Every Balinese dish worth eating starts with bumbu — the spice paste my grandmother ground every morning before the house woke up. In this class I teach it the way I learned it: by smell and by hand, not by recipe card. We meet at the market at 07:30 while the produce is still coming off the trucks, buy galangal, turmeric, candlenuts and chillies together, then go back to your villa and cook a menu you will actually make again at home. I have taught honeymooners, families with kids, and one very serious group of chefs from Melbourne. Everyone grinds their own paste.
What We Cook
Bumbu Bali
The base spice paste, ground by hand in a stone mortar — shallot, garlic, galangal, turmeric, candlenut, chilli. You take a jar home.
Sate Lilit
Minced fish satay pressed onto lemongrass stalks and grilled over charcoal — the dish every guest is proudest of.
Ayam Sisit & Urap
Shredded spiced chicken and the blanched vegetable salad with fresh grated coconut that goes with everything in Bali.
Dadar Gulung
Pandan crepes rolled around palm-sugar coconut — the green dessert you have seen at every market and finally learn to make.
How the Class Day Runs
We start at the market — Badung in Denpasar if you want the full experience, or your nearest local market in Canggu, Ubud or Sanur if the morning should stay slow. Your chef walks you through the spice tables, explains what real candlenut and fresh turmeric look like, and haggles in Balinese while you watch the price drop. Cooking runs about three hours in your villa kitchen, hands-on the whole way, and ends with lunch at your own table. The whole class is 4–5 hours; groceries are included in the price. Curious about the stalls before you commit? Read our Bali food markets guide.
Classes work for 1 to 10 guests, kids welcome from about age six (they love flattening the sate lilit). Vegetarian and vegan versions of the full menu are ready to go — see dietary menus. And if you would rather skip the cooking and keep the eating, that is exactly what a private dinner is for. Want to try bumbu at home first? We published our step-by-step bumbu recipe — fair warning, the class version tastes better.
How It Works
Book on WhatsApp
Send your date, villa area and group size. We confirm availability the same day — 24–48 hours ahead is ideal.
Approve your menu
We send 2–3 menu proposals built around your tastes, allergies and diet. You pick, we lock the fixed price.
We shop fresh
Your chef buys everything the same morning at local markets — groceries are included or itemised by receipt, your choice.
Dinner is served
The chef cooks in your villa kitchen, plates and serves every course, then leaves the kitchen spotless.
Pricing in IDR
IDR 600,000 per person includes the market visit, all groceries, 3 hours of hands-on cooking, lunch and a jar of your own bumbu to keep.
| Option | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Full class with market | 07:30 market visit + cooking + lunch | IDR 600,000 /person |
| Villa-only class | Skip the market, start at 10:00 | IDR 500,000 /person |
| Private couple class | 2 guests, any start time | IDR 1,300,000 /couple |
| Kids (6–12) | Joining a parent's class | IDR 300,000 /child |
Compare with dinners and other services on the pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is the class suitable for vegetarians or vegans?
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Areas We Cover
Ready to Get Your Hands Dirty?
Send your date and group size on WhatsApp — we confirm the market meeting point and everything you need (nothing, really) the same day.
Book a Cooking Class