Harper to offer trio of Indian cooking classes

Instructor Shilpi Saxena says to always cook with love, to trust your instincts and go by your taste. She'll try to show students the way through a tour of Indian food during three hands-on classes put on by Harper College's Continuing Education Department.

Learn to make authentic North Indian Punjabi dishes in "Indian Cooking: Punjab Di Hatti." Dishes will include dal makhni (rich vegetarian lentil curry high in protein), lachha paratha, jeera rice and fresh Indian bread known as nan. The course will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6.

In "Let's Grill Indian Style," students will get a head start on barbecue season with flavorful Indian spices. Create an oven-cooked tandoori platter featuring tandoori salmon and spicy tandoori chicken. Amritsari paneer tikka will be a vegetarian alternative. The class is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 6.

"Chowpatty" will round out the trio of classes. Vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike will enjoy making traditional street food such as pakoras (fritters stuffed with veggies), masala chai (a hot, herbed beverage) and potato tikkis (potato cutlets with spices). The class is from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 10.

Saxena, who teaches at Stevenson High School and in other suburbs, said students will learn to embrace family-oriented recipes and cooking techniques within the increasingly popular cuisine. She said she comes from a family who loves to eat and cook.

"My mom had mandatory days for us to cook and I started to cook independently when I was 10 years old," she said. "And since then there has been no looking back."

The tuition and fees for each session are $49. Classes take place in Building A, Room A006 on the College's main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.

To register, call 847.925.6300 or visit harpercollege.edu/ce. Check out the CE blog at ceblog.harpercollege.edu.