First of all I must apologise about my lack of blog posts recently, my day job has been taking over but not anymore! I’m BACK and I’ve lots and lots of foodie stuff to tell you about 
Over the weekend my Dad and I had the pleasure of taking part in a one day Indian cookery course in Cooks Academy (South William St); it was one of those hands on courses which I prefer as you can get stuck in rather than just watching a demo.
The day began at 10am where we were greeted with fresh coffee and biscuits which was a nice touch I thought as it might have been a bit early for some (like me!). Once everyone had arrived our tutor for the day (Hilary) began by explaining the various spices that are used in Indian cuisine and how there are 3 mother spices (coriander, cumin and turmeric) which are the base for the majority of Indian dishes. Bet you didn’t know that! I didn’t
To ease us in gently, Hilary demonstrated how to make a prawn & mango curry whilst giving tips and tricks to a good proper curry without cheating and using a jar. It was so easy I couldn’t believe it and it tasted AMAZING! Tip: toast the spices in a dry pan before adding the liquid as it brings out the flavour. I’ve always had it in my head that making a curry consists of loads of ingredients with lots of work involved but no, I was wrong and I don’t usually admit that.
By this stage I think everyone was itching to get going, I know I was, so we were sent off to our respective work stations where we would be cooking in pairs. Each bench consisted of 6 people and every bench would be cooking two different dishes for lunch which is clever as we’d get to try a bit of everything yum yum!
Dad and I were given the task of cooking up Chicken Biryani as well as Mango chutney for the masses, ooh the pressure but it actually worked out quite well, apart from it maybe being slightly overcooked. What we didn’t realise it that the more you stir rice the stodgier it gets so it’s best for this dish to combine all the ingredients and then pop it in the oven so that the rice stays nice and fluffy.
Look at my Dad!
Here’s the recipe:
Chicken Biryani
300g Basmati rice
25g butter
2 large onions, finely sliced
1 bay leaf
3 cardamom pods
Small cinnamon stick
1 tsp. turmeric
4 skinless chicken breasts cut into large chunks
4 tbsp. curry paste (Patak’s balti paste)
85g raisins
850mls chicken stock
Chopped coriander and toasted flaked almonds to serve
- Soak the rice in warm water, then wash in cold until the water runs clear. Heat butter in a saucepan and cook onions with the bay leaf and other whole spices for 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the turmeric, then add chicken and curry paste and cook until aromatic.
- Stir the rice into the pan with the raisins, and then pour over stock. Place a tight-fitting lid on the pan and bring to a hard boil, then lower the heat to a minimum and cook the rice for another 5 mins (or pop it in the oven). Turn off the heat and leave for 10 minutes. Remember try NOT to stir too much as this is the mistake we made and the rice went a bit stodgy.
- Stir through half the coriander and scatter the rest over the dish along with the toasted almonds.
The best thing about Cooks Academy is that they have all the ingredients set out for you already so there’s no faffing around trying to measure rice or chicken stock, it’s all there for you along with a recipe booklet and the various knives, utensils etc. one needs.
So by 12.30 we had created an aromatic Biryani, homemade mango chutney as well as having time to rustle up some lemon and saffron rice. I must say we made a good team, didn’t we Dad?! All dishes were laid out on a large counter, an Indian buffet so to speak and we all tucked into what I could only describe as a FEAST!
Indian Buffet for lunch NOM!
Doesn't that look amazing
On the menu in a clockwise direction:
Lamb Kofta with spicy tomato sauce
Lentils with garlic dressing (Dhal)
Mango chutney
Lemon & saffron rice
Spinach & pumpkin curry
Indian spiced aubergine
Cucumber & mint ratia
Tomato & mint kachumber
Chicken Biryani
Prawn & mango curry (in the middle)
To say I was slightly stuffed after this fabulous meal would be an understatement, I could’ve easily had a little snooze under the table but luckily I resisted temptationJ What I really liked was the way we had the opportunity to taste all the dishes and not just our own as I had my beady eye on the prawn and mango curry!!
The afternoon session was similar to the morning with a demo including Hilary concocting Masala Chai, a sweet spiced milky tea which helps to settle the stomach after a meal. Cinnamon, cardamom, fennel seeds, ginger, cloves and nutmeg plus honey, tea and lots of milk are the key ingredients and the finished product is so soothing it’s like a hug in a cup (forget those horrible cuppa soups), this is the business!
Whilst slurping our tea, the class was divided into two groups, one side to rustle up vegetable pakoras and the others (myself and Dad) onion bhajis. Well I’ll tell you what, I won’t ever be buying bhajis from Tesco or M&S again, these were far superior and SO easy to make. It’s basically onions, spices, chilli and egg all combined together and fried in a pan. Now you wouldn’t be eating them every day but with a dollop of cucumber and mint ratia on top, they’re just delish. The vegetable pakoras were very similar except for the addition of spinach and potatoes to the mix.
All in all I really enjoyed the course and I think my Dad did too and a massive thanks to my mum for paying for it I wouldn’t have been able to go without her. Hence I promised her that I would come out to Kilmacanogue and cook an Indian meal for both of them….maybe I will this Sunday; it all depends on whether I go out on Saturday night or not!!!
Cooks Academy is a fab place and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in cooking, however it is pricey enough so start saving. I’d love to do the sushi making course but I think I’ll have to wait a while before I can afford it
Website: www.cooksacademy.com
Price: €150 per person (hands-on)
Duration: 10am – 4pm
Next course: 14th July 2012
