Traditional Indian Cooking Classes
is limited to 5-6 people to encourage one on one dialogue with the instructor.
by phone or email is necessary. Sorry, no drop-ins.
- A total experience occupying four to five 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.
- Enjoy your meal by peaceful ocean view. (At Roberts Creek only)
- Recipe included in price.
: A cooking class led by chef Sarju Sooch 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 the class, Sarju presents a slide show of his trips to Indian Himalayas. These photos have been exhibited at University of Ottawa. As well as offering cooking class, Sarju leads exclusive trips to his homeland in Himalayas, where he proudly introduces clients to the native people.
: In a sampler, the guests are treated to a complete meal consisting of at least two dishes and the quintessential home made dahi (yogurt).
Schedule
Fees & Packages
| day | Slideshow | Fee (USD/CAD)* |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine Coast, BC | Yes | 80 |
| rest of BC | Yes | 90 |
| rest of Canada | Yes | 100 |
| USA | Yes | TBD |
| India | Yes | 75 |
*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.
can be scheduled at a price of $400 (CAD) for a four hour workshop.
A transferable (for Roberts Creek, BC only) is available for $265 (CAD) that includes one of the following
- Four Cooking Classes
- Two Cooking Classes + Three Samplers
- One Cooking Class + Four Samplers
Cancellation Policy
- : Clients are required to pay 33% of the full fee.
- : 50% of the full fee.
- : 75% of the full fee.
- : No refund.
- In the event of a cancellation of a scheduled class by RBTS, all payments made by the clients will be re-imbursed + a coupon for a free class will be given to the registered clients. (with an expiry date of one month from the date of the cancelled class)
News
Culinary trip to Indian Himalayas in Fall 2015.
: 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.
: Chef Sarju featured in the "Coast Reporter".
Specialties
Vegetarian
- : Spinach based gravy with paneer (cheese) dumplings.
- : With main ingredients of paneer (cheese), cahshews and cream, it is hard to go wrong with this recipe.
- : 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.
- : A simple but exotic and flavourful prepration from potatoes and peas.
- : 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. - : Made from squash, this fabulous recipe from the Kashmir region takes the humble squash to a gourmet level.
- : 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. - : Made from urad and kidney beans, this tend to be a heavier cousin of the Dahl Tarka.
- : An exotic and flavourful prepration from chickpeas.
- : Made from kidney beans and generally served with rice, it is almost a staple food in the state of Punjab in India.
Non Vegetarian
- : 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.
- : An absolutely delicious lamb dish from Kashmir region in the Himalayas. It is prepared with yogurt and several soft spices.
Dairy Products
- : 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.
- : A rough equivalent in North America would be "Cottage Cheese".
- : Appetiser or a side dish made with yogurt, vegetables and fruits. Excellent coolant for the summer days.
Slide Shows
Sarju Sooch has 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.
- : Miscellaneous shots from different regions of India.
- : Explores the Chinese as well as the Tibetan government-in-exile's viewpoint on the situation in Tibet.
- : 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.
- : 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.
- : Exploring the new and the old trends of how hashish is treated by the people living in the Himalayas and itsplace in religious ceremonies.
- : A trip to a Buddhist monastery perched up in the rock face in Zanskar + A brief introduction to acclimatisation.