New Delhi: Five Course Indian Cooking Class & Meal

The smell of cumin hitting hot oil. That's where you start learning to cook in Delhi

You arrive at 11 am and spend 2.5 to 3 hours cooking five courses from scratch (curry paste, paneer, dal, breads, rice, and dessert) learning Indian spices and technique as you go. Lunch and drinks are included, and you take home the recipes. Groups are small, dietary needs are accommodated, and the studio is a five-minute walk from Lajpat Nagar Metro, so you don't need a car to get there.

Step-by-step itinerary

Indian cooking class and meal

• Arrive at Tastesutra Cooking Studio
• Learn about Indian spices and ingredients
• Make curry paste and chicken curry
• Prepare paneer dish (vegetarian butter chicken)
• Cook dal (lentils) home style
• Cook seasonal vegetable side dish
• Make two types of flat breads
• Prepare cumin rice
• Enjoy self-cooked five course meal
• Receive recipes to take home

The experience

The Tastesutra Cooking Studio sits in Lajpat Nagar, a neighborhood in central New Delhi where the spice markets still smell like they did fifty years ago. You arrive at 11 am, and the first thing that happens is you're standing in front of ingredients you've probably never bought yourself: whole coriander seeds, dried red chilies, fresh ginger the size of your fist, paneer blocks still warm from the maker. The class runs 2.5 to 3 hours, and it's hands-on from the start. No watching from a stool while someone else cooks. You're making the curry paste, grinding the spices, learning why the order matters.

The five-course menu moves through a real meal: you start with lassi or masala chai, then move into a chicken or vegetable curry where you build the paste from whole spices. That's where the sound comes in again, the sizzle when it hits the pan. After that comes paneer, a vegetarian take on butter chicken using cottage cheese instead, then dal cooked the home-style way, a seasonal vegetable side, two kinds of flatbread you'll make and cook yourself, cumin rice, and a dessert. It's not a tasting menu where someone hands you small plates. You cook it, you plate it, you eat it at a table with the host, who talks about why these dishes matter and how they've moved through Indian families for generations. The recipes come home with you on paper, not just ingredient lists, but the method, the timing, the small adjustments that make the difference.

Groups stay small, capped at 20 people but often much fewer, which means you get real attention and space to move around the kitchen. The studio is accessible by public transport. Lajpat Nagar Metro Station is the nearest stop, a short walk away. If you need vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options, you tell them when you book and they adjust the menu: no substitutions that feel like an afterthought. A minimum of two people per booking, so it's built for couples, small groups, or friends traveling together, not solo travelers looking for a communal class.

Lunch and beverages are included in the price. You're not paying extra for what you cook and eat. The studio is designed to feel warm. That's the word they use, and it's not marketing speak when you walk in. Bring an appetite and comfortable clothes you don't mind getting spice on. The nearest Metro station means you can get there without a car, which matters if you're staying in central Delhi and don't want to negotiate a taxi ride.

What’s included

• Your class includes a complete hands-on cooking experience for all participants, lunch made from what you cook, beverages (lassi or masala chai), and written recipes for every dish.
• The studio provides all ingredients and spices.
• Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available with advance notice.

Information

Lasts 3h, runs every day at 11:00 and 17:00, from US$ 60.82 per person, with a live guide in English and Hindi, as a private tour and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 11:00 and 17:00Another time? ›

GroupPrivate1 group tour ›

Live guideEnglish and Hindi

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (25 to 80 years) · Youth (18 to 24 years) · Child (6 to 17 years) · Under 6: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Infant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by TASTESUTRA

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to learn Indian cooking technique and spice work in a real kitchen, not a demonstration class, and you'd rather not spend the afternoon figuring out where to eat. The meal you cook is lunch itself.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Hindi.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (18 to 24 years); Child (6 to 17 years). Children under 6 can't be included in the booking.

What exactly do you cook in the five-course class?

A beverage (lassi or masala chai), a chicken or vegetable curry made from spice paste, paneer dish, lentils, a seasonal vegetable side, two kinds of flatbread, cumin rice, and dessert. You make each component yourself.

How long does the class take?

2.5 to 3 hours, starting at 11 am.

Is lunch included?

Yes. You cook the meal and eat it together. Beverages are also included.

Can you get there by public transport?

Yes. Lajpat Nagar Metro Station is the nearest stop, a short walk from the studio.

What if you're vegetarian or have dietary restrictions?

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available. Tell the studio at booking time and they'll adjust the menu.

How many people are in a class?

A minimum of 2 people per booking, maximum of 20. Classes are typically much smaller.

Do you get the recipes?

Yes. You take home written recipes for all the dishes you've made.

Is the studio accessible?

Yes, it's accessible to all kinds of public transportation and located near the Metro station.