Shailini Sisodia Shares Her Favorite Nepali Recipes and Shares Her Passion for Teaching Cooking and Global Cuisine
“The years flew by – school, college, grad school and it wasn’t until I was an actual adult that I began to cook with passion, hosting huge dinner parties for friends and family, creating gourmet dishes, all from scratch. People began suggesting that I cook professionally, and so I did just that.”Today’s woman dreamer, Shailini Sisodia, has a true passion for cooking, and teaching her recipes to those around her. Shailini has taught multiple classes in the Boston area, including at the prestigious Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Kitchen and Boston Public Market, as well as with several cooking nonprofits. Looking to try something new this weekend? We bring you two of Shailini’s wonderful Nepali recipes. Enjoy her exciting story and delicious recipes!
Shailini’s Story
Growing up in the New York area, circa mid 1960’s, I was a painfully skinny kid who thought eating was a complete waste of time. Far better, my young self thought, to spend it playing outdoors, reading, even tackling easy homework! My loving mother tried desperately to “fatten” me up, with healthy, stick to your ribs food – sadly for her, to no avail. We moved back to Nepal in 1966, but it was only about a decade or so later, on a family trip to Europe, that I became what I like to call, an “obsessed foodie”. It was an unseasonably warm, spring night in Paris, and so we went out to dinner at a fancy French restaurant, where I unwittingly ordered “Mussels Brittany''. That turned out to be a soup so unappealing in sight, yet so incredibly delicious that I hungrily devoured the entire bowl, eyes scrunched tightly shut! The little critters seemed to have eyes peering up at me – looking back now, I believe the “eyes'' were actually capers. Nonetheless, that memorable soup was my first glimpse into how soul soothing and heartwarming, good food could be.
The years flew by – school, college, grad school and it wasn’t until I was an actual adult that I began to cook with passion, hosting huge dinner parties for friends and family, creating gourmet dishes, all from scratch. People began suggesting that I cook professionally, and so I did just that, starting in early 2016. From teaching business classes for years, it was now onto the culinary arts. Since then, my passion/obsession for teaching people how to cook healthy, delicious, international cuisines has only grown stronger. Here’s to the future!
I love my cooking classes, and would like to continue doing that. In the pipeline, perhaps writing a bestselling memoir/cookbook, becoming a Youtube/Food network star – hitch your wagon to a star and the possibilities are endless, as they say! As for now, I love seeing how my students’ eyes (whether kids, low income women or students in my home/Boston classes) light up in delight when they take that first, delicious bite of a dish they cooked themselves!
Shailini’s Nepali Recipes
KANKRO RA DAHI KO ACHAR (CUCUMBER AND YOGURT PICKLE
(This dish is used as an accompaniment / side dish to a lot of main courses)
INGREDIENTS:
1 large English cucumber
2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 Tbls. sesame seeds
1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
1 – 1 ½ Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. mustard oil
½ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
¼- ½ tsp red chili powder (Indian chili powder, available at Indian grocery stores)
2 fresh green chillies, seeded and thinly sliced – OR two dried red chillies, broken in half
2 Tbls. fresh coriander leaves, chopped
METHOD:
Peel the cucumbers if desired, half them lengthwise and remove any seeds. Cut into small pieces about 1 ½ inches in length. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 15 minutes.
Dry roast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium low heat, shaking pan or stirring constantly until very slightly brown – grind to powder form.
Drain all liquid from cucumber by pressing between two hands. Combine with the yogurt, lemon juice and sesame powder in a serving dish. In a small skillet/pan, heat oil and then add the cumin seeds, turmeric, red chili powder and the chillies – heat for about 10 seconds or so – add the fresh coriander leaves and then pour it all over the cucumbers.
Note: This is meant to be more or less spicy/hot – if you don’t like that, just leave out the chillies and chili powder – still delicious!
SERVINGS: Approx. 6 to 8
TOMATO ACHAAR FOR MOMOS (can also be used with eggs, other dishes etc.)
(GOLBEDA KO ACHAAR)
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbls. oil (preferably mustard or mustard flavored)
2 lbs. tomatoes, cut into quarters (Campari, or any other ripe tomato)
4 to 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 to 1 ½ Tbls. grated fresh ginger
3 to 4 fresh green chilies, seeded and chopped (or ½ to 1 tsp. red chili powder)
½ to 1 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns
1 to 1 ½ cups fresh coriander leaves, chopped
2 ½ to 3 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1 to 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
METHOD:
Heat oil in a large frypan and when hot, add the tomatoes – cook on medium heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, till they become a bit mushy. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for another minute or so, and then add fresh cilantro – cook for another minute or so. Take off heat, let cool slightly and then blend it all together. Add the lemon juice and salt, pulse all together, and then put the achaar in a serving bowl. Can be adjusted for personal taste – add more chilies and chili powder, more lemon juice etc.
Sichuan peppercorns and mustard oil are available at Indian grocery stores.
Can be made 3 to 4 days ahead – freezes well
Servings: Approx. 2 to 2 ½ cups.
Bio: Shailini Sisodia was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and with her father being a well known UN diplomat, the family lived all over the world. Massachusetts, however, has now been her home for the past few decades. A life long educator, Shailini taught business classes at both Boston University and Northeastern University earlier in her career, and while she enjoyed that a great deal, she is currently living her true passion by teaching people how to cook food that is both delicious and nutritious. Toward that end, she teaches a variety of cuisines/classes in her own kitchen, in collaboration with a California based company, “Cozymeal”. Shailini has also taught multiple classes in the greater Boston area, including at the prestigious Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Kitchen and Boston Public Market. She is extremely grateful to always (well, 99.9%) get outstanding student reviews – a testament to her fun, hands on classes!
Shailini also does a great deal of food related volunteer work with several non profits - Share our Strength/Cooking Matters (a program that helps low income women) the Lexington interfaith garden, where tonnes of locally harvested produce is widely distributed, and Lexeatogether, where she is a volunteer head chef, planning and executing a healthy, gourmet meal for about 80 people every few months. When her three kids were in the Lexington Public schools, Shailini raised thousands of dollars by auctioning off her very popular, gourmet dinners at school fundraising auctions/events.
Shailini is also the cooking teacher at Hayden Rec Center in Lexington, where she teaches 6 classes a week, to kids from ages three till middle school. She loves teaching the kids, and they thoroughly enjoy it as well. In fact, parents have been known to complain that they can’t enroll their kids in her classes, as they tend to fill up within a few minutes of posting – a testament to their huge popularity!