Join Sumayya Usmani, award-winning food writer and cookery teacher, this autumn for a culinary journey through the Indian sub-continent at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School

“Spiced Kingdoms and Colonies” is a three-part cookery class taught over three Sundays in September, October, and November that will see Sumayya impart her extensive knowledge of the flavours and recipes of Pakistan to participants. 

On this journey, participants will first discover authentic Bengali and Burmese flavours, then learn about the flavours of South India with its Portuguese influences before finally diving into North India's royal Mughal cuisine. 

The days will start at 9.45am with a talk and demonstration by Sumayya. The participants will then head to the kitchen where they will be cooking the recipes which will form lunch to be served in the dining room. The day will draw to a close at around 2.30pm after lunch.

Sumayya's class will be an eye opening and sensory journey into a world of many unknown recipes, spices and culinary history that will leave participants with an eclectic repertoire of recipes that once savoured, are never forgotten.

All three classes of “Spiced Kingdoms and Colonies” can be booked together or separately. £125 per class.

Originally from Pakistan, Sumayya contributes regularly to many prestigious UK-based food magazines such as BBC Good Food, Delicious, Good Things, and the Guardian Cook.

3 September Eastern Spice: Flavours of Bengal, Burma and Eastern provinces

Recipes may include:

Fish Jhal Deya: Seasonal fish cooked in Bengali mustard and onion sauce
Ghee Bhaat: basmati rice in ghee
Khaow Suey: chicken or beef coconut milk and turmeric noodle soup
Sweet jaggery yoghurt

1 October: Coconut Monsoons and Red Chillies: Flavours of South India & Portuguese colony influences

Recipes may include:
Tamarind fish curry 
Sambar daal
Kerala lamb 
Mango Payasam 

12 November:  Kingdoms of Saffron: Flavours of North India & South and North Pakistan

Recipes may include:
Mughali lamb biryani
Mamtu dumplings with minted yoghurt and tomato sauce
Aubergine borani 
Chicken rose korma 
Shahi tukra saffron bread pudding

For further information, please contact:

Svetlana Hirth
Pagoda Porter Novelli
Tel: 0131 470 3400
Email: svetlana.hirth@pagodapr.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

Sumayya Usmani

Sumayya Usmani is a freelance cookery teaching and food writer specialising in Pakistani cuisine and culture based in Glasgow. Her mission is to highlight the differences of Pakistani cuisine from other South Asian ones.

Sumayya is passionate about sharing the flavours of her homeland with a view to highlight Pakistani cuisine as a distinct one. The author of two cookbooks: Summers Under The Tamarind Tree (Frances Lincoln) and Mountain Berries and Dessert Spice (Frances Lincoln, out April 2017), her writing reminisces about food and memories growing up in Pakistan and Sumayya advocates cooking by "andaza", (sensory and estimation cooking), which is how she learnt to cook from her mother and grandmothers; from a very young age. She's appears frequently on in many online and print publications, radio and television, and presents BBC Kitchen Cafe weekly, on BBC Radio Scotland.

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School

ENTCS is a professional cookery school based in Edinburgh's New Town.  The school was founded by Fiona Burrell, formerly Principal of Leith's School of Food and Wine. She began her career in Edinburgh and has been teaching professional cookery courses for thirty years.  With courses on offer from one day tasters for amateurs, to six month professional courses, many graduates have gone on to work in some the UK's top kitchens.  For more details: www.entcs.co.uk