The real deal with Indian food
Wellingtonians in search of authentic, healthy Indian food are heading to intimate cooking classes tucked away at the local community centre in Brooklyn.
Anu Gupta, who grew up in Gwali, central India, says her classes are becoming so popular she’s had to move some to the nearby Omaroro Kitchen - a larger space that can fit 10 people.
Gupta’s recipes are wholesome, vegetable-based dishes from Northern India. After moving to New Zealand 20 years ago, she started teaching people to cook because she missed home - and her mother’s cooking. The name of her school, Sheila’s Indian Kitchen, is named after her mother.
‘‘It is my hobby, I don’t do it for money, it’s just my passion,’’ she says. ‘‘I couldn’t get homemadestyle cooking in restaurants here... I think people feel Indian food is not healthy.’’ Gupta says people have a false perception of curries being very creamy, overly spicy, sugary, and oily. ‘‘I teach how to make food much healthier, the spices that I use are really quite helpful for people’s health.’’
The sessions are hands-on and end with a sit-down meal. Budding chefs go through four to five North Indian recipes. Think roasted eggplant curry with chapati; cottage cheese cubes in cashew tomato gravy; and split yellow lentils. It’s not just Gupta’s cooking skills that are in demand; she also teaches Hindi at the University of Massey. ‘‘Lots of people really want to know about India and want to travel there,’’ she says. ‘‘Some people want to do volunteer work, so they know they need to learn Hindi to gain knowledge of the culture.’’
Classes are $60 a person, 6pm9pm, year round. Bookings can be made via email: indiancooking@xtra.co.nz, and on Eventfinda.