Spice of Life
Taking your Indian food beyond curry
Cookbook author Kaumudi Marathé wants the world to know there's more to Indian food than tandoori, samosas and curry. And people are hungry to learn: Her cooking demos at Surfas' test kitchen were so popular that she's launching a more in-depth cooking series there in May.
Marathé was born in Pune, southeast of Bombay, where food is more subtly spiced than in other regions in India, and is heavier on raw and cooked vegetables, lentils and sweet desserts. When she got tired of people equating curry--which varies from region to region throughout Southeast Asia--with Indian food and her heritage, she launched Un-Curry, a catering and cooking company, to demystify Indian spices and show how they can be used in any cuisine.
In class Marathé grinds spices by hand while narrating a historic, folkloric and emotional journey through her homeland. She has a grace and ease in the kitchen that makes you walk away believing you too can perfect shrikhand (a rich saffron dessert), a refreshing butternut squash and yogurt salad or her grandmother's coconut-tomato soup.
One of her favorite go-to dishes is green beans with Bengali five-spice. Click here for the recipe.
Find Marathé's Un-Curry classes at Surfas on May 3, 17 and 30; cost is $65 per person.
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