posted by Archana on Chelsea, Dinner, Events, Indian, Lunch, Meat, Steals & Deals, Vegging Out

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My friend and I signed up for an Indian cooking class at the Chelsea restaurant Bombay Talkie this past weekend and it was such a blast! We called ahead to make sure we were actually cooking because the $35 price tag seemed too low compared to a typical NYC cooking class, which runs at about $100.

It turns out we weren’t actually cooking. It was more like the Food Network where Bombay Talkie’s owner Sunitha Ramaiah showed us how to make each of the dishes and then we sampled the food. Though I would’ve loved to actually cook, this tasting format was still really fun and totally worth the money. It was really interactive – we could ask tons of questions and even got the chance to help out with one of the dishes. To top it off, the food was so delicious and we got to take home all of the recipes and jars of Indian spices used in the food she cooked for us. I’ve included a couple of her recipes below!

The class was called “Greatest Hits,” where we made some of the most popular Indian foods – masala dosas, palak paneer, chicken biryani and chicken tikka masala. I love chicken in Indian food, so I was a a carnivore on this one, but the restaurant was more than accommodating to vegetarians.

First, we started out with a “Chandrasena,” a cocktail made with mango, pineapple, vodka and mint, and then the cooking began! First on the agenda: dosas (recipe below). Since Ramaiah is South Indian herself, she certainly knows how to cook this southie specialty. Interesting fact: Her dad owns the amazing South Indian restaurant Saravana Bhavan in Murray Hill.

What you need (for dosa mix):

2 cups long-grain rice
½ cup urad dal (get at an Indian food store)
1 tsp salt
¾ cup olive oil

What to do:

Wash rice in several changes of water.  Place in bowl and cover with water by 2 inches and leave to soak for 6 hours. Drain. Wash urad dal in several changes of water. Place in bowl and cover with water by 2 inches and leave to soak for 6 hours. Drain. Put rice in a blender and blend until rice begins to break up.  Slowly add ¾ cup of water to rice batter. Empty the rice batter into a bowl.

Clean the blender and put in the urad dal and blend as finely as possible.  Slowly add 2/3 cup of water, 1 tbs at a time. Blend until frothy. Add the urad dal batter to the rice batter. Cover the bowl with an overturned plate and put in oven for about 20-22 hours. When the batter ferments, thin it out with 1-1¼ cups of water.

Season cast-iron frying pan with olive-oil/ghee over a medium-low flame. Place batter in center of pan and using small bowl spread batter in a continuous spiral motion into an egg-shape.  Dribble 1 tsp of oil/ghee over the pancake and spread gently with spatula.  Cook for about 2½ minutes or until it is golden on the bottom. Turn over and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. Leftover batter may be refrigerated.

What you need (for masala):

3 large potatoes boiled, peeled and slightly mashed
3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter, but can also use olive oil)
1 tsp mustard seeds
6 washed and dried curry leaves
1 red onion, cut in half and then lengthwise
2 or 3 small green chilies
2 tbsp halved cashews
2 tsp urad dal
Lemon Juice to taste
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

In a cast-iron pot over a medium-high flame, heat the oil/ghee.  Add the mustard seeds until they begin to pop.  Add the curry leaves and stir once.  Add the onions and cook until translucent and golden-brown on the edges.  Add the green chilies and stir twice.  Add the cashews until a bit soft and browned.  Add the urad dal and cook until just brown.  Add the mashed potatoes and salt.  Add the lemon juice and stir once or twice.  Sprinkle coriander leaves on top.

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Then we moved onto the palak panner:

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And next we tried the chicken biryani (recipe below):

What you need:

1″ peeled ginger
5 or 6 large cloves of garlic
4 cloves
½ long stick cinnamon
1 large handful fresh coriander leaves
6 small green chilies
5 shallots
2 tbsp ghee
4 cardamoms
1 handful fresh mint
1 red onion, cut in half and then lengthwise
1 tomato, cut into medium size pieces
3 tsp salt
2 lbs chicken breast meat, skinned, and cut into 1″ thick pieces
2 cups washed basmati rice
3½ – 4 Cups boiling water
3 tsp lime juice

What to do:

Preset oven to 350ºF. In a blender, put in the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, coriander leaves, green chilies and shallots.  Add a little water (1/8 cup) and blend to create a smooth paste.  Set aside. In a cast iron pot, heat the ghee on a medium-high heat.  Add the cardamom and mint leaves and stir for one minute.  Add the red onion and cook in the ghee until translucent and browned around the edges.  Add the tomato and cook for three minutes. Add the contents of the blender and cook for five minutes.  Add the salt and chicken pieces.  Cook in the masala for three minutes.  Add one cup of water.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and let cook for thirty minutes.

Add the basmati rice and three additional cups of water.  Taste the gravy.  Add salt to taste.  Add the lime juice.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and put in the oven for 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.

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And we ended with one of the most popular Indian dishes far and wide – chicken tikka masala. It had a ton of cream and butter in it, but that’s why this is one of my faves!

I highly recommend this class for anyone who wants to take a stab at Indian cooking or even just to have a fun, educational tasting experience. I’ve been wanting to cook more Indian food lately (the best I can do right now is chana masala), so this class was a perfect catalyst. It demystified the process and made me realize that it’s not actually difficult once you have the right ingredients.

Bombay Talkie has three classes left for the season:

June 20: Street Foods
June 27: Vegetarian cooking (sad I’m going to miss this one while on vacation!)
July 11: Breads and condiments

They’ll also be offering a series in the fall and are toying with the idea of dessert, cocktail and wine pairing classes. Each class is $35 or $100 for 4 classes. Call Bombay Talkie to reserve a spot.

Bon appétit!

Bombay Talkie
189 9th Ave. (between 21st and 22nd Sts.)
212.242.1900
1, C, E to 23rd St.