cooking
M
onica Puri Bangia of
Maplewood is on a quest
to end cooking ignorance.
With her business,
Sharing Plate, she invites
people into her kitchen or
visits her clients’ kitchens to teach them how
to make everything from tomato sauce to
pecial meals from India, passed down from
her maternal grandmother.
“I didn’t know there were people who
didn’t even know the basics,” she says.
“That’s how these classes began.”
Which is not to say Bangia will judge. “It
doesn’t matter what level you’re at,” she says.
“Sometimes the basics can be hard to master.”
Bangia was born in northern India in Delhi,
a topic that comes up often when sharing
techniques with her classes. “A lot of people
have eaten in Indian restaurants but have not
had contact with anyone that’s from India,”
she says. “It’s a nice way for them to get to
know the culture and for me to get to know
their culture. It’s a nice exchange.”
As she shares stories about growing up in
a family of foodies that used to “talk about
lunch while eating breakfast,” she instructs
her clients on how to make a variety of dishes
from different cultures. One of them is what
her 16-year-old daughter calls her “death row
meal.” It’s a bean stew made in Northern
India called rajma; Bangia uses her maternal
grandmother’s recipe. Another Indian dish she
often shares with classes is keema, which she
makes with ground beef and cauliflower. As
for the leftovers, she throws those on flattened
dough to make pizza the next day.
Bangia, a self-trained cook, began teach-
ing classes after she renovated her kitchen.
A friend saw the large, open space and sug-
gested she use it to share her cooking know-
how with her community. Parties can request
to learn how to make specific foods or take
Bangia’s suggestions during their Sharing
Plate experience. Classes run for about an
hour and a half and include instructions on
how to make a starter, main dish and side
salad.
And don’t be surprised if a good amount
of chatting about life and culture occurs in
between the whisking, spicing and simmering.
“One thing we have in common is that we all
have to eat,” she says. “And most of us want
to eat good food.” ■
Go to sharingplate.com to sign up for
a class.
MONICA
PURI
BANGIA
SHARING PLATE
MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE HOLIDAY 2019
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