Written by: Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
No plans of booking that flight to India any time soon? No worries! Head to Namaste Delhi, the hidden gem in the heart of Aberdeen and you will find you don’t need to travel to India after all.
Here at Namaste Delhi, we pride ourselves on serving authentic Indian cuisine, but before you learn how to master the recipes, it is time to take a moment to delve into the vast range of flavours to be found throughout the country.
Indian food is one of the most popular cuisines enjoyed all over the planet, with world famous dishes including curries, roasted meats, sweets, and bread. Although the foundation is typically the same, the flavours of Indian food can differ from state to state. This is due to religion, geography, population and soil: all of these components contribute to influence the variety of food found in the 29 states of India and you will find different cuisines, languages, and dialects in each one of them.
In North India you will find rich curries, and velvety sauces, all paired with breads and yoghurts. The dishes created, typically in clay ovens (tandoor), include items from tandoori chicken, chicken or lamb tikka, king prawns to a range of breads like naans and roti. In New Delhi, the bustling capital, a melting pot of cultures where new and old, innovation and tradition, and organised chaos effortlessly coexist in contrasting harmony, you will find stunning street food. That is where Namaste Delhi takes inspiration from, by translating the street food and refining it into a more gastronomic level, taking it up a notch to offer our customers the lavish, ultimate dining experience we deliver every time.
In South India coconut milk-based flavour dishes will feature with stunning herbs like lemongrass, tamarind, cardamom, nutmeg as well as indigenous fruits. The food found in India is varied, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options for everyone to enjoy!
Cooking classes
Now that you know the basics of Indian cuisine, it is time to expand and put that knowledge into action!
The flavours of India are truly unique, and there are many reasons to be interested in recreating the dishes to be found while traveling through the country. Just head over to Aberdeen’s only authentic Indian restaurant for the opportunity to learn directly from our very own chefs.
At Namaste Delhi, our goal is not only to provide a chance to learn how to cook authentic dishes but to make it an enjoyable, fun experience to share with friends and family. Our talented Indian chefs will be involved all throughout the experience sharing their expertise and skills.
Joining a cooking class is a great way to enhance culinary skills, and offer primary experience with cooking, presentation, and appreciation. By coming to the cooking class, you will find a newfound love for Indian cuisine and the culture, not to mention the abundance of useful tips to cook curry the right way or even how to cut an onion properly! The class will help to improve self-confidence in the kitchen, instructing you in the right direction and opening doors to many more dishes!
The cooking classes aim to be as informational as possible, leaving you with the knowledge to cook fabulous meals at home. The cooking class allows you to make and enjoy your own creation. The class includes a starter, two mains with rice and delicious naan.
The two-and-a-half-hour class will start with an introduction to the different regions of India and the origins of spices and their medical use and benefits. The chef will introduce the menu of the class and the list of ingredients and spices that it will incorporate. The chef will show you step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the mouth-watering dishes and everyone can dive into the actual cooking experience. Get stuck in and try your hand in our kitchen: get your hands wet with onion bhaji, sauté the onions until red or stir the dal tadka while it simmers slowly. After the class you will get to enjoy and share this heavenly traditional food.
Gift yourself a lifetime experience by heading over to our website to book in now! Perfect for couples, a group day out or a perfect Christmas outing for you and your work colleagues.
Start your journey to India here.
Stefania Piccardo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Stefania Piccardo obtained her PhD in English language and literature from La Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. During her academic years, she worked for Scottish distilleries and castles as a tour guide in multiple languages. Her love for Scotland brought her back to Aberdeen in 2003, where she obtained an MSc in Corporate Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University.
She then worked for multiple organizations but soon realized that she wanted to teach languages privately to the corporate level. Stefania has helped many students achieve the best grades in school and university but most of all she has the ambition to train corporate employees who deal with import/export and foreign trade or want to develop their careers and expand their horizons for more opportunities in Europe and beyond. She speaks four languages, including Italian, her mother tongue, English, French and Spanish and she founded Language tutor4U back in 2012.
In addition to her teaching schedule, she has worked as a PR/Marketing manager for Namaste Delhi, the innovative and traditional Indian restaurant she owns along with her husband in Aberdeen City center since 2018. As a keen writer, she also enjoys feeding social media posts and writing for her blogs about Italian and Indian cultures, languages, and much more!
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