“Why don’t you just get married?” Was what perplexed Indian home cooks would tell Ilyas Mirza when he would persist to ask questions about their recipes. Masala owner Ilyas Mirza had to be patient with the idea of creating his own home-cooked version of authentic North Indian cuisine.

Today, Ilyas runs the restaurant and cooking school appropriately named Masala, which means “mixture of anything—be it colours, cultures, spices,” Says Ilyas. “You know, it’s an expression, you can say it about someone—‘he does it well but he doesn’t have masala, or essence.”

“People had, and may still have, the conception that Indian food is always spicy, or greasy,” Explains Ilyas. “In the cooking classes, students are surprised at how easy it is to cook with Indian spices. They really like to touch the spices. They learn the basics so they can experiment and create dishes at home.”

Ilyas’ classes are friendly and informal, colourful and convivial, and usually flow with wine—Masala is a BYO.