Once again, Ger-Nis is proud to offer a series of classes that delve into the culture and food of a particular place that brings excitement and joy to foodies everywhere. This season, India is our focus, from the beautiful landscapes, the mystical nature, the colorful characters and, of course, the amazing street food. To describe a street in India, a few words come to most minds, chaotic, loud, enticing, intense characters, and crowded. India's streets are truly a melting pot of culture and at this stop along our food tour, we take to the streets where important festive occasions take place, where celebrating a wedding, a victory, or a religious event with food at the center.

India native, Suvir Saran, is teaching all about the unique and creative food found on the streets of India with recipes that he grew up eating with his friends and family. This type of cuisine is a huge market for the locals, showcasing their fresh ingredients in a simple way for people to enjoy as they take in the sights and sounds of local villages. All countries have their own version of street food or fast, quick food, and India is no exception. A quintessential Indian street food is Chaat which can be found in dozens of varieties and is usually just a mess of fried something, whether it’s dough, potatoes, chickpeas or some other starch and then flavored all kinds of ways -- sweet, spicy, salty, soft, crunchy, sour, and nutty. Let’s create handheld tasty treats together.

Recipes:Chaat Masala, Cheelas, Crispy Okra Salad; Manchurian Cauliflower; Puff Pastry Samosas with Green Peas; Drink: Mango Lassi

Class Type: Local Chef and Series, hands-on cooking class

Class Notes: Take home a mango!

Suvir Saran

Cookbook author, culinary instructor and working chef, Suvir Saran is a respected food authority at age 35, making great contributions to furthering appreciation of Indian food in America. He has been featured in many publications such as Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, and Travel & Leisure, and has many Television and radio appearances on The Food Network, “Next Iron Chef”, “The Martha Stewart Show,” and NBC “Today” show. He is the author of two cookbooks, Indian Home Cooking and American Masala and the owner of two restaurants in the Tri-state area, Devi in Manhattan and American Masala in Jersey City, NJ.

When he is not on the road teaching and learning, Saran enjoys working on his 68-acre American Masala Farm in upstate New York. http://www.suvir.com/
Contact Suvir

Tina DeGraff

Six years ago, Suvir and Tina met. Suvir was about to publish his first cookbook, Indian Home Cooking and Tina DeGraff was assigned to be his book publicist and quickly learned of his overwhelming talent, perseverance and generous spirit. They immediately hit it off and now she joins him in teaching a class at Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb, where she is the manager. After leaving cookbook publishing for her own food dreams, she enrolled in the culinary program at the Institute of Culinary Education and began her career working at Michelin star restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with notable restaurants in Washington DC. She has honed her skills working with highly acclaimed chefs in fine dining kitchens, both in savory and pastry. Deciding to step out of the fast paced kitchen culture, she now brings her talents to the classroom setting, teaching about healthy eating and mindful thinking when it comes to our diets. The kitchen is her favorite place to be besides lounging on the beach. When Tina isn't cooking, she enjoys being in the outdoors, biking, running or hiking. Contact Tina