Walk together with Sujata to the Mehrauli Village market, 5 -10 minutes away from Sujata's home. This is a very old, open-air market with old world charm. Be prepared for the market to be crowded and messy as you walk through the village area, and to get a true glimpse into of the lives of local people. Later Sujata will take you to the vegetable market where you might buy a few ingredients to use together in your cooking class.
Join Sujata in her small kitchen where she will demonstrate 1-2 dishes which you will later eat together. (You can expect your full meal to contain more dishes but for timing reasons only 1-2 of the dishes will be demonstrated). Sujata will teach you how to make Indian bread (chapati or puri) and a succulent vegetable or meat-based curry. Sujata's kitchen is modest so you may do the prep work outside in the dining area and use the kitchen for final cooking. You can expect the cooking lesson to last about 1-2 hours.
Sujata and her daughters, if they are home, will welcome you into their artistic home located in a heritage area close to Qutub Minar. The area near their apartment is lush and green, surrounded by trees, old monuments and tombs. Sujata also has a beautiful terrace area with a garden and when it is not too hot you can sit outside for your meal. Sujata will walk you through a background on Indian or Iranian food (let her know if you have a preference when you book!) while you sip on your welcome drink. Your menu might include North Indian dishes such as aloo puri (spicy potato gravy served with puffed, deep-fried Indian bread), kadhi rice (rice with a yogurt based gravy), or rajma (red kidney beans), or Iranian dishes such as aubergine khoresht (eggplant stew) and rice, lamb kabab, mirza ghassemi (grilled aubergine), torshi tareh (sour herb stew), or sabzi khoresht (vegetable stew with chicken or lamb). End your meal together with a dessert like kheer (sweet rice pudding).
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Sujata has done it all - running a small café, then teaching children pottery, and now working as a professional food stylist. Both Sujata’s daughters are in the creative industry – one is a designer and the other is a photographer. This creativity is visible in the way her beautiful home is decorated throughout. Sujata is Indian but was married to an Iranian and her food is a wonderful reflection of the of two worlds and their cuisines. She learned Indian cooking from her mother and Iranian cuisine from her husband’s family. Sujata was vegetarian until she was 17 year old and is a master of delicious vegetarian cooking, and has since become talented at preparing succulent meats with herbs and dried fruit. In addition to her passion for food and cooking Sujata enjoys nature, traveling and meeting new people.
