This was a cooking class like no other –and I have been to many. The setting:
A precise row of seven white plastic tables and chairs on a terrace overlooking a sumptuous pool with the Mediterranean and the Italian town of San Remo below. Breathtaking. How was I supposed to concentrate on dicing garlic in this seductive ambiance? I wanted to stroll around, sink my feet into the thick grass blanketing the hillside, explore the gardens, take photos. A swim would have been a delight, too.
But we, myself and five others, came to conquer Indian cooking, that is several specialties of this spicy cuisine. We were at the home of Jeryl, the American founder of the Benvenuto Club of San Remo which sponsored the event.
Our teacher: energetic Asif who calls himself “Anglo, Afro, Asian.” He was born in Tanzania of Indian parents, but as a child moved with his family to England. He and his Italian wife Cinzia, a yoga and dance teacher, now live in Italy where they work together on events. He also teaches drums, in addition to “vegan cooking,” often with Cinzia.
The day began with chai, tasty tea with milk and the distinctive flavors of cinnamon and cardamom. “I will give you the skills, showing how to chop… We will move forward from there,” he said, as we enjoyed our morning chai.
“Cooking is smelling, tasting and feeling. Also, memory. Food creates memories.” As the day wore on, we did lots of tasting.
We prepared five different dishes, beginning with potato pakoras, a common street food in India, and tamarind chutney. Most were favorites of his “Mum, ” and he often referred to her techniques.
He mixed up the pakora batter using gram flour which is made from black chickpeas, and water, whisking until ribbons formed. He then added cumin and garam masala.
We each had a potato to peel and slice very thin. He demonstrated the way to position the knife, tip pointed downward. “Let the knife do the work.” My slices were not that skinny. I compared them to those of my friend Kate at the table next to me. Hers looked perfect. Damn.
Asif heated a large frying pan half full with oil. “Don’t let it smoke,” he cautioned.
The fun, messy part –dipping each potato slice in the gooey batter to thoroughly coat. We used his batter to coat our slices, which also coated our hands, then one by one dropped the slices into the hot oil.
Make a double batch, he suggested. They are so good you will eat them as they are cooked. We couldn’t resist, taking one then another from the finished batch. When all were cooked, we moved on to tamarind chutney.
This requires a jar of concentrated tamarind paste, available in Asian stores. The prep is simple. Just add water, salt, sugar and chili powder to the paste in a pan and bring to simmer. Stir and taste until you have a perfect balance of sweet and sour. Here is where tasting is essential. You may need more sugar. You may want to turn up the heat (as in taste).
Before moving on to curry, we took a break to savor more pakoras with the chutney. The combo was a delicious hit with all.
Ginger and garlic are the base of curry, Asif told us. We had to dice both as well as an onion. He demonstrated nifty techniques to simplify the procedures. Sharp knives are essential. We had been told to bring chopping knives, a peeler and a large frying pan. He used his steel to fine tune our knives. Unfortunately, mine needed more serious sharpening. I’ll add that to my never-ending to-do list.
He emphasized the importance of a very fine (tiny) dice of garlic and ginger lest you come across a chunk when eating the curry. Again, Kate outdid me with miniscule bits of garlic and ginger. I was jealous. What is her secret?
She explained that her husband cooks and she does the prep. Dicing and slicing are tasks which she has perfected. I have never had the patience for perfection, nor did I think a piece of ginger or garlic would be so bad.
We each had a portable gas stove with one burner on our table. We were given pots to cook the curry which began with caramelizing the onions in oil. To prevent burning, small amounts of water were added as needed. Then came the ginger and garlic which cooked briefly before adding cut up tomatoes — and spices.
We had been given five small plastic bags, each containing a different spice: garam masala, coriander, cumin, basaar (an extra hot Pakistani curry powder) and turmeric.
“In Italian cooking you get amazing flavors with four ingredients. In Indian cooking you can use 13 or 14 different spices,” Asif noted.
After the curry mixture simmered for what seemed like a long time, chopped spinach and chickpeas were added for more simmering, this time with the pot lid on. Throughout the process, we tasted, ours and the curry of others. Seasoning was adjusted accordingly.
While the simmering continued, we struggled with chapatis (flatbread): mixing the dough, kneading until clumps formed, breaking off chunks, forming into small balls, and, with a rolling pin, flattening the balls into circles. Our dynamic teacher showed us an easy method to roll and obtain perfect circles. Kate mastered it. I failed. My chapati looked like amoeba on steroids.
Asif then showed us how to cook the circles (or giant amoeba) in oil in our frying pans. He also prepared rice, sharing his secrets for a perfect result.
It had been a long day of cooking. We were hungry. We sat around a large round table and enjoyed our culinary creations: spinach and chickpea curry with rice and chapati. There were ample portions of curry to take home.
I was not the star of the class, but I had an enriching, delightful day. I picked up some helpful tips and relished the ambiance.
Back at home, since I am neither a vegan nor vegetarian, I added pieces of sauteed chicken breast to my curry mixture. Shame! It was tasty, and Asif was right. The curry tasted better the second day. The flavors of all those spices had mellowed
“Food to me is joy,” he said. “It brings smiles to people’s faces.”
We were all smiles after a fun day of learning, tasting, and eating, especially with that spectacular view for inspiration.
For more recipes and how-to demos, see Asif and Cinzia on You Tube.
Another cooking adventure: Read about my experience at Cordon Bleu
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