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Learn to cook biriyani with a fort family

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Biriyani is a native dish to the Indian subcontinent consisting of spiced rice usually served with meat and vegetable side dishes such as curried peas, malay pickle, cashew curry and raita. Biriyani is typically prepared by muslim households in Sri Lanka and the dish itself is often served at muslim celebrations and festivities. Learn to make this rich and delicious dish in the home of a local Muslim family for an experience that is as cultural and authentic as it is delicious.

Experience Overview

Arrive in the morning at the home of your host family to be warmly greeted and welcomed as though you were an extra family member. Your host is a charming 4th generation Fort resident who is passionate about cooking and is well-known in the Galle area for her impressive food. With the assistance of her three daughters your host will take you through the basics of a biriyani, allowing you to take a hands-on role in the cooking process so that you will learn how to prepare, marinade, season, and cook the biriyani from scratch. Many of the ingredients are sourced from your host’s own garden and you will be invited outside to pick them yourself and add them to the dish. Once you’ve finished cooking sit down for a meal with the family to enjoy the food you’ve made. After lunch expect some entertainment in the form of singing and dancing. Don’t feel shy, this is very normal in a Sri Lankan family and it’s all part of the fun!

Includes:  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Includes:

A host, lunch, refreshments

Duration:  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Duration:

Around 3 hours

Starting time:  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Starting time:

12noon

What to wear or bring along:  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
What to wear or bring along:

Light, cool clothing. Aprons will be provided so you need not worry about getting your clothes messy.

Important to know:  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Important to know:

Dietary restrictions should be informed to SLIS in advance.

Private or not?  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Private or not?

This experience is always private.

Suitable for children?  - Experience - Sri Lanka In Style
Suitable for children?

Small children may not follow but they will be made to feel like part of the family and given plenty of attention!

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Managing Expectations

It is important to remember that, whilst they are experts in their field, the people who run or host our experiences are not necessarily used to working in the tourism industry and may not offer the level of service you would find at a five-star hotel. For example, instead of a formal lecture, you may get a relaxed conversation where open discussion is encouraged. All of our hosts are, however, extremely engaging, knowledgeable and passionate about educating visitors about their chosen subject and we have worked with them to ensure that they deliver worthwhile, fulfilling experiences. We welcome feedback, so please let us know what you thought and if you think any improvements could be made to the experiences we offer.

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