cooking classes in india

[rleibson]

I am planning a trip to India in March and would love to take a cooking class or two. I'm not interested in a full "culinary tour" of the country or a long stay at a Kerala resort with classes though I've seen lots of these advertised. We'll be there for a wedding and will need to fit in the cooking classes with a full roster of other events! Right now we're planning to be in Mumbai, Delhi and possibly one other city. Can anyone recommed a class or at least tell me where to start looking?
Thanks!

[gumnaam]

Sorry, this is not a recomendation but a suggestion. You may want to post your question on Thorntree (thorntree.lonelyplanet.com).

[jen kalb]

This is not as trodden a path as you would think it was. Maybe because, in India, cooking is mostly done in the home and there are a lot of religious strictures around it in terms of who is allowed in a proper kitchen, etc.

that said, Ive heard of the following places where one might have cooking lessons - I am sure there are others and that if you stay in homestays, heritage accomodations, etc they might be arranged elsewhere:
*Nimmy Paul in Kerala - http://www.nimmypaul.com/
*also in Kerala but this time the muslim keeralan cuisine, *Ayisha Manzil, a heritage hotel in Telicherry -cooking and accomodations here are reputed to be very special - here is a blog entry about it http://traveling.inthekitchenwithlisa...
*intrepid tours out of Australia offers personalized culinary tours from Delhi to Goa - could do pieces of this, I think - they start with classes at Bajaj Homestay in Delhi.
*The lady at Delhi Bed and Breakfast in New Delhi offers cooking and shopping classes.
*The Spice Box in Udaipur is run by a chef and offers day-long cooking classes, Ive heard good reports.
*in Bundi, Rajasthan - RK Haveli Guest House, a simple family guest house, Ive heard reports the proprietress will demonstrate/teach some cooking in an informal way (if you search online you will see some accounts of a visit here
)*As previously mentioned, some heritage hotels will offer a class or demonstration if you ask - for example Rohet Garh in Rajasthan (near Jodhpur) is known for this

good luck, and I hope you will post back as you find out more

[rleibson]

Thank you for all this wonderful information! Clearly I need to do a little more research before our trip so I can at least identify some of the major different types of Indian cuisine. I see I have some work cut out for me. Again, thanks.

[marinellamendonca]

In Goa, a woman named Branca operates a cooking class BRANCA'S COOKING CLASSES in Panaji, Goa out of her home (she’s Goan). She offers private lessons that include three dishes, which you choose from her own family’s cookbook. We were very happy with the cooking course. It was a great learning experience as she shared with us all the family secrets on cooking Indian dishes.It is the best place in India to learn all the best Indian dishes.One advise is book the course at least 1 day in advance to avoid disappointment. She runs the classes daily from Monday to Sunday. This course is about $60; you could email her on [e-mail] or call her on 9822131835. Her address :
DETROIT INSTITUTE
JOSE FALCAO ROAD
NEAR IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PANJIM CHURCH
OPPOSITE PROGRESS HIGH SCHOOL,
NEXT TO SILIMKHAN OPTICIANS,
PANAJI, GOA
TEL : [phone].
U can send me an email for further details.

[william_roed]

Hey,

I had been to Branca's cooking classes while in Goa. I enjoyed it very much. I highly recommend her cookery classes in India. One of her most popular menus are Indian menu and Vegetarian menu. We must say the Chef has a lot of patience and speaks very good English. We did both the menus and we found they were good value for money.

Her new email address is
[e-mail] or [e-mail]
Her contact no is 9822131835.

Hope this helps ...

[LJG]

I highly recommend The Madhuram Cooking School in Ajmer, Rajasthan.The owner, Mrs Manisha Shekhawat, should have her own show on the Food Network given her passion, personality and knowledge of Indian cooking. Vegetarian only.
I spent a delightful few days with her in May 2008. Telephone: [phone] Mobile: [phone]
Address: 6/9, near Mahveer Circle, Ajmer and B-137,GHI, near Vinayak Complex, Panchsheel, Ajmer

[jen kalb]

obviously this will not help the OP but in Delhi, the proprietress at Delhi Bed and Breakfast, where we stayed, is a very good cook and offers cooking classes as well as shopping trips and dinner, if you stay there and reserve.. style is punjabi - most of the food is vegetarian altho the mother-in law cooks great meat dishes as well.
www.delhibedandbreakfast.com

There are several places in Udaipur that offer cooking classes, with guidebook listings and even signs on the street. It would probably be a good place for a day class.

[steve858]

I just returned from a week in Delhi where I had the most wonderful cooking class. After lots of web searching, I signed up for a 4 hour intro to Indian cooking run by a lady named Jyoti Agarwal, who holds the classes in her home.

Jyoti is a professionally trained chef and chocolatier who has a passion for food. After being asked by a friend to give a cooking class for some visitors, she's turned it into a business. Though she has a variety of classes, the majority of visitors are like me: folks who know how to cook and love Indian food, but don't understand the unique techniques and ingredients used and want a general introduction. She customizes the classes to your request, but mine was typical: we spent 11AM-1:30PM cooking a meal, at which point her sons joined us to eat and talk. Afterward, she took us to her favorite market where we bought spices, etc.

Jyoti has a web site at "www.gourmetdesire.com" - I recommend her highly.

[Krissythecook]

My browser won't open this. Do you have any other address to reach Ms. Agarwal? Does she work in July? Thanks.

[justintime]

http://www.gourmetdesire.com/gourmet.htm

looks like this site works. will be in delhi in a few weeks and hoping to try out her class.