Ranjana’s Indian Cooking Classes

Such a cool experience! I love Indian food and I love cooking so my wife got me a cooking class with Ranjana for my birthday — I opted to take the «advanced north Indian» as I have some experience in the kitchen. This was so fun and I learned so much more than I ever imagined. We powered through a number of recipes but what I found most useful was the simple philosophy behind the cooking. She explained that the bases of Indian curries are much the same with variations from region to region (I have never thought of it this way). Also that Indian food shares characteristics combining tart with salt with hot (red pepper). We used whole spices for the recipes which made a huge difference. I will definitely take another class in the future after I practice the many recipes that were provided in the printed out booklet she gave us. Highly recommend!

Ranjana is the most lovely woman. She was so kind to share her knowledge of Indian cooking and culture, with a dash of humor thrown in for flavor!
I learned a great deal and would highly recommend her classes.

What a lovely way to spend a day. Ranjana is a gentle woman who can really cook! She loves it. That is very obvious, plus she wants to share that love and knowledge with you. And that she did. I learned so much in three short (and very delicious) hours. I have always enjoyed Indian cuisine, but I admit to a lot of ignorance. I can now not only order with much more confidence, I feel I can create some dishes on my own. I was impressed with the experience and wouldn’t mind going back for more, with some more friends, too! Her home is easy to find. Parking is a breeze. She provides everything. What’s not to like?!

Simply awesome! Convinced a couple of buddies to purchase this class as Valentine’s Day gifts for our wives. What a great experience. I saw online that I had two highly rated options for classes. This one was further for us, and we would have to leave early on a Saturday morning, but I went with it because I saw it was in her home and thought we’d get a more personal experience. I was not disappointed. When Ranjana found out we were travelling so far, she pushed the start time so we could sleep in a little. We were immediately greeted by her and her husband when we pulled up to the house. We sat and chatted with her husband while she finished last minute preparations in the kitchen. During introductions with her, she found out what our favorite Indian dishes were, and added those to the menu on the spot! We cooked and exchanged stories for about 5 hours, even though we were scheduled for 3. She is an amazing person with great stories and a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend this class for anyone looking to learn about Indian or vegetarian cooking. We may take another one!

Ranjana is not only an excellent cook and teacher, but a wonderful person to spend an evening with. She started off by showing us how to make masala chai, then moved on to samosas, which we snacked on as we continued through the other 14 dishes. All four of us were complete beginners, and Ranjana walked us through every step of the process. She was genuinely invested in making sure that we understood the recipes and ingredients, as well as being a welcoming and generous hostess.
I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking for a one-​of-​a-​kind night out, or who wants to learn Indian cooking from an expert. Can’t wait to try these recipes with our family and friends!

Was taken here for a surprise Christmas present and felt whatever the opposite of disappointed is. She is a wonderful cook, a wonderful teacher, and a wonderful person to talk to.
We took the basic northern Indian cooking class, and in the few hours we were there experienced 16 different wonderful dishes and recipes, many of which were quite doable as quick, useable recipes at home. And, for the harder stuff there’s the ensemble of recipes she gives you to take home with.
And on top of all her expert guidance, she’s a fascinating person to talk to with her incredible background helping others.
Great course, great time spent, would recommend!

This is a must-​do for anyone who likes Indian food (or just learning new things). In preparation to meet my boyfriend’s parents (who are coming in from South India), I decided to sign up for the Basic South Indian class. Long story short, there was a slight mix-​up and Ranjana had been preparing to teach a North Indian class that evening. Instead of just going forward with one of the classes, she basically taught two classes in one, and we learned 18 dishes from both North and South India. She went through a ton of extra trouble just because it was so important to her to honor her promise to teach South Indian for me. This was a really fun, informative, and delicious experience. Highly recommended.

This is the first time I am writing review. I just need to give feedback, because I have never been so impressed! We took class today and it was absolutely unforgettable experience. My husband and I were able to actually learn and make very tasty, healthy, and full of flavor Indian food! Ranjana has amazing personality and she is also a master chief! She shared magic of professional, artful cooking, had everyone busy doing different recipes, managed to tell inspiring stories about Indian culture that left very profound impression and strengthen my affection to the Indian food and culture and all of these at the same time! She made it so easy to follow and repeated important parts often that made it easy to remember, especially with recipes prints on hand and my very detailed notes that I proudly made along the way! We made about 15 delicious recipes in three hours and tasted all of them! I cannot wait for the next class to come!

You get more than you expect with a cooking class with Ranjana in her fully equiped home kitchen. She is so knowledgeable and passionate about teaching Indian cooking, that even if you don’t do much cooking, you will literally leave with dough on your hands. While Indian cooking can be daunting given the different spices and herbs used, Ranjana presented everyday dishes that I can see making on a weekly basis: homemade yogurt, to make cucumber raita; roti bread made on the fly; lentils or other legumes with a flavorful topping of savory butter or oil.
I went with my family, who were visiting Chicago, and we had a great time, and to top it all off, her husband took professional quality photos for us as souvenir! Wow, you can not beat this practical, informative, and fun experience. Well worth the price.

We had the pleasure of having Ranjana bring her cooking class to my library in Calumet City, IL. It was a fantastic experience, needless to say. Not only was there demonstration and explanation of the philosophy in which Indian food is prepared, Ranjana also gave of herself, sharing her life experiences with the group. The food was flavorful and aromatic, in addition to being delicious. She prepared several authentic dishes for us that would be very easy to replicate at home. We would love to have her come back and prepare more dishes for us in order to round out our Indian cooking skills. I highly recommend her class and her food!

Once in a lifetime experience with Ranjana in her home kitchen. Although nine recipes were promised in the basic North Indian cuisine class, we managed to review 17. Ranjana is such a ball of energy. Answers questions patiently. Blending spices seemed complex at first, but she breaks it into manageable steps. I loved learning how to make samosas, rotis, mango lassi, fresh cheese, okra. Ranjana has great advice on even small details. I took extensive notes but her handouts are a great reference tool. Can’t wait to take another class with her.

Authentic, genuine, delicious.
That was my experience with Ranjana’s cooking class. I bought this class for my girlfriend and I as a Valentine’s Day date… life happens and we ended up having to reschedule to the next weekend. It ended up being just the two of us on a Saturday morning.
We started off making Chai while learning the different parts of India and how their cuisines differ. We made Samosas, a dish that we both love, followed by a plethora of other authentic dishes which the names escape me now.
Ranjana was patient, attentive and let us get our hands dirty making our dishes. We left full of delicious food and a a desire to explore more cuisines.
I would recommend Ranjana’s class to anyone looking to explore the cuisine and learn how to make it!

Fantastic experience. This was my first time here, and we had a crowd — nine or ten people. Ranjana was warm and welcoming, and very engaging — she involved everyone, and made sure that the experience was informative as well as enjoyable, delicious, and completely satisfying. And yep, as someone else here mentioned, her sense of humor is great. She is completely unafraid to take the occasional jab in good spirits. :)
Loved everything about this. Her home is beautiful, and she made us feel like it was ours. We’ll be back!

I just visited Ranjana for a second time with a group of 8 friends. We got to pick our own menu. It was such an awesome experience with the entire class of people you know. Increased participation and group dynamic. Ranjana is so knowledgeable and ready to share everything! She has a wicked sense of humor too!
Got cabin fever? Book this class right away and have some fun this winter with your friends! You’ll have a hearty meal and a lot of fun!!!

When my best friend decided to come to Chicago for spring break, I immediately suggested we take an Indian cooking class. I had noticed Ranjana’s Indian Cooking Class a few months ago when I was reading through Unilocal reviews and kept the idea in the back of my mind. As I write, all but two of the reviews for Ranjana’s classes are five-​star reviews – and now that I’ve taken a class, I will definitely keep the streak alive!
I’ve made Indian dishes before, recipes in hand, but I’ve never understood the method behind the madness. (That’s true for most of the cooking I do, actually.) Ranjana shared the building blocks of Indian cooking. Each dish should contain something salty, something tart, and some kind of chili; for the most part, cooks can mix and match one ingredient from each of the three categories depending on what’s on hand. The spice mixture can set one dish apart from another.
Furthermore, Ranjana’s class was plain fun. Ranjana was full of stories about her childhood and the early years of her marriage, and she also shared anecdotes about the origins of popular Indian dishes.
By the end of the class, we’d learned to make ten Indian dishes, including a fried eggplant dish I can’t stop thinking about… and an easy okra side I can’t stop thinking about… and a homemade paneer masala mixture I can’t stop thinking about. I’ll be cooking some of these again soon on my own!

I purchased the Basic North Indian Cooking for my Boyfriend (who is from South India) and me (who is not Indian and never cooked Indian food). I instantly felt welcomed into Ranjana’s home. Her husband welcomed us and immediately took our coats.
Ranjana lives on the south side in a beautiful home in an area in Chicago I had no idea existed. After the entire group arrived (classes are limited to 8 people, which is perfect amount) we were invited into the kitchen. Ranjana had all the fresh ingredients lined up. She also had a large map of India on the wall. She began the class by teaching us a little bit about cooking in various northern regions of India.
She taught us that all Indian dishes need something Salty, Tangy, and Spicy (or some kind of heat) in it. This is something I never knew but after making the dishes completely understood. She provided hands on training while making me feel like I was cooking with my mom in the kitchen. She spoke of her marriage, coming to Chicago (from India), and her kids (wow-​what successful children she has raised).
I have always been intimidated by Indian food. It has always seem so complicated and time consuming. Ranjana broke each recipe down to a very easy and manageable format.
Come hungry!!! We made so much food that our group couldn’t possibly have consumed all of it. It’s a fantastic deal for the amount of time Ranjana spends with you as well as the amount of food you get.
My boyfriend has been cooking Indian food his whole life and even he learned a lot in this class. He was engaged and eager to participate. It’s a very laid back and welcoming environment.
Don’t let the south side location deter you. It is 150% worth the trip. My boyfriend and I can’t wait to go back and take the south Indian cooking class!
Ranjana is also extremely organized. When booking the class, she immediately responded that she had room in the class I wanted. She also created a «gift certificate» for my boyfriend so that I could present him with some type of gift. She also followed up the day before with specific instructions (where to park – they have permits for the street and the street parking was wide open) and directions.
If you looking for something different to do in the city, look no further!

What a great experience! I took the basic South Indian class this past Saturday. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the experience was just awesome.
Ranjana opens up her home and is just lovely, welcoming, gracious, funny, and so knowlegeable and patient. Her home is beautiful and you feel very welcomed.
There were 6 in the class, which was a good size group. We made about 10 different recipes — a combo of demo and hands-​on. Because the Dawali holiday is this week, she included some extra special recipes and went above and beyond.
All the food came out so good and flavorful. I’m not vegetarian, but there wasn’t a dish we made in which I missed or needed meat. I would make all these recipes again at my home. They were simple with complex flavors.
I can’t say enough good things about Rajana and her class. I am taking another class with her in a few weeks, and I cannot wait!

My boyfriend signed us up for this class as a surprise for my birthday and it was wonderful. We went this past Saturday and we ended up being the only people there as the other people canceled. So we got a private lesson! This made me a little nervous as neither of us tends to cook anything too complicated at home. But, Ranjana made us feel at home and was not at all condescending while giving us hands on training.
Her home is beautiful and Hyde Park is full of gorgeous homes and a beautiful lakefront path. I would recommend making a day of it — maybe bring your bike there and explore afterwards to burn off some calories!
We took the Basic class and learned how to make some wonderful vegetarian dishes, which we look forward to trying on our own very soon.
Thanks Ranjana!

Ranjana is lovely!
This is a wonderful place to learn about the incredible variety of Indian cooking. We went on a Saturday morning and had such a wonderful time.
Ranjana is patient and incredibly knowledgeable.
I have been eating Indian food my entire life since I grew up with Indian friends – but I had no understanding of the taste elements of Indian cooking present in every dish… It was really helpful to learn how ingredients interact with each other – and also – for considering how you might pair dishes together for a larger dinner party to showcase your new Indian cooking knowledge.
This class is the kind of gem you feel really lucky to find in a city that has become increasingly corporate in its food business. We have fewer independent coffee shops, bakeries and delis every year. This place should be celebrated – along with the communal kitchens that are popping up – enabling smaller food purveyors to showcase their craft.
And regarding the review below – I didn’t see anything in Ranjana’s kitchen that looked less than spotless. The place was immaculate and beautiful!

*Basic South Indian
One tradition of my family’s that I really enjoy is that we try to get each other activities as gifts, or something functional. My little sister is a vegetarian, but the kind that survives primarily on Boca Burgers and such. I wanted to take her somewhere fun and that would be interesting to her. So we signed up for one of Ranjana’s classes. :)
Delicious! I want to go back for more. :) She is friendly and makes truly delicious food; she also helps you to see how the spices from each area are different, the basics of ingredients for any recipe (must have color, heat, etc.) and while I was outspiced sometimes (I can do up to medium), I couldn’t stop eating because it was delicious.
We had a great time and Ranjana really loves to get to know people. I highly recommend for a gift, for fun, for a date, whatever! My sister is 16 and we came away with ton of recipes and food. :)