Rashmi’s Recipes

Rashmi Ji gave me lot of confidence in cooking. She is a very talented and a very sweet lady. She makes the best use of time. I don;t why it took me this long to contact her :). I am going to continue reaching out to her as time permits in future. Highly recommended.

We took an Indian cooking class for 8 as a team building activity. Rashmi was awesome, food was great, and we learned a thing or two in the process. Highly recommended.

My wife and I had a great time at Rashmi’s Recipes. As a fun outing for her birthday, I set us up with a couples cooking class at Rashmi’s. We both really enjoyed the experience. Rashmi is a great host and instructor.
My wife loves butter chicken and really enjoyed the opportunity to learn how to prepare it. Rashmi was the perfect teacher. She is a wonderful personality and our time with her was fun, pleasant, informative, and very enjoyable. Rashmi is well spoken, has a great personality, and is very knowledgeable about all the spices and ingredients of Indian cuisine.
We also learned she is an actor who has played extra roles in movies like the Avengers where she plays the «Calcutta Woman.» I watched the DVD again to see her on the big screen.
Rashmi also has a line of spices that makes it very easy to cook Indian cuisine. Many of the recipes include a mixture of great spices that are difficult to find at traditional grocery stores, but she has combined them into a few simple go to blends that are essential to Indian cuisine. My wife and I bought a set of spices so we can cook at home.
I highly recommend signing up for a class. It was well worth it.
James

From the first phone call with her, I knew that it was going to be a wonderful experience. She answered me right away and helped me plan an unforgettable birthday party for my friend.
We were 10 women cooking together in her kitchen in Mountain View, and we all felt like we were in our homes. Rashmi taught us how to prepare gourmet Indian cuisine and also enriched us with her knowledge of spices and legumes.
It was an absolute pleasure to work with Rashmi!

Really great experience!
My team and I did a team-​building/​offsite cooking class with Rashmi, and everybody loved it! She’s very patient, thorough, and if you love Indian food (and, I imagine, even if you don’t, you’ll likely change your perspective a bit) you’ll eat this class up :-)
Don’t be afraid to bring and share a couple wine bottles with her, depending on the size of your group, as well — she seemed to appreciate it :-)
We got to eat together in her backyard, which was a truly relaxing and enjoyable experience in and of itself.
In short, it was a very warm and inviting few hours, not to mention tasty and educational. Many team members took home her collection of spices, which she wasn’t pushy about at all, and did seem like a good deal, on top.
Strong recommend, and if you’re thinking about cooking classes, or even just informally cooking with your friends/​team/​family, in a cozy, home setting, with someone who’s definitely very knowledgeable and passionate, Rashmi’s cooking class is the one.

I found Rashmi by searching online for Indian Cooking Classes in the area. After reading her web-​site/​blog and reading her reviews, my husband and I and two friends decided to sign up for one of her Friday evening classes. My husband and I have taken many cooking classes (not Indian) before and this class was a great experience and we both learned a lot which we will use and apply to our own cooking expermients and experiences at home. The class was very easy to register for, it was a simple process of emailing Rashmi and determining if there was availability in the class and also finding out the course location.
Right off the bat upon meeting Rashmi, it was clear that she was a very passionate and knowledgeable chef. Rashmi publishes her menu for the class on her web-​site so there are no surprises or disappointments when you arrive in class. Rashmi also provides a handout of all of the recipes and the ingredients upon arrival so you can easily take notes and follow along with the recipes in class. The menu includes a full dinner which is very nice and productive for a 3 hour cooking class. If you have taken a cooking class before, you know that the chef always does some form of preparation otherwise it’s not possible to run a smooth/​efficient class. Rashmi did prepare two of the chutneys (condiments) on the menu prior to the class however, she thoroughly went thorugh all of the ingredients and answered everyone’s questions on the recipes so it really wan’t a big deal that we didn’t make these recipes in class. It was actually nice these were pre-​made so we could focus on learning how to make the more difficult/​challenging recipes. For all of the other appetizers, main dishes, and dessert– the class was hands on and we helped/​created all of the food together. This class is collaborative and we had to take turns at the stove however, Rashmi made sure that everyone that wanted to participate ahd a chance to mix, stir, fry, etc. so that was a complete non-​issue.
As a second generation indian, I had a lot of questions on spices and differentiating between what to use and what indian recipes call for and not only did Rashmi patiently answer all my questions she also showed me examples of the spices and ingredients so I knew exactly what she was talking about. Rasmi provided many tips and tricks to make indian cooking easier. She has an extremely extensive web-​site and blog of recipes however it was very helptul to take her class first and I plan to use her blogs to supplement what I learned in the class.
Rashmi provided an EXCELLENT lesson on the various beans that are leveraged in many indian cooking recipes. I have been eating some of these foods for 30 years and had no idea what foods contained what beans and how they are inter-​related. After this lesson, I now have the skills to go to the Indian Store and purchase the appropriate ingredients for the appropriate recipes.
Rashmi’s class is VERY reasonably priced. I have paid nearly double for many other cooking classes I have taken. She also uses very high quality and fresh ingredients. I would definitely recommend this class to anyone that is looking to learn more about indian cooking and to go home with recipes and tools ot be able to cook indian food in their own home.

NOT A CLASS FOR PEOPLE WITH BUSY LIVES!
Have you ever:
– been to a cooking school where your private class was canceled a couple of hours prior (despite the fact that you have taken time off, stayed in town for the weekend, synched your schedules, hired a babysitter, etc.)?
–PAID GOOD MONEY for a group cooking class where the instructor told you she was surprised more people didn’t stay past 9:30 p.m. to do the clean-​up? (Sidebar: My mom is still laughing at this because she loves to cook, and she wants people to pay her to do the dishes, too!)
–received a menu for a cooking class only to find that some of the menu items were completely done before the class?
–been told, in writing, that the size of your cooking class would be a maximum of 6 people only to show up for the class to discover that there are 10 people in total?
If it all sounds too good to be true, Rashmi’s class might hit the spot. And, hey, if you want to pay her to crowd into a 5-​foot opening by the stove with ten other interested cooks and then stay to do some dishes, she will allow that as well.
In all fairness, Rashmi is quite articulate and charming (a communicator and actor by training), she has a nice home kitchen (although quite small for eleven people), and the food was good. With regard to the last minute cancellation, she claimed she had a family emergency.
I understand that things happen. What I have difficulty comprehending was how there was no attempt on her end to make up for the special private class birthday plans that were squashed by her at the 11^th hour, and how, later, at the group class there was no attempt to provide a warning or compensation for the change in promised class size.
With regard to the private birthday class Rashmi canceled, her subsequent emails were about group events. When I made an effort to set another date, she told me that, with a couple of exceptions, she was booked a few months out (due to her daughter’s wedding). After planning in advance for a private cooking class, setting a menu, coming to an agreement on the terms, planning to stay in town, and hiring a babysitter, waiting to celebrate my husband’s birthday four months past the date seemed a little silly. So, when Rashmi sent an email with a menu for an upcoming group class I talked my husband into it. Rashmi promised, «There will be a maximum of 4 other people besides you two.»
Six steps into her home, we discussed walking out, but we were still both interested in learning Indian cooking, and… there was the babysitter we arranged for the second time. We stayed and learned that a few menu items were pre-​made, and many of the steps were done ahead of time. (To learn how those things were done, she basically told us to refer to her blog!) When I wrote to ask her for explanation, rather than apologizing for not keeping to her written word about the class size, she wrote, «I am disappointed that very few people helped with the chopping, cooking and cleaning last night.»
(Note: if you want a higher percent of attendees doing «hands-​on» work, keep the class to a size that is reasonable for «hands-​on» work in a private kitchen, and if you want people to stay to do the dishes, perhaps it is best to advertise that the class will be expected to scrub pots at the end.)
Save yourself a lot of time, a ton in babysitting fees, and the frustration of trying to make somebody hold up their end of the bargain. Learn the recipes and techniques using the blog. According to her note, the blog is there because she enjoys cooking and teaching others. It is a great resource. Once you have read the blog, if you still are eager to pay to do some dishes, please drop me a line, and I’ll put you in touch with my mom!
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UPDATE: After this review was posted, Rashmi was very generous in offering us a free private class to answer any questions we still had. (There was still no apology for the class size debacle.) However, we did send her emails stating our concerns and letting her know that we were planning to write a review. Although Rashmi was very communicative and responded more than once to our email, no free class was offered until the review was posted.

Rashmi is not only a fantastic cook, she’s the hostess with the mostest! Her stories and personable charm made us feel so welcome and at home. I highly recommend her for your next team building and/​or life event where you want participants to leave feeling like they’ve rolled up their sleeves and worked together towards something great. In this case, eating. Thank you Rashmi for your graciousness, hospitality and good food!

Rashmi’s class was a terrific, hands on get together for a work team building event in her home. In addition to learning a lot of great background on the dishes and ingredients, she was energetic, an excellent story teller, and able to manage a party of rowdy work colleagues. Her recipes and food were better than any Indian restaurant I have ever experienced.

A friend and I wanted to take an Indian cooking class together. I found Rashmi on Unilocal and saw the good reviews. Since my friend is vegetarian, we decided to take that class of the many types she offers. The classes are held at her home. We drove up and were invited in by a very warm and friendly hostess/​teacher. I found her style and demeanor to be very engaging. She made a point of showing us samples of the common ingredients used in Indian cooking and where best to find them, including ingredients that we would not be using in the dishes cooked during class. I found her to be knowledgeable and very eager to share what she knew. It felt very much like being invited as a guest to her home. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening and the tasty food that Rashmi prepared for us.

I loved our class with Rashmi. She is very friendly, inviting and warm, not to mention a great chef and teacher. She was very flexible with the menu options and makes the complex cuisine seem easy and possible for anyone. She took time to explain all the ingredients in detail and had many of the recipes ready to go with most of the prep work completed. It was a fun and delicious evening!

Rashmi welcomed us into her beautiful home and taught us how to make veggie pakoras, chicken tikka masala, cucumber raita, and carrot pudding. The food was delicious and Rashmi was both entertaining and informative in her teaching style. Would definitely recommend her class =)

I would like to recommend Rashmi’s Indian cooking class.
Six of us ladies got together on a (rainy) Saturday evening and attended a fun, culinary Indian cooking class at Rashmi’s comfortable house. Rashmi is an excellent instructor — her love for cooking and sharing her knowledge, from info about spices, thru cooking techniques to interesting personal stories about food, is evident. In three hours, we got to listen, watch and get a first-​hand experience at cooking Indian dishes, and most importantly — eat them all! and it was very yummy! I am looking forward to taking another class (vegetarian) in January with my mom.

As a westerner, it is wonderful to find Rashmi’s cooking classes! She teaches Indian cooking in a way that is easy to understand and quick to prepare. She also teaches classes for Indians who have been cooking Indian food for 40 years, yet want to learn how to do it in half the usual time.
Her website offers lots of delicious recipes.
I want to take more of her classes!

I really enjoyed my evening cooking lesson. I eat a lot of Indian food, and knew some basic recipes, but was interested in learning more. We helped to prepare appetizers, chutneys, dal, tikka masala and dessert, then enjoyed eating the food. Rashmi also gave helpful advice about where to buy quality Indian ingredients, what ingredients to use when, shortcuts to take, etc. I highly recommend the class.

Went to a, single cooking lesson, was informational and yummy.
Rashmi is a perfect hostess/​teacher, teaching ways to create tastes of India and providing useful advice for the modern cook.
We started with recipes for chutney and pacora and then butter chicken and carrot dessert. The lesson took 3 hours (including tasting time ;-)), and all of us enjoyed very much (we were a party of six).

I loove Indian food, but who doesn’t? But can I cook Indian meals? Nope… So what I did? I took a class with Rashmi. She’s a great teacher, has a special charm, and a lot of patience to answer questions from beginners like me. At the end you get to eat what she cooked, or if you like, you can help peeling an onion or mixing the curry. When you go home she gives you handouts with all the recipes plus you can go on her blog to see other recipes. That’s next level, when you are on you’re on your own. You start with going to the class, and then you graduate and get to see her recipes and try to do it yourself. Or… You could take another class which I will do.

I took an evening Indian cooking class with some friends. We made an entire meal including dessert and tea. The meal was delicious and I was able to reproduce it for my family with excellent results. Rashmi is an excellent teacher and the classes are fun.