Here’s a personal story. It is strange to write about my students reviews of my Indian Cooking Class in Brooklyn, NY. People from India are in general so introverted and reluctant to talk about ourselves that sometimes, we are not doing justice to our own talents and accomplishments. We call it modesty – at east that how it has been for our generation, but more often than not, it’s not helpful to promote the work we do, and the business we run.
In my case, it has been an unbelievably difficult task to start Mukti’s Kitchen – my home-based Indian cooking class in Brooklyn, NY from scratch about twelve years ago, because I didn’t have a clue how to start a business, let alone run it. But slowly and surely, I learned the craft. And even though it might sound like a cliché, my American students have been my biggest strengths.
They have supported me all the way. They encouraged me, and always told me how they have found a way to make themselves and their families happy through cooking at home. And I have kept telling them, “Look, I don’t care what you cook – Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican, African or Arabic. But cook at home. Eating dinner together with your friends, family and loved ones would create a joyful and positive vibe – an environment you can’t buy on the market even if you are a super millionaire.”
They wrote me back, and told me how my little advice worked and how my background as a biologist added to their experience!🙂!
Here’s some evaluations I have received from a few of my thousands of students that learned to cook delicious dishes in my home-based Indian cooking class in Brooklyn. I share them with you, with a lot of gratitude, happiness and pride.
I hope you like them too. I have not changed a single word they wrote. I didn’t even change their grammar or punctuation, to keep it 100% verbatim.
Eddie Grupper – “Mukti so amazing. Knowledgeable, caring, genuine, and passionate. She invited me and my girlfriend into her home and showed us how to cook the best tasting, and freshest Indian food we’ve ever had, and explained (she’s a biologist!) exactly how and why it tasted so good. Mukti loves creating food and her excitement is infectious. She stresses the importance of home cooking, healthy eating, and the insane health benefits of the particular spices used – and also how to properly cook with them. She makes it simple and so easy.. We left with hugs, a big container of spices, and the recipes we made that evening, and I’m very excited to get my kitchen smelling as good as Mukti’s does.”
Mariska Seipke (this is a long one J) – “My friend and I had been excited to try one of
Mukti’s classes since pre-pandemic. One of the best birthday presents ever was doing the Vegetarian Cooking class with Mukti. I’ve done over 15 cooking classes in NYC and when we travel and this was by far the best I’ve been to.
The class was an intimate group hosted in Mukti kitchen in Brooklyn. Mukti’s background as a scientist brought a different perspective from most of the cooking classes I’ve been to. She would explain each step from the scientific perspective as well her personal connection to the food and culture. Mukti facilitated a warm atmosphere was very welcoming and every student was able to participate rather than primarily demonstrations. We made several familiar Indian dishes (Chana. eggplant and rice) but everything was the BEST version we have had.
We have been inspired to cook with whole spices and love the recipes. Thank you Mukti for such a special evening. We look forward to coming back. would highly recommend a class with Mukti if you are looking to cook healthy and delicious food. The class size is kept small which is a huge plus especially since Mukti’s knowledge of Indian spices and Ayurvedic cooking is just as powerful of an experience as the physical cooking aspect of the class. I couldn’t recommend enough – what a gem!”
Blue G – “We took a bread and curry class with Mukti in February 2022 for my birthday. We were 7 people total. Mukti was well prepared and very instructive. She was a joy to learn from. We all learned a lot and applied what we learned right then and there. Each of us got a chance to make some bread and contribute to the curry. We learned about different spices, which ones are best to buy, how to keep them and grind them, and how to use them. We learned how to make naan, roti, potato paratha and poori. Everyone was very pleased with the class and we all went on to make some Indian breads and curries at home, which shows how effective the class was 🙂 Also, Mukti is a scientist, so am I, so We nerded out on the science of spices and flavors and all that stuff! Mukti definitely thinks deep about food and the nourishment of the body, beyond just cooking to eat something. We asked a lot of questions and she had thought about these things herself and had great insights to share. Mukti was careful with pandemic regulations, too, which I appreciated. All in all, a fantastic experience and a very fun activity for a birthday celebration 🙂 Thank you, Mukti!”
I shall post a different set of reviews in a later post. For now, you can see more on Yelp or Google. If you’d like you can try one of my recipes at home. Let me know how you do!
To all of you, THANKS and HUGS. You made it all possible.