Rich Punjabi flavours find a following in Truro

TRURO, N.S. — The first thing that strikes you when you enter Nidhi Anand’s home is the rich and delicious aroma of cooking in her kitchen.
She grew up in northern India, where foods like malai kofta potato dumplings and chicken biryani were everyday delicacies. 
Now a proud Canadian, Anand is offering these dishes and many more from the old country to her fellow Truro residents through private cooking classes.
“You always feel good when someone is interested in the culture or food and I love to feed people,” said Anand.
She began Meri Rasoi – My Indian Kitchen Cooking Classes in July. As well as private lessons for couples and small gatherings, Anand offers both larger group and multi-week cooking sessions. Party catering menus are also offered.
Some of the more unusual offerings – not found in most Indian restaurants – include Keema, a minced and spiced chicken. Other dishes on her menu include lobia masala, a black bean dish in an onion- and tomato-based sauce. 
People at Anand’s classes can learn to cook both meat-based and vegetarian dishes, choosing from one of the online menus.
Anand’s aim is to give people a version of Indian food beyond what their local restaurant may offer. This also includes the different regions of India, whose local cuisines may be completely different from one another.
For example, many south Indian dishes are steamed instead of using oil to cook them.
However, all Anand’s creations are healthy versions, using no butter or cream.
“I find people want to try something different,” said Anand. “I have a lot of Canadian friends and they all love Indian food and say, ‘why don’t you open your own restaurant,’ which is a lot of hard work. So instead of opening a restaurant, I thought, why not teach them how to cook it for themselves?”
Meantime, Anand's children also enjoy western food as well as their parents' cooking. That's why Anand bakes cookies for the kids and also cooks dishes like Jeera Arbi, a curry made with eddo roots and garnished with coriander. It is eaten with raita yoghurt and roti bread, a tasty and healthy lunch sampled by the Truro News on Nov. 26.
Originally from Chandigarh in India’s Punjab province, Anand and her husband Munish moved to Canada 17 years ago, settling in Truro. 
They chose Canada after Munish had worked in and visited several different countries. Today, the couple live here with their two daughters and sometimes visit their extended family in India.
“Canada feels like home to me – our kids were born here,” said Anand. “Whenever we went to India we wanted to go back home.”
To learn more about Meri Rasoi, call Anand at 902-893-6452, or email [email protected]. People can also visit https://merirasoiindiancooking.com to learn more about menus and lesson costs.