Rishikesh, India
About Rishikesh Cooking
Real Indian cooking, taught by Nandini Saraswat from her family kitchen in Rishikesh.
Our Story
Rishikesh Cooking started from a simple belief: food is the most honest expression of a culture. In Rishikesh, where the Ganges meets the Himalayas, we opened our kitchen to travellers who wanted to go beyond sightseeing and actually connect with India.
What started as small, intimate cooking sessions has grown into something people come back for, year after year. Every class is hands-on, every recipe is authentic, and every meal is eaten together. When you cook Indian food from scratch, grinding spices, tempering whole seeds in hot oil, rolling chapatis, you carry a little piece of India home with you.
Our 2-hour vegetarian cooking classes put you inside Indian cuisine. Whether you have cooked before or never held a rolling pin, you will learn the flavours of North Indian cooking, the techniques of South Indian food, and the principles of Ayurvedic cooking, all in one session.
Meet Nandini
The person behind Rishikesh Cooking
Nandini, Cook, Teacher & Guide
Nandini grew up in a household where the kitchen was the heart of the home. From watching her grandmother roast and grind spices on a stone sil-batta at dawn, to cooking full family meals by the time she was twelve, her love for Indian food was never a choice. It was a way of life.
After years of learning family recipes from across India, from the mustard-rich kitchens of Bengal to the coconut-fragrant cooking of Kerala, Nandini settled in Rishikesh and opened her kitchen to the world. Her teaching style is warm, patient, and personal. She does not just teach recipes. She teaches you to understand food.
“Cooking is meditation,” Nandini often says. “When you are fully present, watching the oil shimmer, listening to the sizzle, smelling the spices bloom, there is no room for anything else. That is the real gift of Indian cooking.”
She has taught over 5,000 students from more than 60 countries, and every class feels like the first one. Her Tripadvisor and Google reviews speak for themselves, but the real proof is the students who come back, year after year.
Why Join Us?
Four reasons travellers from around the world choose Rishikesh Cooking
Authentic Experience
Learn traditional techniques passed down through generations. No shortcuts, no pre-made sauces, just real Indian cooking the way it has always been done.
Cultural Insight
Every spice has a story, every recipe has a region. Nandini brings both to life in every class, and you leave with more than just recipes.
Mindful Cooking
The classes blend Ayurvedic food principles with a relaxed, unhurried pace. There is something about cooking slowly, by hand, that you do not get from a YouTube tutorial.
Unique Setting
Cook in Rishikesh. The mountain air, the river, and the slower pace of life here change the way a meal feels. No city kitchen can replicate it.
What Our Guests Say
Real reviews from travellers around the world
From Our Kitchen
A glimpse of what happens when people gather, cook, and eat together
