Bengali Cuisine

India's most fertile and geographically diverse region, Bengal boasts a nature and variety of dishes exceptional even by Subcontinental standards.

Bengali cuisine focuses heavily on rice and fresh vegetable cooking, and so will we in this introduction to northeastern Indian food, focusing on spices and ingredients indelible to regional meals - mustard oil and hand-ground mustard pastes, kalonji seeds, asafetida and a 5-spice combo known as panch phoran - and lesser-known techniques such as steaming.

Our vegetarian meal, prepared hands-on, will include Sweet and Sour Split Peas with Coconut, Basmati Pilao, Ginger-Yogurt Chutney and Steamed Spicy Cauliflower.