Cracking open the world of Indian cooking

It was the perfect scenario.

There I was on a Saturday morning alongside five other barefoot classmates in the kitchen of the Sanatan Mandir Temple in Tampa.

We had signed up for an introduction to Indian cooking class, a fundraising event for University of South Florida's Center for India Studies.

The morning became even sweeter when we were told our instructor was Riverview attorney and philanthropist Bella Patel. She was fascinating.

I wanted to pinch myself.

Since there were only six of us under the guidance of "Chef" Bella, we were told our session would be hands-on.

Relaxed and charming, she was a master of efficiency as she set in motion our ambitious menu of some of her everyday favorite recipes for mango lassi, mung salad, barley bhakri, khichadi, vegetable curry and chai tea.

In a flurry she assembled the prepared ingredients, had pots going and showed us, for example, how to let black mustard seeds — a staple in Indian cooking — pop in hot oil like popcorn and release a wonderfully sweet aroma before adding them to the remaining ingredients.

One of Bella's key instructions was to use only fresh ingredients, nothing canned or frozen. She even makes her own ghee, a clarified butter, for its cleaner flavor than store-bought ghee.

Fine points of seasoning were covered along with myriad other details. My favorite was watching Bella deftly knead the barley bhakri dough or barley bread maps, as she also called them, to get the right texture. Eventually, we each had our own portion of dough to form into flat circles. Mine, when finished, looked more like a map of the United States, she said.

It was wonderful to taste the dishes as we completed them.

Somehow, in just two hours, everything came together in a symphonic close. We gathered to eat and sip an amazing cup of chai tea. Then, crammed with information and fully energized, we took home a mélange of cumin, coriander, cardamom seeds, leftovers and tea.

I see lots of possibilities — and many cups of that fabulous chai tea — in my future.