One Day Yunnan Lijiang Naxi Food Cooking Class Tour with Local Market Visit
Tour Overview
The day-long Lijiang cooking course is a combination of all the good stuff: market visit, practical cooking, and Naxi cultural immersion—all of which are very genuine local life experiences that go beyond merely seeing the places. You are going to witness the whole process starting from the market where the ingredients are come from going through cooking and finally enjoying a meal prepared in the local way—all these things are together with the Naxi food, history, and community.
The tour starts at the Elephant Hill Market, Lijiang’s ancient outdoor market where the locals exchange their goods such as wild vegetables, cured meats, mushrooms, and fresh fruits. You will be accompanied by a local guide who will help you in finding the old-time ingredients and later on will lead you to the class with all the required items. As the day goes on, you will be taken to a warm-hearted Naxi family’s house who will teach you how to make three of their main dishes—Ghost Chicken, rice noodles in claypot, and sweet dessert drink with regional fruit—while sharing the secrets of Naxi culture and daily cooking practices.
Travel destination: Lijiang
Suitable for: Foodies, Family with Kids
Tour type: Private
Highlights of this tour:
- Explore Lijiang’s oldest open-air market to discover seasonal produce, wild herbs, cured meats, and Naxi food culture.
- Join a Lijiang cooking class in a local Naxi family home guided step by step by a professional chef.
- Learn to prepare 3 authentic dishes — Ghost Chicken, Claypot Rice Noodles, and a traditional Naxi sweet drink — using fresh ingredients bought from the market we visited.
- Gain an insight into Naxi food, language, and dining customs and enjoy your hand-cooked meal in a courtyard.
Day-by-day Itinerary
- Day 1: Lijiang Market Visit & Cooking Class
At the appointed time, your guide will meet you at one of the oldest open-air markets in Lijiang - Elephant Hill Market. It got the name because it is located near Elephant Hill. This market spontaneously emerged in the late 20th century and mainly sells local specialties such as cured pork ribs, wild vegetables, wild honey, and various types of fungi. Also, there is a section for cured meat and cheap food stalls. Go with your guide to see the different seasonal ingredients, and get introduced to some old wild herbs and their effects.
Elephant Hill Market in Lijiang In addition, you can also have a try at local snacks and special strong alcoholic drinks (please confirm that you are not allergic to alcohol). Watch the locals speak and sell food in Naxi, and immerse yourself into the local life of the market. So, today we will learn to prepare three dishes and buy all the ingredients that we need for the cooking classes here.
Afterwards, you will be taken to a local Naxi family where you will begin your cooking class. There will be a professional chef on site to guide you, from handling ingredients to production steps.
The first dish is called 'Ghost Chicken' (鬼鸡). You will definitely feel strange hearing the name. It is a cold dish in Yunnan, evolved from the ritual of killing chickens and worshiping ghosts, and is now one of the representative dishes of banquets. This dish is mainly made from free-range or black-bone chicken, boiled and shredded into thin strips. It is served with seasonings such as minced chili peppers, ginger and garlic, and houttuynia cordata. Fresh lime juice is added to enhance the flavor. The taste is sour, spicy, and refreshing, with high protein and low fat content.
Ghost Chicken - a kind of cold dish in Yunnan The second dish is Claypot Rice Noodles (罐罐米线). It is a Kunming specialty cooked in a specially made pottery jar, with a history dating back a hundred years. Put rice noodles, bone broth, fresh meat and other ingredients into an uncovered small clay pot, heat to boiling, and add mint, chili powder and other seasonings. This food later branched into more than 10 flavors such as Dai style and pickled vegetables, and developed a series of Kunming street snacks like Clay Pot Potatoes.
The last dish is Paoluda (帕露达), a Yunnan dessert originating from Southeast Asia - Myanmar and Thailand. Adapted in the southwestern region of Yunnan, it features coconut milk, supplemented with dry bread slices, sago, coconut shreds, and fruits as accessories. Through a unique preparation process, it has a rich combination of milky and coconut flavors. In the southwest Yunnan, it is popular as a refreshing drink and has also become a food substitute for regular meals due to its rich ingredients.
Paoluda, a Yunnan dessert Note: This menu is subject to change based on availability.
Enjoy the delicious meal you prepared yourself in the host’s courtyard garden, basking in the warm sunshine. After lunch, we will escort you to Lijiang Old Town, where the tour ends here. Please go back to your hotel on your own.
Tour Price Per Person
The price varies depending on the activity, number of people, travel date, and selected hotel. Please contact us for a specific price.
