Chef Shankari Arcot will teach an online cooking class for Briarpatch Food Co-op on Wednesday, May 5th from 6 – 7:30 p.m. During the class called, “So You Wanna Chana?” students will learn how to make their own naturally vegan chana masala and roti.
A dish originating from the Indian subcontinent, chana masala is made from chickpea or chana.
Roti is a round flatbread made from stone ground whole wheat flour, traditionally known as gehu ka atta, and water that is combined into a dough. Consumed in many countries worldwide, roti’s defining characteristic is that it is unleavened.
“I teach them how simple it is to make,” said Arcot, who is a regular cooking teacher at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. Her recipes are a mix of traditional and healthy alternative ingredients.
Arcot is a winner of the Iron Chef competition at the California State Fair and is the founder of Sacramento Spice Cooking School. She grew up in Southern India and moved to the states in her late 20s. She lives in Folsom with her husband and 10 year old son.
Known for her personable and patient teaching style, Arcot has a knack for making her students feel at ease in her virtual classrooms. She says she connects with her students on different levels and many come back, class after class, year after year.
“I think people like that I’m easy to connect with…There’s so much to learn even after 14 years of giving classes. I tell my students, ‘I have so much to learn from you.’ I tell them anyone can learn to cook,” said Arcot.
The cooking class is part of an ongoing series of virtual events presented by BriarPatch. An ingredient list and recipes will be sent before the class and BriarPatch owners will receive a $5 shopping credit to help purchase ingredients. A Zoom class link will be sent the day of the event.
Register for the class: https://bit.ly/2QoIDgz
Learn more about BriarPatch Food Co-op: https://www.briarpatch.coop/