I admit that when it comes to cooking I am super lazy. If I can open a bag of salad and throw on some vegan protein then I am good to go. However, recently I have been trying to improve my skills and learn to be a bit more creative in the kitchen so when I was invited to take part in a cookery class at Jenius Social in London I was really excited!
Based in Holloway, Jenius Social offer up their kitchen for a range of events including corporate team-building sessions, kitchen hire for TV and photo shoots, private hires for parties and of course cookery classes.
The cookery classes on offer include classic French desserts, vegan cookery, artisan sausage making, butchery, authentic Thai cooking, Mexican street food, marvellous macarons, pasta making, Mediterranean tapas and the one I attended: Indian Street Food.
The Indian Street Food class is described as a traditional mix of meat and vegetarian dishes (although they were kind enough to organise vegan-friendly versions for me), all of which use tried and tested Indian cooking techniques and an authentic combination of flavours.
On arrival, I was warmly welcomed and offered refreshments as I waited for the other 5 attendees (including my friend Amelia who accompanied me for the experience) to arrive (I am always early to everything!)
Once we were all there we were taken through to the kitchen where we were introduced to our Chef and set up at our stations which had been prepared for us along with our ingredients ready to get started.
The menu: Onion and Fennel Bhaji, Spiced Vegetable Biryani, Mogul Chicken (aubergine for me) Curry, Indian flatbread and Cucumber and Mint Raita.
We were led through each recipe by our Chef who was knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions we had. She showed us various techniques for making the best out of our ingredients, I particularly enjoyed making the curry paste; combining toasted dry spices with fresh garlic, ginger and chilli and using an old fashioned mortar and pestle.
I also found making the onion bhaji particularly hilarious because our mix was a bit mischievous and most of them came out of the fryer looking like space invaders. I am determined to try the recipe again at home and improve my technique!
After all the cooking was finished we sat around a big table and enjoyed the spoils of our hard work. Both the Spiced Vegetable Biryani and the Aubergine Mogul were delicious although I think next time I will add a bit more chilli to my curry paste for a bit more of a kick! The raita (made with dairy-free coconut cream) was refreshing and added a lovely creamy texture to the meal. Despite their appearance, I really loved the onion bhaji.
Overall I had a really lovely experience learning to cook Indian Street Food at the Jenius Social class. The session was well organised and had good flow, the atmosphere was fun and friendly and our Chef was clearly experienced, patient and really tuned in to the group. Of course, most importantly, the food was delicious!
I would love to go back and try out some other cookery classes at Jenius Social – the Mexican one sounds pretty enticing! I would recommend one of their classes to anyone looking to learn a new cuisine or skills in the kitchen and award them 5 out of 5 stars for a great experience.
My husband and I have talked about taking a cooking class – there’s so much that we don’t know! Especially when you get into foods from other areas of the world
It sounds like you had a fantastic experience. I’ve done small bits and bats (making simple things such as bread) at college in the past, I’d love to do something else sometime though. Cooking is something I know I could do well if I just had the time to learn a few easy recipes. I guess it’s all about making it a priority, though I don’t really have the space in my tiny kitchen to make anything elaborate either.
Davis | http://www.everythingstartswithtea.co.uk