The Biryani & Haleem Workshop is back... 8th December!!

When you bring two ladies who are passionate about food, and love to experiment you are in for a treat, actually a feast! 

Maaria of Adoniya launched a series of Cupcake workshops and now she has gone further extending a warm welcome to Tasneem Ayub [Aunty] for the Biryani & Haleem workshop. Nope, this is not the first one, there was one 2weeks ago which saw 21 people learn how to make the most amazing Biryani and Haleem, straight from Aunty..  Experiments in the kitchen with recipes from cookbooks or the internet is fun, but when you get to learn from someone like Aunty you are bound to go home with a precise recipe and a foolproof method as well. What is more, you will have a blast learning the dishes~ !!

What can i say about aunty.. She is amazing, and food is all about caring and sharing and giving to her!! She has hosted dinner parties, brought over food, sent across food, and shared recipes freely numerous times. We love her food- zafrani badaam, bread halwa, veg biryani, tomato thokku, walnut chutney, Qubani ka meetha and so much more....She is such a sweetheart that if she has a group of veggie and non veggies coming over, she pays so much attention to make sure both groups have enough options...  :-) 

Have I attended the workshop? Sigh, you had to ask dint you.. Nope. Not because I don't like Biryani but only because I am a vegetarian :-) 

Now stop reading and go grab your seat for the upcoming workshop already... Last few seats remain for the biryani and haleem workshop this Sunday at Adoniya Academy!  

For more details and online registration visit www.eventjini.com/biryaniworkshopdec

Contact:- 
Maaria - 9840285950 
Tasneem Aunty - 9884078631

Have a great experience and do tell us about it.. 

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A cookout with a difference at Dario's

I for one began cooking, or atleast entering the kitchen quite early. Mom & Gramma used to say - at the age of 3 I was making dosas and thus began my love for cooking. I began full fledged cooking in 10th or 11th Std, mainly making my own lunch and weekends/holidays would experiment.  But then today, when I see kids all around me, they not only know how to cook [a few select dishes] but are quite proficient in rattling out the most complicated names of dishes. Blame it on TV? No blame, it is a good thing~! 

After watching Masterchef Australia Juniors edition, I was all set to be blown away by kids from Chennai. And they indeed did just that. I was amazed at the amount of exposure and knowledge these kids had, especially since most of them were between 8-12yrs of age.   

The Kids cookout is a summer workshop from Dario's restaurant, spanning across 5 days. Parents had the option of signing their kids for the entire course, or pick a session and sign them in just for that. In all there were about 12-15kids in the session I attended on Monday. It was all about Desserts. The Dario's Chef and Anusha were holding fort and making sure the kids got some learning out of the sessions. There were a few, tiny ones that were lost in their own world, and while it was cute to watch, they did manage to distract the others... Kids will be kids, right?! 

I have been seeing, eating Tiramisu and Pannacotta maybe over the past 2years, prior to which I had no clues what they were, leave alone how they were made. So, watching the chef whip up the 2 desserts while the kids worked parallely was quite a sight.  

Anyways, the 1st dessert that Chef was prepping for was Panna cotta- with each step explained in detail, the kids then got a chance to pour the hot milky liquid into the little moulds they had before it was whisked away to be chilled.  Not giving them time to break out into a frenzy, the Chef moved on to the next one. Aptly called "pick me up" Tiramisu is quite a delicious dessert. But unlike in other restaurants, Dario's being completely vegetarian, the Chef was teaching the eggless version. 

While Anusha got the kids all excited in guessing what went into Fresh Cream, we were dazzled by the kids when one commented "we can make mascarpone cheese at home, right?" and another asked "where is it available in Chennai?" and one more said "I am going to make this at home one day". Kids do know a lot. It was quite insightful listening to the various explanations of the ingredients, being shown the product, the whisking of the cream to a stiff peak and following the entire process. I was amazed at how engrossed the kids were, they sat patiently waiting their turn, no screaming, no throwing tantrums. And once completed, some stylishly pulled out an iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy note and clicked a picture of their creation~!

As we made our way down the stairs and headed out of the restaurant, I wondered what was in store the remaining 3 days. There was also a small twinge of jealousy , I wished  I had been born in this day and age when there were so many opportunities and exciting activities.

So, if you are interested, 2 more days remain. Sign up now and let your kid come home with some interesting recipes or inputs on dishes that you have loved. 

For the workshop:

Please call 044-49193333 | Ms. Anusha - 9841615232

URL for further details: Kids cookout at Dario's

Dario's is a Pure vegetarian restaurant, you can read my view of the place here

Address:

No. 11, Kasturi Rangan Road, 

[Take the 1st right on the road and it is the building right next to Aswene Hospital]

2nd Street, Teynampet, 

Chennai-600018

Ph-  044-49193333

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Make me a Master Cook with Shazia Khan

Friday night around 8pm, or was it 9pm? I forgot. All I remember was getting a message from Manju Madhu saying "Congratulations, you have won..  want to take up Masterchef workshop". I did ask her my other prize options, but then decided to take this workshop ticket up, esp since my gal pals were going to be there! I knew of this event for weeks, or maybe a month earlier cos a dear friend Tasneem Akbari of Konceptz Galore was part of the duo that had conceptualised and brought the show to town.   Who was the other? Maaria Kulsum of Adoniya fame!! 

Honestly, even though I do enjoy cooking, a workshop wasn't really my thing. I get bored, distracted or tune out and start cracking up [which I anyways do]. And since I was unsure of my plans, I dint pick up a ticket. When a Facebook contest was on, I participated and who would have thought, I won a ticket to the workshop!! 

Cottage Cheese-semolina cake with grilled pimento topping

Bocconcini Cheese [ buffalo Mozerella] 

 Grilled Zucchini cups

Burmese Veg khow suey

There was one more dish, cant find the picture though- Red bean bites with methi cream sauce  & spicy pineapple salsa...

The beautiful light fixture I could not resist clicking

Shahi tukda with caramel sauce and fresh figs 

Half a day spent in the company of good friends

Watching a Master Chef Runner up cook 

A video cameraman who refused to oblige

and 

Hunger pangs building up with every minute... 

I sat there, watching, nodding, wondering

Clicking, observing and drooling

did i mention wondering?

yes, when lunch would be served

Saturday morning with friends

and the evening i knew 

was gonna be fun

for it was going to be in the company of more friends... 

Kudos to the team for a gala event... Next time, just give me a ping if there is a contest going on

Am itching to win some more!! ;o) 

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Cooking with Sara Koshy

Ever since i became a part of the Chennai Food Guide group, well, more family, it has been an amazing journey. The only thing i have not been able to attend till date were the workshops, and i was about to change that...

Partnering with Gormei Market and Sara Koshy, CFG had begun this new series of workshops. The 1st one was held last evening at Gormei Market,, Sara Koshy created a few simple dishes within 2hours using the ingredients available on the shelves in the store. It was my 1st time at a Cooking show/demo [the last was when a friend & i enrolled in a baking and candle making class eons ago] 

If, like me you are hooked onto Masterchef Australia & for that matter other cookery shows, you will love this.

If you have drooled watching the chefs whip up delicious dishes within minutes, this class is one that you should not miss. 

With a small group of participants, a patient chef, unlimited access to the pantry [umm, the store in this case] the session was not only fun, it was interesting and informative.  A wonderful way to spend a few hours on the Saturday.

Sara showed us how to make Cream of Mushroom soup [except the soup was not blended and creamy], a Pasta Pomodori [ pasta cooked with few vegetables in a tomato sauce] and a simple Fresh Veg Salad.

The Mushroom Soup

• Took in total about 20- 25mins to cook
• Basic soup making recipe
  
• Fresh button mushrooms
• Sara used Organic Milk that was available in the store- Bhoomi milk [Rs 28, for a 1/2 litre]- this milk has a shelf life of upto 3days. And it is advised that you should boil the milk before drinking it [unlike the regular pasturised milk ]
• Butter was Milky mist

The Pasta Pomodori

• All vegetables were cut in same shape so they cook well 
• Prego Pasta sauce was being used- simple tomato one
  
• Sara suggested that while we add the Pasta after the water begins boiling, to add a pinch of salt but no oil [ she said the pasta will not stick, and the sauce might not either if you add oil] 
• The water was boiling with the pasta cooking in it that was referred to as the Rolling-boil mode 
• At the end, a drop of lime juice was added to the pasta after turning off the heat. [an interesting tip that i shall try]
  

The Fresh Veg Tossed Salad

•  Cucumber, Celery stalk, carrots, red capsicum, cherry tomatoes and lettuce leaves were the core ingredients
• Lettuce- never cut always tear the leaves apart with your hands. 
• Rub a raw garlic all along the base and side walls of the dish to add a bit of garlic flavour
• Salad dressing- apple cider vinegar, english mustard, olive oil[twice the quantity of vinegar], salt, sugar and pepper 
• Add all the ingredients, and then toss well.

Ta da... All the dishes were done in less than 2hours... It was then onto plating them, clicking photographs and trying them out!  

 

Gormei Market also gave each of us a T Shirt and some gift coupons... Which i and few others used up then and there...The store has just about every thing you could dream of- sauces, pasta, quinoa, rice, bread, cheese, herbs, organic ingredients, meat, biscuits, chocolates and so on..............   :-)

Watch this space to know more about the next workshop!! You don't want to miss it....

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The Great Biryani Cookout from CFG

I've been with the Chennai Food Guide group for a while and its been an amazing journey! Apart from restaurant reviews, the team has now branched out into organising various workshops. Though i've not attended any, the feedback and reviews have been left me quite envious. One more is in the offing.. It is the.... drum rolls please..... c'mon, keep em coming....

The Great Biryani Cookout

Who does not like a good biryani? I have had quite a few across restaurants and some were outstanding [simple yet packed with flavour] while others well, less said the better. But i have always wanted to learn the art of making a good Biryani [wonder when that will happen]. For now, here is a treat for all you wannabe Masterchefs, or rather wannabe Biryani connoisseurs 

When-- Saturday, June 23, 2012

What Time-- 11am through to 2.30pm 

Where-- Lakshmi Farms.

How to Get there-- It is 3rd Farm House on the RIGHT HAND SIDE after the ECR Toll Gate from Thiruvanmyur towards Mahabs. You won't miss the place on the day of the event!


Who's teaching-- Learn from the best there is, a traditional Chef - Rajab who has under his chef's hat over15 years of experience of cooking Tamil Muslim Style Biryani at weddings, and other functions. Tempting right?

     What is in store for you??

• This workshop completely teaches you how to cook Biryani (Veggie, Mutton and Chicken) Chennai Tamil Muslim Style from the beginning till the very end, along with the Chicken 65, Raitha, Brinjal Thokku and Bread Halwa. The idea is that all participants get engaged right from cutting the vegetables, washing the rice to loading the Biryani in the Dum. Later you all can eat what you have cooked. Note: SEPARATE COOKING AND PREPARATION FOR VEGGIES AND NON VEGGIES [ so, dont smirk or scrunch up your face  at the mention of Non veg biryani being cooked alongside veg] Things on the COOK, EAT & LEARN Menu: VEG MENU 1) Veg Biryani 2) Gobi 65 3) Onion Raitha 4) Brinjal Thokku 5) Bread Halwa 6) Flavoured Sweet Rice NON VEG MENU 1) Chicken Biryani 2) Mutton Biryani 3) Chicken 65 4) Onion Raitha 5) Brinjal Thokku 6) Bread Halwa 7) Flavoured Sweet Rice Scaled Recipe Booklet will be Provided and Instructed by a Traditional and Experienced Cook/ Chef. Cooking will be done in traditional vessel and possibly using wood fire. Everyone gets to take home Desserts - Bread Halwa and Flavoured Sweet Rice Unlimited Soft Drinks and Water will be available How much-- 1499/- Per Person [Includes everything mentioned above] What to bring-- A Chopping board & a Knife [so we dont get caught if you accidently commit any crimes, other than chopping veggies/meat that is...] How to Register? Those who are interested to take part in the CFG Biryani Workshop on Saturday June 23rd 11am-3pm need to contact Nishanth Radhakrishnan via mobile +919840340490 or email him on nishanth@chennaifoodguide.in Your participation will be confirmed for the event once payment is done. You can come deliver the amount to our office. Address details are as follows: Chennai Food Guide ARZ Consultancy No. 17/12 Venkatrathinam Nagar Extension 2nd Street Adyar, Chennai - 600020 Behind Cafe Coffee Day For e-transfer - email Nishanth [nishanth@chennaifoodguide.in] for account details. First Come First Serve Basis: 50 People only ALSO GET DISCOUNT VOUCHER FROM DAAWAT A BIRYANI for all participants. For more info on them visit:  http://www.facebook.com/daawatabiriyani What are you waiting for? Vethala paakku or the red carpet??? Get going and Register already!! You can also check out the Facebook page for The Great Biryani Cookout

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