PoshVine Blog

Chinese Cooking Workshop

This workshop was the last of its kind in an Oriental cooking theme organized by PoshVine in association with Ginseng, Royal Orchid. Chinese food is considered as comfort food for most Indians. The spices, rice, meat and vegetables are cooked in a non-complex technique. Getting the correct steps of preparing the dish is the trick! Chef Raj was very entertaining and patient, answering all the questions and queries, no matter how small. The demonstration began with a simple Kimchi where the sauce is very important, lending a spicy and sour tang.  Next was Sweet Corn Soup, as simple as it may sound a few key steps in preparation made a world of difference.

Kung Pao chicken is a spicy stir fry chicken and the base spices are so versatile that it can be used for even Hong Kong Chicken and many other kinds or Chinese starters. The highlight of the day was when the Chef gave the recipe of a signature chicken dish in the restaurant. The ladies enjoyed learning this recipe and enjoyed even more when they got a taste of it.

Hakka Noodles and Stir fry vegetables was next with clean flavors. Chef Raj was very helpful and even showed the packets of noodles which they use to prepare all their dishes. The last item on the menu was “Darsaan”, it is a thick noodle which is fried in pure honey, and it still retains its crunch. It is topped with black sesame seeds and complemented well with vanilla ice cream. It was a very interesting session and the ladies left very satisfied.

Thai Cooking Workshop

This workshop was the third of its kind in an Oriental cooking theme organized by PoshVine in association with Ginseng, Royal Orchid. Thai food will always interest Indians because of the similarities in flavours and spices. The lovely ladies came with an open mind and notepads on the ready to take on this workshop. Chef Neeraj was welcoming as always and began the demonstration with a delicious Thai Soup, called Malai Laksa Lemark was fragrant and so simple to make! The colours in the bowl were so vibrant and inviting, making you want to swim in a large tub of it. There were several garnishes of vegetarian and meat kind you could add to cater to your own tastes.

Som tam is a healthy, light and easy to make salad with papaya, peppers, carrot with a  sweet and tangy dressing. This was a huge hit with all the women! Thai Green Curry is the easiest way to sneak plenty of vegetables to someone who detests it. It is a perfectly balanced dish was relished with a bowl of steamed rice. Pad Thai was the last item to be made and can be very tricky to make at home since the right techniques need to be used for cooking the noodles. The Chef was very helpful and answered several queries and had very effective demonstrations.

After this came the moment of truth as different ladies took turns to don the chef’s hat, quite literally and recreate the same dishes. It was a smashing success and almost as good as the one’s made by the chef himself! It was all in all a very educational session with the women barely having room for the luxurious lunch spread. 

Take it Easy: Penne in Simple Cream Sauce

by Priya Bala

During the course of a recent conversation I happened to mention that I cook to beat stress and to lift my spirits when I’m feeling down. It’s not remarkable in the least. People do it all the time. But the young ladies I was chatting with were aghast. `Cooking is more, like, stress-inducing,’ one of them said. Yes, for every person who enjoys cooking and finds it calming and therapeutic, there are others who find it drives them round the bend.

I believe that those who find cooking daunting often bring it upon themselves. And now, with all the focus on gourmet food, thanks to niche magazines, the web and on TV, many people have come to believe that it’s not cooking unless it’s chocolate-six ways, handmade ravioli and gardens on plates decorated with micro greens. As you might imagine, it can put a lot of pressure on the amateur and reluctant cook.

TV shows are a delight to watch, but I am not sure how many people actually learn to cook from them. How they do help is by introducing us to new dishes, ingredients and techniques. This is true even of super TV cooks like Kylie Kwong and Nigella Lawson. I do, though, take down the odd recipe when it’s really simple – like this fab lemon and yoghurt cake I watched Donna Hay bake the other day.

Recipe books are more reassuring but, again, only if you choose the right ones. You can never go wrong with a Madhur Jaffrey, Anthony Bourdain or Jamie Oliver.  But, sometimes, cooking from a recipe book can be nerve-wracking – cake batter on an open page and rushing between the book and weighing scales.

If you are someone who’s put off by cooking, it’s much better to start with a simple, clear approach. Grasp the concept first and try and interpret it as best you can. Don’t feel the need to impress. And enjoy the process, being willing to make adjustments and innovate as you go along, rather than fall into the iron grip of a written recipe.

When I want something easy and comforting I make pasta with a super simple sauce that doesn’t take more than five ingredients. Here is something I made for dinner last week. It’s deceptively effortless and delicious.

Penne in a simple cream sauce

• 200 gm of pasta (for two people)                                 
• ½ cup thin cream
• 1 tbsp chopped dill
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped

Bring about 6 cups of water to the boil. Add salt. Both are pasta-cooking tips. You must put the pasta into a vast quantity of rapidly boiling water and you must salt the water. You do not need to add oil to prevent sticking.

Cook the pasta for about 12 mins,watching it from time to time and testing for the doneness that you need.

Drain the pasta, and reserve a little of the cooking liquid. Do not rinse the pasta.

Now put the cream into a large pan and bring to a gentle simmer, add a dash of pasta cooking water. Add salt and pepper to taste, put in the capers and the dill, toss in the pasta and stir to coat. Serve immediately, with some good cheese grated over if you like.

I happened to have some smoked salmon which I threw in and it worked a treat. You can seafood, slivers of chicken, ham or fried bacon to dress up the dish. It’s that simple.