It’s no secret that I’m hopeless in the kitchen. Still, I’ve discovered cooking classes provide unique cultural insights and bring a sense of humanity to any place I visit.

When Col and Brenna asked about a cooking class in India, I looked online and found Shashi’s Cooking Classes in Udaipur. It looked a bit amateurish (“For a mouth open dive into the marvelous flavors of Rajasthan…”), but she got good reviews on TripAdvisor.

After a couple confusing phone calls regarding the class time, a tuk-tuk picked us up around 2 p.m. for the short ride to Shashi’s home. Ronna and Ava stayed behind to enjoy the hotel spa (which, unfortunately, turned out to be less than enjoyable). We joined a group from Ireland, who were in good spirits despite getting whacked with Varanasi’s version of Delhi belly during their train journey to Udaipur. (The only thing worse that Delhi belly is Delhi belly on a train.)

We all crowded into Shashi’s kitchen, where she demonstrated how to make masala chai and many delicious dishes. Following along in our photocopied recipe booklets, we stirred, sautéed, dipped veggies into pakora batter, rolled dough into chappatis and eventually sat down to eat it all. My favorites included the potato and onion pakora with mango chutney, aubergine and tomato masala, and the potato parantha. Yum!

Shashi learned English through her interactions with tourists, and although she often pointed to the recipe on the page, she admitted she couldn’t read English. She simply memorized where each recipe was located in the packet! Her life had been hard, but her spirits were high. Growing up in a village, she had only ever cooked in clay pots over an open fire before her arranged marriage brought her to the city. When her husband was murdered by a business partner, she struggled to support herself and her children. Her cooking classes provided the emotional and financial boost she needed. Whereas touristy cooking classes usually wrap up and send participants home, Shashi seemed happy to hang out and chat as the evening wore on. We stayed till almost 7:30 p.m. and likely would have lingered longer, but we knew Ronna and Ava were waiting back at the hotel.

Brenna and Col enjoying their tea.

Shashi and her amazing box of spices.

Shiny gets ready to sauté some onions.

I’m just here for the photo opps.

Shashi’s son, Ashish (right), is getting married soon, and there was some disconcerting talk about how Brenna was just the right size for Shashi’s nephew.

Rolling chappatis (which are the same as rotis, in case you’re wondering).

Full hearts and tummies.

Here is Shashi’s masala chai recipe:
Serves 1 glass
Ingredients
* 1 glass of milk
* a quarter glass of water
* 2 heaped tablespoons of sugar
* 1 tablespoon of black tea (Indian Darjeeling tea is the best.)
Either
* a pinch of Masala Tea Powder (10 grams each of dry basil, nutmeg, dry ginger, cardamom and black pepper)
Or
* 2 pieces of cardamom
* 4 black peppercorns
* a fingernail of fresh ginger
Method
1. If using the fresh ingredients rather than the Masala Tea Powder, then grind the cardamom, black pepper and ginger roughly in a mortar and pestle.
2. Add all ingredients into a small saucepan and place on the stove.
3. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately four minutes, stirring occasionally. The chai should start to turn a coffee brown color, and you should start to smell the cardamom and other flavors of the masala.
4. Once it is done, pour the tea into a glass through a strainer to remove the tea and other solid pieces left behind.