Recipes learnt at our Indian cooking lessons for beginners
- Vegetable pakoras with tamarind chutney on the side
- Hyderabadi chicken korma
- Meethi dhal
- Lamb rogan josh
- Basmati rice, including how to make this rice perfectly fluffy
- Chapatti breads
Throughout the day you’ll stop to eat the food you’ve cooked in our private dining room with everyone else. A chance to share your experiences in creating the dishes as well as great food.
(Please note, we reserve the right to alter the dishes covered in the course, to meet the dietary requirements of our guests).
Techniques learnt
- How to make Indian starters
- Making Indian chutney to accompany the starter
- Making creamy korma – a great family dish
- Cooking authentic dhal
- How to use spices to get the best from each type
- Balancing spices for a red meat curry
- Cooking basmati rice to perfection
- Baking Indian flatbread – an essential accompaniment to any Indian meal
Our day long Indian cooking lessons for beginners are designed to give you total confidence in using all of these techniques. The aim is that you can go home and repeat the recipes for family and friends time and again.
Your chef tutor
Rayeesa Asghar-Sandys was born and grew up in India, surrounded by the incredible flavours of authentic Indian dishes.
Rayeesa’s dedication to spreading the love of Indian food led her to decide to teach others how to cook fabulous Indian cuisine. With over ten years experience, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to every teaching session, making Indian cookery accessible to everyone. Her friendliness and the clear, practical way that she explains every step of a recipe is designed to give everyone, including beginners, total confidence in the basics of Indian cuisine.
About your day
Our Indian cooking lessons for beginners take place on the Catton Hall Estate. On the picturesque Derbyshire and Staffordshire border, we are only minutes from the A38. We also have plenty of free parking.
You’ll have the support of our “kitchen fairies” who’ll ensure you have everything you need. We’ll provide an apron for the day, and all the equipment and ingredients.
You’ll be sitting down together during the day to eat the dishes you’ve created. We’ll also provide wine and soft drinks.
Our day courses run from 10.15am to 4pm. Join the team for early morning refreshments from 10am.
Book your place
This day-long basic Indian cookery lesson will teach you how to create delicious authentic Indian dishes from scratch. Rayeesa will unlock the mysteries of different flavour and spice combinations for you. She’ll ensure that when you leave the classroom, you are confident that you can whip up a delicious korma with some perfectly fluffy, melt in the mouth basmati rice on the side.
Offering a brilliant social experience as well as a chance to improve your cookery skills – these courses are popular for a reason. Popular with men and kitchen novices, this course does book up quickly. Booking a place on a cookery course with Rayeesa is also a fantastic way to give a loved one a thoughtful and memorable gift. If you’re looking for something more advanced, take a look at the rest of our Indian cookery courses.
Marcus1559 (verified owner) –
I was given the ‘Intro to Indian Cooking course” as a present. I arrived not know a great deal about Indian cooking and with the help of Rayeesa I left knowing enough to now cook a decent Indian meal I think! There was a nice relaxed atmosphere throughout the day, with a mix of demonstrations from Rayessa, cooking in pairs and the occasional thing on your own. The day ended eating the prepared food, which was delicious! Thank you so much Rayeesa and the Seasoned Cookery School staff. Good day, good fun and learnt a lot… I would certainly recommend!
Mags (verified owner) –
Excellent course, really well done! Learned lots of tips and new dishes.