About the Class:

Join Ambika Swami, owner of Buffalo's Vada-Pav and Bites as she teaches you how to prepare and cook a full West Indian vegetarian meal from start to finish. Participants will learn about staple Indian spices like mustard seeds, cumin and tumeric, as well as how to build flavor using cooking methods such as tadka to create everyday comfort Indian dishes.

Hands-On Dishes:

Traditional Jeera Rice: Learning grain separation, whole spice infusion, and liquid-to-rice ratios.
Homestyle Dal Tadka: Perfecting lentil texture and mastering blooming spices in hot oil/ghee.
Fresh Cucumber & Tomato Raita: Balancing heat with cool, seasoned yogurt sides.

Please let us know if you have any food allergies prior to the class so we can make accommodations, where possible. (Email oboseoye@mass-ave.org)

About the Instructor:

Ambika came to Buffalo in 2010 and is a mom of twins. She started her culinary career at Tim Horton's. As hardcore vegetarian Ambika was struggling to find good and tasty healthy food. She started cooking for Indian people and eventually started a small business to share Indian vegan food culture. Ambika is proud to share rich and healthy vegetarian and vegan food with the world. She connected with MAP to represent her food culture at the summer event, and her food was accepted with open arms.

Teaching is an opportunity to share knowledge and experience. Ambika strongly believes that cooking is therapy. It would be a wonderful experience for her to share vegan recipes and blended spices that can give different textures and test to vegan food. Teaching cooking can be a way to help others become more independent in the kitchen. She would like to empower people to feel confident in preparing meals and improving their health or lifestyle through food. Cooking can bring people together, and teaching might have been a way to build a sense of community or to help others connect through shared experiences.

Choose Your Ticket:

We offer tiered pricing to ensure our classes are inclusive and accessible. All ticket levels provide the same access to the class and materials. By choosing a higher tier, you’re helping us keep these events affordable for everyone in our community.

Accessible ($55)
Standard ($65)
MAP Supporter ($75)

About the Venue:

Parking:
Starting at 6 pm, you cannot park on the south side of Massachusetts Avenue (same side of the street as our building entrance). The parking rule changes right at 6pm, so we encourage arriving a little early to ensure you are parked on the correct side before class starts. There is usually parking available on side streets, Shields and Brayton, or further down Massachusetts Ave.

MAP Thursday Market:
MAP will be hosting their Thursday Farmhouse Market from 3-6pm. They have a selection of fresh produce, as well as eggs, herbs, mushrooms, honey, flowers, preserved goods, beauty products, and more! Feel free to come early to check it out!

Foundations of Indian Flavor: Jeera Rice, Dal Tadka, Cucumber & Tomato Raita (Vegetarian)

Choose your tickets

Accessible ticket

Standard ticket

Map Supporter ticket