After many months of (mostly) budget accommodation and sweltering heat, Andy and I decided to treat ourselves to three nights of luxury at the Taj-run Savoy Hotel in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Cool air, horlicks, hot water and badminton, the hill station town was a lovely indulgence towards the end of our time in India.

While our hotel cost more in a single night than most of our other accommodation combined, the friendliness of the staff, and the beautiful grounds and room made it worth every penny. Best of all, the hotel offered a “cooking demonstration” run by the restaurant’s chef. We were a little worried by the”for ladies” stipulation on the website, but fortunately that was no bar to Andy participating.

Taj hotels are well known for their superior food, and after our great experience at Masala Kraft in Mumbai Andy and I were keen to learn from one of the company’s chefs. The class turned out to be the highlight of our stay.

The Executive Chef, Lok Shahi, was very friendly and accommodating. Assisted by chefs Samodra and Nathan, he happily agreed to run the demonstration at 7pm so we could eat the results for dinner, even though this was just on the cusp of the restaurant’s busier dinner period.

We were asked in advance what we’d like to see demonstrated, and specified only that we wanted something vegetarian and South Indian. Even with such meager instructions, the team of Chefs came up with the perfect meal - two vegetarian Nilgiri curries, hailing from the wider hill district of which Ooty is a part.

The first dish was a Nilgiri Kai (mixed vegetable) curry. With Ooty’s cool climate making it well disposed to growing vegetables, it was no surprise to see a dish laden with fresh spinach, carrots, cauliflower and beans.

The vegetables were quickly sauteed, then seasoned with salt, tumeric and an onion and cashew paste. Splashes of milk and water completed the dish, leaving it smooth, creamy and not all spicy, a perfect complement to our second curry.

The next dish was a hearty red kidney bean curry called Avavai Uthaka. It had a typical South Indian spice base of mustard seeds, red onion, turmeric, chili, salt and ginger.

Fresh tomatoes and red kidney beans were added to the spice mix and cooked quickly on a high heat. The result was a filling and fiery dish, perfect for a cold Ooty night.

To round off the meal, the chefs made gassu doti, a flat, fried bread with grated potato mixed through the dough. It was delicious eaten with spicy chutney, also made in the Savoy Hotel restaurant.

The skill of the chefs meant the whole demonstration took no more than half hour, leaving us plenty of time to savour our meal amongst the colonial charm of the Savoy Hotel’s dining room. If you ever get the chance to take a Taj Hotel cooking demonstration, grab it with both hands!

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