Private Cooking Class in Mumbai

Real cooking in a real home

A truly wonderful cooking class in the home of Rahul and Deepika. This class is very hands on, and you actually learn how to make all the dishes, even the chapati! The end result was, needless to say, delicious.

Traditional Indian food in family home

We had a wonderful time cooking in a local family home. The husband spoke excellent English and his wife made a delicious meal.

Unique and delicious cooking lesson in the home of an Indian family - highly recommend Harsha

Short-form: This is a unique experience to go inside the home of an Indian family and gain hands-on experience preparing authentic food. Raul and his wife Harsha were attentive, gracious and knowledgable hosts during our cooking class. Raul was easy to understand. Harsha gave us plenty of opportunity to participate in the cooking. Their home, located in the Dharavi slum, was a 45 minute drive from the cruise ship terminal, but it was very interesting to see the city out the window. The transportation was comfortable and Raul was in close communication with us from the time of booking. They welcomed us with bottled water then taught us how to make the masala chai which seems to be the favorite beverage in Mumbai. Over three hours, Harsha demonstrated how to prepare chicken tikka masala, panneer and chapati. Our cooking lesson began by sautéing tomatoes, red onions, garlic, green chilies, and ginger in grapeseed oil. As the mixture cools, we prepare the dough for the chapati. Harsha prepares this bread three times per day for her family. Allowing the dough to rest, we return to the sautéed vegetables, which are now cool enough to blend to a paste which forms the base for the masala sauce. We divide the sauce into two pots and add seasonings: coriander, cumin and chili power in the pot for the chicken and chili powder and garam masala in the pot for the paneer. Later we add the cubed chicken and bones to the pressure cooker pot and the cubes of paneer – which resembles a firm cottage cheese similar in texture to tofu – to the other pot. In between, Harsha prepares a sweet dessert with boiled milk, cardamom, cashews and almonds. She presses it into a tart pan and chills it before turning back to the chapati dough. She teaches us how to roll it wafer thin, exerting just a bit of pressure on a mini rolling pin. We slip the flat disks into a dry hot pan to cook, flip it, then finish it directly on the burner, which makes it puff up like a balloon. She plucks it from the burner with tongs, stacks it on a plate and brushes it with ghee (clarified butter). We cannot resist the samples she hands us! When the food is almost ready, Raul asks if we will be comfortable sitting on the floor. The family usually eats here on the floor to avoid carrying the food and plates up the steep stairs to the second floor. Harsha serves the food in rimmed tin plates. Raul brings each pot to us, trying to spoon more food onto our plates and Harsha cooks fresh, hot chapati to sop up the delicious sauce. These people are generous and kind in sharing their way of life and I am grateful for the experience.

Very special and memorable experience

Rahul was an excellent guide and spoke very good English. It was very interesting to see the market and pottery making in Dharavi. It was a very special experience to be welcomed into his home and learn to make a fantastic meal with his wife. We made chicken biryani, paneer tikka masala, chapati, and a dessert all of which were fantastic.

Superb In-Home Cooking Class Experience!

A wonderful time was had at the cooking class in a private home. Our host was most gracious, explaining the types of spices and methods of layering the ingredients for the best results. The food was excellent and participating in preparing dishes was an added plus. Highly recommend this experience for anyone looking for an enjoyable afternoon or evening in Mumbai!

Great day...

What a great day out... Please dont leave Mumbai and not have a visit to Jenny and her staff. Jenny went out of her way to make us feel so welcome and I have to say what a great Chef we have learned so much about proper Indian cooking. All the tours and trips we did in India this is the one that stayed with us. Love Mumbai...Love India....Love you Jenny...

Must do while in Mumbai

Thank you to Jenny for a fantastic afternoon! We were very welcomed into Jenny’s home for an afternoon of cookery, learning to make 5 different vegetarian dishes. Jenny took the time to talk us through the dishes and to answer all our questions. It was very interesting to learn about Jenny’s life and background. Would definitely recommend it while visiting Mumbai!

Great Organized Hand on Curry Experience !!!!

We were a group of 4 and had a wonderful interactive cooking experience with Jenny Jenny is super organized and lovely lady. We requested some particular dishes which Jenny duly obliged. Jenny and her family were very welcoming in their home and shared some personal insight into their cooking skills. We loved our lesson and have new insight into the wonders of Jennys region of Indian cooking. We requested to learn how to make Parantha which Jennys house helper demonstrated with skill and ease. Another skill for us to take home and attempt to master lol. All in all we had a excellent experience. Jenny was a delight and her family were friendly and welcoming. The cooking was easy , not complicated and Jenny supplied the recipes and very kindly gave us all the necessary spices to start us off at home with our new found culinary expertise. I would highly recommend Jennys Hand on Curry experience. Her communication prior was excellent , she also arranged transportation to and from her home. All in all a great authentic happy experience Thanks Jenny Fabulous Cooking

Not to Miss this - Hands on cookery with Jenny dsouza.

Hands on ... yes it is. A welcome gesture from Jenny... an aroma of fresh herbs, spices and ginger and garlic. A moresome meat and fish meal was prepared by Jenny and myself. Explanation and encouragement all the way. Jenny is passionate and descriptive and her recipes are presented on hand made paper. What a treat. The meal was selected showing me a variety of dishes from various parts of India. She encapsulated 5 dishes in 5 hours. A treat not to be missed. Jenny shared her passion for people, tourists, NGO visits and much more. After our class Jenny offered to accompany me on a food journey to confined living spaces (similar to a mini slum).. then on a city tour and booked my accommodation for my arrival back from Jaipur. I will be returning to India in March next year with a food group of 8 and will definately utilise the services of Jenny and have a class booked for my group. Thank You Jenny - till we meet again.

Lovely cooking and dining in an Indian family

After the traditional welcome ceremony, Jenny took us through Spice theory 101 and then we started cooking together. Fish, paneer, rice, chicken, all so fragrant and colorful with a variety of vegetable. It s more sharing than a class, which is nice and we could share more than only food interests. Then we had dinner, with some sweets in addition to what we had cooked. Very nice attention: we all got a spice starter package so we will be able to practice back at home immediately. Great experience. totally recommended from our side!

We had an excellent class with...

<p>We had an excellent class with Jenny, who taught us how to prepare chicken, fish, rice, paneer and then had a nice dinner. The class is in Mahim, starts with welcome celebration and is hands-on if you want to cook and practice. Lovely family, we really enjoyed it!</p>

Hands on Curry cooking class with Jenny D’Souza

It was a pleasure spending the morning with Jenny to learn how to cook four different Indian dishes today! She warmly welcomed me into her home and made sure I understood the foundations of Indian cooking before the actual cooking began. Having done many different cooking classes around the world, it’s such a different experience learning in someone’s home - not only do you walk away learning a recipe or two, you also become part of a family. Can’t recommend this class enough!

Hands on Curry Vegetarian Cooking Class

My husband and I attended a private vegetarian cooking class by Jenny which was fantastic! We were greeted with a very warm welcome and immediately felt at home. We learned how to cook 5 amazing dishes. We also learned principles of Indian cookery, including how to use spices and regional differences. There were plenty of personal cooking tips that we picked up too. We felt blessed to chat to Jenny and learn about her, her family and her background. Jenny was very generous with her time, her information and a take home gift. We felt more like friends. I would definitely recommend Hands on Curry!

Kochen in freundlicher Atmosphäre mit Rahul und Harsha

Ich habe mit Rahul und Harsha in ihrem privaten Umfeld gekocht. Ich wurde pünktlich um zehn Uhr abgeholt und habe in vier Stunden gelernt, wie ich Brot, Reis, zwei Hauptgerichte und einen Nachtisch zubereite. Es war wirklich ein besonders schönes Erlebnis. Ich habe selbst viel zubereitet unter Anleitung. Alles könnte ich zu Hause leicht zu bereiten. Abgesehen vom Kochen, war es auch eine persönliche Bereicherung mit Rahul und Harsha und ihrer Familie zusammen zu sein. Es war ein sehr schöner Vormittag und das Essen war lecker.