To offset the not-cool of being told I have a deformed left foot
yesterday, my mom, sister and I met up for a cooking class at the Natural Gourmet Institute called Spices: The Heart and Soul of Indian Cuisine. The instructor, Richard LaMarita, led us through several recipes before splitting the room into groups of three to prepare an Indian feast.

On the menu:

• Kerala Shrimp with Curry Leaves
• Spring Vegetable Curry
• Coconut Green Beans
• Bengali-Style Red Lentil Dahl
• Fragrant Basmati Rice Pulao
• Pineapple Chutney
• Carrot-Saffron Halva

Everything came out fantastically. I love cooking classes. I’m not sure what I like better—the cooking or the eating. Ah, who am I kidding? After cooking for a few hours, there is nothing like sitting down and enjoying the fruits of your collective labors. 

The beer in the frosty glasses was also a nice touch.

I had such a great time—I’d always wanted to learn how to work with the spices used in Indian cooking, and I came away feeling like I understand some of the basics. Maybe I’ll even be trying some of these dishes at home in the near future…

Do you like cooking classes? What’s one style of cooking you’d love to learn?