Simply Indian by Rupen Rao

Attended a cooking class at Culinaerie. The recipes were fast, easy and delicious. Rupen provided suggestions for how to vary the proteins and substitute for certain ingredients. He was entertaining and personable. Would love to take another class with him!

Attended his class at Living Social. I’m South Asian and know how to cook indian food however I definitely learned new things from his class. He’s incredibly personable and funny and makes you feel welcome to be in the kitchen. His recipes are simple and even transferable, he gives great inspiration.
We made butter chicken, tilapia steamed in banana leaf and eggplant curry. The tilapia was probably the most amazing fish cooked indian style that I have ever eaten. We have made it at home a few times since the class.
I would definitely attend his cooking class again! You won’t be disappointed.

I took his cooking class at Living Social and let me tell you = AWESOME.

Rupen hosted a private cooking class for me and 4 of my friends and we were all blown away. I’d definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to learn how to cook incredible Indian food. The following really stood out:
(1) His professionalism — he was very fun but also very focused and task oriented
(2) His depth of knowledge with Indian cooking techniques, ingredients, and anything else you could think of — we constantly peppered him with questions and was more than happy to answer
(3) His experience — this guys could really be on a TV show, he must have busted out at least 20 — 30 little proverbs/​idioms to help us all remember different aspects of preparing Indian food.
(4) His food — we cooked a ton of food, everything tasted incredible and most importantly… we were actually able to replicate the food we made after he left. His cooking style and technique is very accessible for those of us who are not professional chiefs.
I can’t wait until next time! Thanks Rupen

Participate in a Simply Indian cooking demo and feel like you’re part of a Food Network studio audience… except without cameras and therefore much more interaction with the host.
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OVERALL
You don’t just watch a cooking demo, you get to interact with Rupen, learn way more than about the dishes Rupen cooks, and best of all, you get generous tastings!
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TEACHER
I know Rupen teaches at Whole Foods on P Street but he demo’d at my company for an APIA Heritage Month event.
–Thorough on the details, Rupen talks about ingredient history, substitution ideas for health alternatives, the history behind dishes, and always has something to say.
–He more than welcomes questions. If I attend another one of his classes, I’m going to bring questions with me because I have direct access to an experienced chef.
–Despite his teaching ways, he’s funny. I don’t know where he got his presentation skills from, but it’s obvious that he’s very experienced in talking to a variety of people.
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FOOD
I think Rupen cooks traditionally. For example, his butter chicken tastes slightly less creamy than restaurant butter chicken, but it’s still soooooo good.
Rupen cooked way more than he said he would (tasting serving sizes). I guess that’s good for me because I got to get a bigger portion than expected.
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TIP
If you have tupperware, bring it just in case there’s leftovers and you want to take something home.

Great class! Rupen offered a lot of nutritional tips as he cooked, especially tips on cutting back on fat and cholesterol, without cutting back on taste. He allowed his audience to help volunteer in food preparation as well. The food turned out to be delicious and gave me encouragement that I can make Indian food!