Rishikesh, India
North Indian Cooking Class in Rishikesh
Cook rich dals, fragrant sabzis and hand-rolled chapatis in a real Rishikesh kitchen.
About This Class
North Indian cooking is one of the world’s most loved food traditions. Warming spices, slow-cooked lentils, buttery gravies and hand-rolled bread - these are the dishes that have fed families in this region for centuries. In this hands-on class, you will cook a full North Indian vegetarian meal from scratch in Nandini’s home kitchen in Rishikesh.
No experience needed. Whether you have never touched a tawa in your life or you cook regularly at home, Nandini’s patient, step-by-step guidance makes every technique clear and achievable. You will leave with the skills to recreate these dishes at home - and a full stomach.
- Learn to build a base masala from whole spices - the foundation of North Indian cooking
- Master tempering (tadka) - the technique that transforms every dal and vegetable dish
- Roll and cook chapatis on a live tawa until they puff up perfectly
- Cook, eat and carry home the recipes forever
What You’ll Cook
Dal Makhani
Overnight-soaked black lentils simmered low and slow with tomatoes, butter and aromatic garam masala until velvety smooth.
Paneer Butter Masala
Soft cottage cheese cubes in a rich tomato-cashew gravy, perfumed with cardamom and finished with a swirl of cream.
Aloo Gobi
A classic dry stir-fry of potatoes and cauliflower with turmeric, cumin seeds and fresh ginger - simple yet deeply satisfying.
Fresh Chapati
Stone-ground whole wheat dough, hand-rolled thin and cooked on a hot tawa until it blisters and puffs into a soft, smoky flatbread.
Jeera Rice
Fragrant basmati rice tempered with whole cumin seeds and bay leaf - the perfect understated partner for any North Indian gravy.
Raita & Masala Chai
Cooling cucumber-mint yogurt to balance the spice, followed by a glass of hand-pulled chai brewed with ginger and cardamom.
The Experience
Welcome & Spice Tour
Arrive, take off your shoes and join Nandini at the spice shelf. You will smell, taste and learn the purpose of every spice before a single pot goes on the flame.
Prep & Masala
Chop, grind and build the base masala from scratch. Learn the difference between tempering whole spices and blooming ground ones - the secrets behind every great curry.
Cook Together
Hands on the ladle. You stir the dal, roll the chapati, flip it at exactly the right moment. Nandini is right beside you, guiding every step of every recipe.
Eat & Share
Sit down together and enjoy the entire meal you cooked. Recipes are yours to keep. Most guests leave already planning their first dinner at home.
What’s Included
Included
Not Included
Class Details
Why Learn North Indian Cooking in Rishikesh?
North Indian cooking is built on a handful of core techniques - building a base masala, mastering tempering (tadka), slow-cooking lentils, and hand-rolling bread on a live flame. Once you understand these four techniques, you can cook virtually the entire North Indian repertoire. Our North Indian cooking class in Rishikesh teaches all four in a single three-hour session.
Rishikesh sits at the edge of the Kumaon-Garhwal hills, where the food traditions of the Himalayan foothills and the North Indian plains overlap. The spices at the local market are fresh. The dairy is local. And the kitchen wisdom in this valley goes back generations. Students who take our north Indian cooking class in Rishikesh regularly tell us they finally understand how to build a dal or a curry from scratch, not just follow a recipe.
Meet Your Instructor
Nandini Saraswat
Chef & Founder, Rishikesh Cooking
Nandini’s love for cooking began in her mother’s kitchen, in quiet lessons passed between two hands. Her grandmother-in-law welcomed her with a collection of family recipes and the patience to teach them properly. Those are the recipes and that patience Nandini brings into every class.
Today she teaches every class herself in her own kitchen. She has welcomed guests from over 40 countries and treats each one the way she would a guest at her own dinner table. You leave knowing dal makhani, paneer butter masala and chapati - and feeling like you have been fed by someone who genuinely wanted to feed you.
Whether you are a seasoned cook or a complete beginner, Nandini adapts the pace to you. She speaks fluent English and Hindi and is happy to adjust any recipe for allergies with prior notice.
What Our Guests Say
Find Us
We are located in the heart of Rishikesh, easily reachable from Laxman Jhula, Ram Jhula, and the main market. Our home kitchen is a calm, welcoming space just minutes from the Ganges.
Getting Here
- →Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
- →5 min drive from Laxman Jhula
- →10 min walk from Ram Jhula
- →Classes by appointment only