Cooking class in Sri Lanka - where to actually learn Sri Lankan food properly and not just do tourist theatre?

I run food tours and cooking workshops in Colombo, so I know this scene well. Here's how to find the real ones.

The difference between a genuine class and a performance is simple: does the teacher show you technique or just let you stir a pre-cooked pot? A good class should teach you how to make your own coconut milk from scratch (grating, pressing, the two extractions), how to temper mustard seeds and curry leaves without burning them, and why the order of adding ingredients to a curry matters. If none of that happens, it's a performance.

Good options I can actually recommend:

Home cook classes in Colombo and Kandy: look for classes run from someone's actual kitchen, not a hotel kitchen. These usually come through guesthouse recommendations. In Kandy especially, a number of local families run 3-4 hour classes from their homes for LKR 3,500-5,000 per person. You'll make 5-6 dishes, eat everything you cooked, and leave with recipes.

Market-to-table format: the best classes start at the local vegetable and fish market at 8am, you shop with the teacher, then cook from 9am to 1pm. This is worth paying extra for.

What a proper class should cover: coconut sambol (simple but technique-heavy), dhal curry, one fish or chicken curry, string hoppers or hoppers from scratch, and a pol roti. That's a real Sri Lankan meal and it's achievable in 3 hours.

Hotel cooking classes: usually competent but not what you're looking for. Too polished, too sanitised, no market visit.

Price range for a serious class: LKR 4,000-8,000 per person. Anything under LKR 2,500 is likely a short demonstration rather than proper teaching.