Princess wanted to attend some Indian cooking lessons - Shashi's cooking lessons were recommended in 'Lonely Planet' and Rajastans 'Rough guide' - so decided to give her a try. Good choice
What a sweetie she was quite a character with her broken English!!
A quick story on how she started her classes - Shashi's husband died at a very young age leaving her with x3 young sons, being of Brahmin descent she was not allowed to remarry and had no source of income, had never worked, no knowledge of English language and had x3 sons to educate.
Brahmins are also stictly vegetarian.
Fortunately for her there was a little hotel above her home and being the friendly soul she was, always greeted and chatted the tourists, inviting them into her home for chai.
One day some Dutch girls suggested she should start cooking lessons - they sat with her, wrote all her recipes out in English and slowly with some practice her English improved sufficiently enough for tourists to understand and for her to start lessons.
What a sweetie she was quite a character with her broken English!!
A quick story on how she started her classes - Shashi's husband died at a very young age leaving her with x3 young sons, being of Brahmin descent she was not allowed to remarry and had no source of income, had never worked, no knowledge of English language and had x3 sons to educate.
Brahmins are also stictly vegetarian.
Fortunately for her there was a little hotel above her home and being the friendly soul she was, always greeted and chatted the tourists, inviting them into her home for chai.
One day some Dutch girls suggested she should start cooking lessons - they sat with her, wrote all her recipes out in English and slowly with some practice her English improved sufficiently enough for tourists to understand and for her to start lessons.
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| Shashis cookery classes and her Sunrise restaurant above. |
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| Shashi frying Potatoe and Onion Pakora which she served for breakfast with her delicious Masala Chai During her lesson all 3 sons popped in at one stage or the other to help their mom - this son was still at school, one was a hotel manager and a 3rd doing his Bcom |
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| We all had to knead, roll out and cook Chapatti{roti}, naan and parantha{filled roti} |
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| Nina making Malai Kofta - Mashed potatoe with veges and spices rolled into a ball and then cooked in a tomato masala |
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| We were not allowed to touch the food with our left hand{obvious reasons - in Indian culture} - not too easy to remember that one. |
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| We cooked from 10.30am and our feast began at 3.30pm Aubergine and Tomatoe Masala, Chickpea curry, Spinach and Poatoe curry, Palak Paneer{spinach and paneer} curry, Vege Palau, Naan with cheese{we made} and all the other dishes I have mentioned in the pics. |
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| Dessert was a sweet parantha filled with ghee, coconut and icing sugar then fried - wow amazing |
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| This was the space used for cooking lessons, and that was basically all her equipment. Shashi's home in the background |
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