My story
My life has always revolved around food. My everyday questions often include: what needs to be cooked? Which new cooking technique to try? What vegetables and fruits are in season that I can use? When I travel, I am thinking of the same things: Where can I find local ingredients to take back? How can I learn the local way of cooking? As much as I consume food, it consumes me, at home or away.
After having experienced some stimulating cooking lessons in different countries, I realised what most people eat in their homes is different from what is available in restaurants. That’s as true for Indian food which is why I wanted to start cooking lessons to show how we eat at home. What “ghar ka khana” looks like, smells like, and tastes like.
My journey started 15 years ago when I started cooking classes at the American School in Delhi.
My hope is to recreate that communal and personal experience of sharing and enjoying food that feels like ghar ka khana — meals made with care and love, meant to nurture.
My philosophy
For me, cooking goes beyond just preparing food. It's about the intention behind it. When ingredients are given the love and attention they deserve, they reciprocate that care when they reach our bodies, nourishing us in a deeper way.
This philosophy became even more profound when I experienced the essence of langar—the communal kitchen at the Gurudwara. Watching women sit on their haunches, kneading dough and rolling chapatis, brought me back to the generations of women who have done the same—women who, like the queens of their kitchens, feed their families with love and care. They craft meals that nourish not just the body, but also the soul. It made me reflect on how I could evoke this same feeling of nourishing and healing through my own cooking.
I believe food has the power to reconnect us—to create a sense of community and well-being. Through my cooking, I aim to bring back that spirit of care, just like the women at langar and the generations before us, to make each meal an offering of love, healing, and togetherness.
Every ray of light holds the past.
Every ray of hope holds the future.
My past experiences
Cooking Session at Somerville College, Oxford, 2024
In collaborating with chefs at Somerville College, Oxford, I wanted to introduce Indian cuisine basics which allows for many vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan options. I navigated the intricacies of an industrial kitchen alongside seasoned chefs. With Head Chef Paul, we curated a delectable spread of vegetable rice, chicken curry, Amritsari chana, and dal.
A series of curated Supper Clubs, New Delhi 2023
Serving 14 individuals meant I had to carefully create a menu that would cater to the Western palate and be satisfying without inducing post-lunch lethargy. I opted for a "thali meal" to ensure everyone could be served together. Our gathering resulted in a delightful culinary exchange.
Collaboration with Cafe Latitude, New Delhi 2022
Through the collaboration with Cafe Latitude, my hope was to recreate a communal and personal experience of sharing & eating food that resembles the feeling of enjoying ghar ka khana. I crafted a menu for Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian thalis that had winter dishes that are made in a Punjabi household. I ended up making the menu with seasonal & fresh ingredients.
Cooking Lessons At Italian Cultural Center, New Delhi 2022
Learning and teaching to cook are both dependent on the dynamic between the student and the teacher. I was fortunate enough to learn from cooks who were patient, loving, and passionate - from my mother and grandmother to my mother-in-law.
The Italian Embassy in New Delhi approached me to teach Indian cooking to their members, and I curated a menu that celebrated similarities between both cultures. From Risotto to Pulao and Pomodoro to Tomato chutney, the menu skirted the line between what is Italian and what is Indian.
Cooking Lessons At Daylesford Cookery School, London 2021
At Daylesford Cookery School, the fresh produce grown with meticulous care at their farm inspired me to craft a menu that anyone could use to feed their families with some Indian dishes that were easy to prepare and full of various tradition Indian flavours.
Cooked Meals For University Of Oxford, Oxford 2021
During COVID, students and professors who were stranded in Oxford’s campus undoubtedly missed their family and friends, but with restaurants being shut, access to food that one grew up eating in their home was also not available.
Providing home cooked food that is simple, nutritious, and delicious, especially during the pandemic, was a nurturing experience for me and one that brought solace. The menu entailed Kashmiri Rajma, Shahi Paneer, Mushroom Matar, Baby Potatoes with Tamarind, Kadhai Chicken, Mutton Curry.