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  66º

07/02/2009 02:12 PM

Zagat Restaurants: Bombay Talkie Cooks Up Easy Indian Food

By: Tara Lynn Wagner

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Bombay Talkie
189 Ninth Avenue
1-212-242-1900
www.bombaytalkie.com

Dosas and biryani are Indian dishes that may sound and look like they're difficult to make, but Chelsea restaurant owner and chef Sunitha Ramaiah says you can easily whip them up at home.

NY1 recently stopped by one of her cooking classes at Bombay Talkie in Chelsea, where she teaches students to create a taste of India.

"The focus of the class is to try and make Indian cooking as accessible as possible. With very simple utensils we're teaching people that they can make it in their own homes," says Ramaiah.

Each class highlights different Indian flavors and styles. Ramaiah gives students step-by-step instructions and lets them get their hands dirty.

"I couldn't believe how easy it was. I'm definitely going to be making the rice crepes for sure," says student Tony Nikolla.

"I was really surprised at how simple everything is," says student Ron Longe. "I have a lot of these ingredients at home and the thing I liked the most about the class was how she showed us how to add Indian flavors for things we make like potatoes."

During the two-hour class, students get to sample the dishes and leave with a goody bag filled with spices and recipes.

Ramaiah will offer more classes after Labor Day and shares her secrets at Bombay Talkie every Saturday from 2 p.m. to 4 pm. Each class costs $40.

Diners who don't want to do the work can come to the resturant, which Zagat surveyors say offers "clever" takes on Indian street food at a "buzzy" Chelsea duplex.

Out of a possible 30, Bombay Talkie scores 19 for food, 18 for decor and 16 for service. Surveyors say a meal costs about $36.