This was the best idea ever. The food was amazing, and I totally picked up some new skills and ideas. There were 8 of us there plus the instructor and the owner of the shop who was acting as his assistant. I sort of felt like I was watching a cooking show live. Sunil was totally comfortable in the kitchen, probably thanks in part to his day job as a chemistry professor. I managed to get a seat up front about an arms length from the stovetop. Perfect seat. Especially once the recipe manipulation started. He didn't quite follow any of the recipes he printed out for us, so I spent a lot of the time scribbling notes all over mine. So before I offer to show you them, I'll need to translate it myself!
Menu for the evening:
Mango Lassi
Indian style chicken wings
Bitter Greens (kale) curry
Leek Potato curry
Spicy Yogurt rice
Vegetable crepes
Tamarind Ginger chutney
Fresh Fruit with Lemongrass-cardamom cream
I really loved everything he made. The tamarind ginger chutney was a little sour for me to make again in any quantity, but it did accent things nicely. We watched him make the lassi (which by the way will be my new favorite blender recipe for sure!) and tasted the chicken wings that were grilled in the back while we talked at the beginning. Then came the curries. By this point he was asking for help with the prep. It was clear that this was not the first class for the rest of these women so I sort of let them take the lead. Also I was a little hesitant at my knife skills and not knowing how to prep some of the ingredients. Like kale. That I'd never worked with so... cleaning and prepping was not what I wanted to volunteer for. And then he brought out the leeks. And I thought...this I can do. This I've worked with. So that was my contribution to the curry.
I have to admit I was a little proud of the fact that most of the other women there had never used leeks before (nevermind the fact that I hadn't either until 6 months ago). I don't always think of myself as much of a foodie, but I realized last night that I'm a lot more of one than I'd thought. There were very few ingredients I hadn't heard of like Fenugreek leaves. Some like tamarind and jaggery I'd never used before but knew what they were. I also learned that when you're doing curries you want to add coriander and cumin in a 2:1 ratio otherwise the cumin overpowers the coriander. Apparently Amy learned this from Aarti, but I must have missed that episode (or more likely forgot it.) I learned about Sunil's 4 keys for a good spice rub or marinade: salt, an acid, something smokey (cumin), and something for heat. We got a few fun facts that sounded a lot like a food chemistry lecture, but I'm totally geeky enough to enjoy learning why things go together or why they work.
I had a lot of fun, but I think I'll see if I can convince someone else to go with me next time. It was a little socially isolating that everyone else had a buddy there, so when things were at a lull they would pair off and leave me on my own. So. Who's up for going to learn about paella in a week and a half?? Anyone?
Menu for the evening:
Mango Lassi
Indian style chicken wings
Bitter Greens (kale) curry
Leek Potato curry
Spicy Yogurt rice
Vegetable crepes
Tamarind Ginger chutney
Fresh Fruit with Lemongrass-cardamom cream
I really loved everything he made. The tamarind ginger chutney was a little sour for me to make again in any quantity, but it did accent things nicely. We watched him make the lassi (which by the way will be my new favorite blender recipe for sure!) and tasted the chicken wings that were grilled in the back while we talked at the beginning. Then came the curries. By this point he was asking for help with the prep. It was clear that this was not the first class for the rest of these women so I sort of let them take the lead. Also I was a little hesitant at my knife skills and not knowing how to prep some of the ingredients. Like kale. That I'd never worked with so... cleaning and prepping was not what I wanted to volunteer for. And then he brought out the leeks. And I thought...this I can do. This I've worked with. So that was my contribution to the curry.
I have to admit I was a little proud of the fact that most of the other women there had never used leeks before (nevermind the fact that I hadn't either until 6 months ago). I don't always think of myself as much of a foodie, but I realized last night that I'm a lot more of one than I'd thought. There were very few ingredients I hadn't heard of like Fenugreek leaves. Some like tamarind and jaggery I'd never used before but knew what they were. I also learned that when you're doing curries you want to add coriander and cumin in a 2:1 ratio otherwise the cumin overpowers the coriander. Apparently Amy learned this from Aarti, but I must have missed that episode (or more likely forgot it.) I learned about Sunil's 4 keys for a good spice rub or marinade: salt, an acid, something smokey (cumin), and something for heat. We got a few fun facts that sounded a lot like a food chemistry lecture, but I'm totally geeky enough to enjoy learning why things go together or why they work.
I had a lot of fun, but I think I'll see if I can convince someone else to go with me next time. It was a little socially isolating that everyone else had a buddy there, so when things were at a lull they would pair off and leave me on my own. So. Who's up for going to learn about paella in a week and a half?? Anyone?
Yay! That sounds amazing! :) So glad you enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeleteI'd be up for you going to learn about paella :-)
ReplyDeleteThat class (and the food...especially the food?) sounds awesome!! Once I had a Rose Lassi, that was oddly amazing. I like the mango lassis (and the regular sweet one too). I haven't had one in ages...
Crap now I really want Indian food.
When is this class? Maybe I can make a road trip :) Rachel
ReplyDeleteSorry to not get back to you right away. The class is next Tuesday night from 6-9. Not terribly convenient I know. :(
ReplyDelete