Andrew Kay: Dines Out

…& Dines in

Yes, my column header might be slightly misleading this week as I did not head off to some interesting new or indeed some reliable old favourite restaurant. Far from it, this week I rolled up my sleeves and got well and truly
stuck in.
It all started some months back with an invitation. Would I like to attend a cookery course one evening in Brighton? Well I said yes, of course I did. Anyone who knows me well will know that as well as loving to eat I love to cook. That is why I got into this game, through my love of cooking as much as a love of eating.
Friends will also know that I am pretty happy to leave the preparation of asian cuisine to the professionals – and with award winning chefs Kanthi Thamma and Alun Sperring amongst my friends you should know why. Both have received great accolades once again this year, Curry Leaf Cafe won best newcomer on the South Coast and Chilli Pickle Canteen best take-away in the UK at Recent Indian Food Awards. My congratulations to them both.
Back to my cookery class, which was an Indian lesson conducted by Hari Ghotra. Hari currently cooks at the Michelin starred Tamarind in Mayfair. Hari is a real charmer, delightful in every sense and the format of her class, at which I joined a very jolly bunch of local lifestyle bloggers, was very relaxed and hands-on.
I was hands-on from the get-go and pretty soon was up to my neck in flour and water making pastry for samosas. After a quick demo I was keen to copy her rolling technique, which looked simple enough, but proved to take quite a few goes before I was anything like proficient. But very soon I was rolling and filling like a good-un.
Along the counter the rest of the girls were making crisp pakora, seasonal turkey kebabs (perhaps the only reasonable use for dull old turkey to my way of thinking) and some very delicious fishcakes.
I will most definitely be using the samosa concept in the future, not only to make the spices asian variety, but adapting it to make a few sweet varieties too. I will also be taking Hari’s crisp coating of deep fried vermicelli into my repertoire too. That really was a great idea that I will add to my menus in future.
Above all what I gained from the evening, as well as some rather nice new girl friends, yes I was the only man there, was a realisation that traditionally the best of Indian dishes come from simple home cooking. Nothing that we tackled was beyond the bounds of a standard kitchen nor the skill of a home cook. Most of the ingredients were familiar and easy to get and we certainly didn’t need any specialist equipment.
The biggest shock of the evening was that we were being filmed and streamed live to the world wide webby thing. I wish I had known, I might have combed my moustache and worn a brighter shirt.
The evening was great fun and admirably lubricated with wines, some rather good Indian wines I hasten to add, and a tasty cardamom infused ale – again very interesting.
I don’t think I will be challenging Hari, Kanthi or Alun any time soon, but I do feel now that I am better prepared to tackle something spicy at home.
Hari Ghotra, HariGhotra.co.uk
Watch the event on YouTube: Hari Ghotra at Blogger Cook Along