Warm and inviting course on local Sri Lankan cuisine - Aunty Mo provided a diverse and thoughtful crash course on Sri Lankan cooking. Having visited Sri Lanka several times, this course provided terrific insight to the local cuisine. I was impressed by the diverse range of dishes from a similar baseline of ingredients, and each dish produced offered a complex, flavourful outcome. Aunty Mo is warm, passionate about local cuisine, and grateful she opened up her home and heart for this course.

An Amazing Introduction to the World of Sri Lankan Cooking - Mohara Dole is an accomplished chef and recipe author who conceived the approach "Cooking by Color" to underscore the ways you can assess quantities of key ingredients such as chili powder and coconut milk in a dish, whether the dish is sufficiently cooked, and simply the beautiful range of colors in putting together a meal. Mohara runs this highly personalized class in her beautiful home for individuals and small groups. Those with some familiarity of south Asian ingredients, cooking terms, and techniques will be delighted with the opportunity to produce several fairly sophisticated dishes in traditional clay pots. For those with minimal cooking experience, Mohara is happy treating the class as a demonstration, doing some or all of the preparation herself and explaining as she goes, and encouraging you to be as much hands-on as you are comfortable. There is not a fixed start or end time to the session, and Mohara will prefer to customize it around your time and interests, including discussing the menu. I was Mohara's student on a sunny, breezy day in Colombo. After a little introductory chat over a freshly made coconut drink, Mohara went over key ingredients, some of which are common to South Asian cooking and others more particular to Sri Lanka cuisine. In all, and with the quiet and confident help of Mohara's assistant, we made two different types of rice, a warm vegetable side dish, and four wonderful curries (chicken, prawn, mango, and a type of local squash). Mohara encouraged me to do as much of the prep and cooking as I wanted, up to and including grating coconut on a traditional grater. After eating all the delicious food, we enjoyed scoops of firm-style yogurt (curd) with honey, and famous Ceylon coffee or tea. The personal touch, extent of the menu, and introduction to so many local techniques and ingredients was exactly what I was looking for. Mohara was a delightful teacher, and I would recommend this experience for anyone who really wants to immerse in Sri Lanka cooking.

Magical Afternoon - We scheduled an afternoon cooking class with Mohara and the experience did not disappoint. Her home is a wonderful setting to enjoy delightful, hands-on instructions on cooking the many specialties Sri Lanka has to offer. Mohara is a patient and enjoyable host, teacher, and chef. She is extremely talented and is very open to sharing her skills. If you have the opportunity to be in Sri Lanka, spend time with Mohara. We are so glad we did!!