Traditional Indian Cooking Classes

UPDATES:
JAN 2010: Cooking classes + Samplers will be organised in Roberts Creek, Sunshine Coast, BC from Jan 10 to Apr 29. 50% of the proceeds from the Samplers will go to support an Orphanage in the Himalayas.

OCT 2009: After a very successful cooking class trip to Boston, Ottawa and Toronto from Jul to Sep 2009; we are back on the Sunshine Coast BC. Regular classes in Roberts Creek will start from Jan 2010. We are also in the process of scheduling classes in Vancouver and Victoria.

Class size is limited to 3-4 people to encourage one on one dialogue with the instructor.

Pre registration by phone or email is necessary. Sorry, no drop-ins.

For your $60-$70 you are getting:

  • A total experience occupying two to three hours.
  • Attentive preparation of food using whole, mostly organic ingredients.
  • Gentle instruction that includes hands-on time for the students so that they will learn (No prima donna chefs here!)
  • Instructions on making a basic paste with which you can cook most of of the dishes from North India.
  • Peaceful setting by which to enjoy your meal.

Brief description of the Cooking Class and the Slide show: A cooking class at RBTS, is an integrated and interactive experience. In a class, students not only get hands on training in cooking traditional and authentic food recipes from the Himalayas and Indian sub-continent, they also get to taste their creations. After your class and the meal, which usually takes from 2 to 2.5 hours, you are most welcome to view a slide show of my photos from India and Tibet. The slide shows are prepared to give glimpses into the culture and landscape of the Himalayas and trans-Himalayas, they rarely last longer than thirty minutes, but the socialising and the discussions that follow, usually take another hour to couple of hours.

Sampler: In a sampler, the guests are treated to a complete meal consisting of at least two dishes and the quintessential home made dahi (yogurt).

 

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Schedule

schedule* (Jan-APR, 2010)
Day, Time* Sampler/Class Location
SUNDAYS, 2:00 PM Class Roberts Creek
TUESDAYS, 5:00 PM Class Roberts Creek
THURSDAYS, 5:00 PM^ Sampler Roberts Creek

PLEASE NOTE

  • *Additional classes can be scheduled for a group of more than three students, please contact for details.
  • ^Samplers will be organized on the Second Thursday of the month.
  • ^50% of the proceeds from the Samplers go to support an Orphanage in the Himalayas.
  • *Please contact us by email (rasoi@sarju.ca) or call us at 604 741 2132 for the latest information.

 

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Fees & Packages

Fees
day Slideshow Fee(USD)* Fee(CAD)*
Class: Veg Yes 60 65
Class: Non Veg Yes 65 70
Sampler: Veg No 40 40
Sampler: Non Veg No 40 40

*FEE is inclusive of all taxes. Cheques, bank transfers or cash are accepted. Fee can vary depending on the venue and recipes. Please check the current rate at the time of registration.

Pre registration for each class is absolutely necessary as there is a student limit of 4 people in each class.

Private Lessons can be scheduled at a price of $250 (CAD) for a four hour workshop.

A transferable Multi Class pass is available for $215 (CAD) that includes one of the following

  1. Four Cooking Classes
  2. Two Cooking Classes + Three Samplers
  3. One Cooking Class + Four Samplers

 

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Cancellation Policy

CANCELLATION BY RBTS:
If a scheduled class gets cancelled on behalf of the RBTS, all payments are re-imbursed + a coupon for a free class is given by RBTS to all the registered students. (Coupon with an expiry date of one month from the cancelled class)

CANCELLATION BY STUDENTS:

If Cancelled 6 weeks or earlier in advance: students are required to pay 33% of the full fee.

6 to 1 week in advance: 50% of the full fee.

1 week to 24 hours: 75% of the full fee.

Less than 24 hours or no shows: No refund.

 

 

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Specialties

Vegetarian
  • Palak Paneer: Spinach based gravy with paneer (cheese) dumplings.
  • Shahi Paneer: With main ingredients of paneer (cheese), cahshews and cream, it is hard to go wrong with this recipe.
  • Kadi: Made from homemade Yogurt "Dahi" and gram flour, some variations of kadi are also used as a digestive in several sub-regions of Himachal in the Himalayas.
  • Allo Mattar: A simple but exotic and flavourful prepration from potatoes and peas.
  • Baingan Bhartha: A speciality from North India, in which eggplants are roasted, skinned and mashed before adding them to a freshly prepared paste of spices, onions and tomatoes.
    NOTE: A recipe that has converted many eggplant skeptics to enthusiastic eggplant eaters.
  • Al Yakhani: Made from squash, this fabulous recipe from the Kashmir region takes the humble squash to a gourmet level.
  • Dal: Made from the lentils, this is one of the easiest and the most popular recipe from the Indian subcontinent.
    NOTE: This is what most of the people on the Indian subcontinent get their proteins from.
  • Dahl Makhani: Made from urad and kidney beans, this tend to be a heavier cousin of the Dahl Tarka.
  • Chana: An exotic and flavourful prepration from chickpeas.
  • Rajmah: Made from kidney beans and generally served with rice, it is almost a staple food in the state of Punjab in India.
Non Vegetarian
  • Butter Chicken: Also called "Murgh Makhani", it is traditionally from the state of Punjab. It is one of the most popular dish from the non-vegetarian platter in India.
  • Rogan Josh: An absolutely delicious lamb dish from Kashmir region in the Himalayas. It is prepared with yogurt and several soft spices.
Dairy Products
  • Dahi: Home made yogurt that can be produced overnight. It can be prepared from any milk from the dairy as well as soya and rice. It can be further used in many recipes.
  • Paneer: A rough equivalent in North America would be "Cottage Cheese".
  • Raita: Appetiser or a side dish made with yogurt, vegetables and fruits. Excellent coolant for the summer days.

 

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Slide Shows

I have created six slide shows from the photos taken in India and Tibet. The Slide shows are shown on the computer after the cooking classes and all students are welcome to watch them. Here is is a brief description of each of them.

  1. Colourful India: Miscellaneous shots from different regions of India.
  2. Cultural Genocide in Lhasa: Explores the Chinese as well as the Tibetan government-in-exile's viewpoint on the situation in Tibet.
  3. Indian Himalayas: Exploring different regions in the Indian Himalayas, their physiography and the weather patterns affecting them. A journey from Zanskar that recieves 50mm of an average annual precipitation to Chirrapunji that recieves 10,000 mm.
  4. Kailash Manimahesh circuit: Set in India, this hiking trip takes you from a predominantly Buddhist area of Lahaul to a Hindu majority area of Bharmour. It follows the trails of transhuman shepards and explores how two cultures have co-existed so peacefully in such a close proximity to each other.
  5. Lost in Parvati Valley: Exploring the new and the old trends of how hashish is treated by the people living in the Himalayas and itsplace in religious ceremonies.
  6. Trip to Phugtal: A trip to a Buddhist monastery perched up in the rock face in Zanskar + A brief introduction to acclimatisation.

 

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