Schooled Indian-Style

Panir Bhuna (we made) with Naan (they made).

Guess where I've been Monday nights for the past month? Indian cooking classes at Palace at the Ben in Philly!

If there's one cuisine that intimidates me (cooking, not eating), it's Indian cuisine. Indian food is just so darn good, I was sure that there was no way I could even come close to an approximation in my own kitchen. Not any more!

Thanks to whipping up a handful of dishes over the course of four Monday evenings at Palace at the Ben's first ever cooking class, I have confidence that I can make great Indian food at home.

Honestly, it's really easy. Just like any cooking, it helps to see it done, and then do it yourself. Oh, and they teach you the master gravy that is the trick to all Indian curries!

Seeing, doing, master gravy; that's why you should attend Palace at the Ben's cooking class.Sauce for Chicken Tikka

The classes were conducted in the dining area of the restaurant with about eleven students sitting at linen topped tables (I spilled ingredients every time --sorry, linen washer) lined with ingredients and spices for the dishes on the lesson plan for the evening (you get to take the spices home with you at the end of the night!). Chef Subhash cooked at the head table, and walked around to sample and advise on the dishes we made at our tables on portable burners.As a vegetarian, I really appreciate that they had vegetarian dishes each night. We cooked two or three dishes each evening, usually one meat and the other two vegetarian. There are so many cooking classes that I would attend, but don't because either they don't cook any vegetarian dishes, or cook so few vegetarian dishes that it's not worth my money to attend.

Here's a sample of what we made:Top, left to right: Aloo Tikki and Chicken Tikka; Spinach Pakora before being shaped and fried. Bottom, left to right: Mutter Panir before being cooked down; Aloo Sukhi Bhaji.

Everyone involved with the teaching of the cooking class at Palace at the Ben was accommodating, warm, and just plain wonderful. Co-owner Nick was the gentle father figure, Chef Subhash was always smiling, and Manager Ryan was the charismatic leader. Have a question; they'll answer it. Ask about a dish not on the syllabus; they'll run to the back and type up the recipe. They even offered to let me sit in on the class I missed due to vacation the next time they hold a session.

This was Palace at the Ben's first cooking class, and you could tell they were excited and a bit nervous. I think they did a great job with their first class, and the other classes can only get better now that they know what to expect.

Palace at the Ben had a great response to the cooking class, and plan on offering the same intro class again, as well as other advanced classes in the future. Keep your eyes peeled and ears up if you're interested.

Palace at the Ben
834 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107
267-232-5600