to shop for their vegetables, fruits and spices. Walk around the market and learn more about the regional and local produce. You may even buy a seasonal vegetable for your cooking class. On the way back from the vegetable market you will stop at the lake to buy some fresh fish or prawns! The fishermen go fishing early morning and sell their produce during the day. The seafood is very fresh here and if you feel adventurous you can hop on a boat and go fishing as well!

Notes: Malki can offer a vegetarian meal on request. Please let her know when booking your experience.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Fresh juice or king coconut water
  • Fresh lake fish or prawn curry
  • Sri Lankan rice
  • 2 seasonal vegetable curries
  • Fresh fruit with yoghurt

Traveler reviews

This is a new host who does not yet have any reviews. You can see reviews of our other Colombo Traveling Spoon experiences on TripAdvisor:
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$30 $24 $18
Cooking Experience + Meal
$44 $38 $32
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$58 $52 $46
Alcohol
$6 per person
Transportation
$18 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
$30 $24 $18
Cooking Experience + Meal
$44 $38 $32
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
$58 $52 $46
Alcohol
$6 per person
Transportation
$18 per car
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
12:00pm-2:00pm 7:00pm-9:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
10:00am-1:00pm 5:00pm-8:00pm
Market Tour+ Cooking Experience + Meal
9:00am-1:00pm 4:00pm-8:00pm
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

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    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.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.