For Vegan Newbies: HOW TO MAKE VEGAN FOOD TASTE INSANLEY GOOD

Two words: INDIAN FOOD.

What’s so phenomenal about Indian cuisine is that you can trick your senses into loving vegetarian/vegan food. One of the most common remarks that come my way is, “ewww, vegan food does not taste good.” Often times, people say this before ever trying it! Well, throw a nice hearty plate of Aloo Muttar Ki Sabzi and BAM! No complaining out of you.

Now there is no need to fork out the airfare to get delicious authentic vegan Indian cuisine or sit at one of those cheesy Indian restaurants where items are made in bulk and you never really know where their ingredients came from. Just reserve a seat in Ayesha’s kitchen for an entertaining and informative cooking class, which will have you whip up the oftentimes-difficult Indian dishes with such ease you’ll feel like you’ve been the host of Food Network’s top-rated vegan show for years.

In my travels, I have found it difficult to keep my vegetarian lifestyle in the many meat-loving countries I’ve visited. India is one of the few places on earth where you can devour vegan food so easily and with such flavor. In fact, many of my omnivore friends don’t seem to miss their flesh when I serve them vegan Indian food. Indians have a way of combining the countless herbs and spices with such artistry that you may even find the dishes tastier than your average hamburger or croque-monsieur.

Ayesha is native of India and her passion for Indian cooking exudes. She not only teaches you the tricks of her trade, such as how to toast spices to perfection, but also gives you lessons on the healing properties of each ingredient. Ayesha explains the importance of freshness and how to mix certain spices to reduce the unpopular side-effects of beans, tooting. Talk about a class that gives back to your health!

Upon arriving, at Ayesha’s house (where she graciously hosts her classes) you are greeted with a homemade Indian welcome drink as you gather around to meet your fellow food lovers. Once acquainted, we take our seats in her small yet cozy kitchen. What makes this class such a unique experience is how intimate and hands-on it is. I have taken private classes and large workshops, and quite frankly, nothing is quite as personal and unique as Ayesha’s kitchen.

The gorgeous ensemble ready to devour.

In this class, we made mouthwatering dishes. One of my favorites and a staple in my house is the Jeera Pilaf. Makes the tastiest basmati rice in 12 minutes! Quick, flavorful, and easy—right up my alley! She cooks, the room fills with an aroma, and my senses start to go on overdrive. After she whips up dishes like veggie croquettes and chickpea salad with exotic spices and herbs, she places them all out in her tiki hut. Hello, food porn! Oh, did I mention you also get a generous lunch after working up your appetite? Once I tasted the sensational meal Ayesha and her newly devoted groupies (us students) put together, I was hooked! Even if Indian cuisine is not up your alley, I’m telling you, you’ll be addicted after this delightful course.

To top it all off, Ayesha offers an herb/spice starter kit to take home, with the exact serving to cook all the meals taught twice. She offers an array of homemade chutney sauces and spice plants for you to grow at home. Bring on the freshness.

Now Comes the Real Test

I decided to do the unthinkable and cooked all the items on the menu for our Christmas dinner. I had to whip up a delicious vegan meal for 13 people, which I have never made before and make them flavorful enough so that my guests would not go home missing their roasted Christmas ham. At the last minute, I decided to make a few of my usual dishes in case I had constructed a total disaster.

In my humble opinion, it went remarkably well. As I sat in my wine haze, I noticed no one left early to make a trip to the Boston Market drive-thru (or at least not to my knowledge) and that everyone went for a second helping. Success! The croquettes flew off the plate. Unfortunately, the red kidney beans in the onion-tomato gravy were too spicy to serve, so I held off on them. Afterward, I exchanged e-mails with Ayesha, who is a wonderful resource to have whenever you cook her dishes. You can tell her what went wrong, and she can pinpoint what you could tweak. Ayesha’s wealth of cultural knowledge, talent, and mastery in preparing healthy yet delicious food is remarkable and luckily her flair is contagious.

My blurry version of Ayesha’s menu

If you’re still not ready for Vegan, not to worry. Ayesha has an array of scrumptious classes to choose from. She has classes dedicated to the street foods of India, flavors of Goa, rice-lentil crepes and so much more. The importance of her classes lies in the entertaining instructions and quality & freshness of the dishes. Thanks to Ayesha’s Kitchen, I have taken my vegan dishes to whole new tasty level.