Indian Cooking Class at Mettler Center
Last week I attended a class called Everyday Indian Cooking, which was led by Rana and Manoj Shenoy of Mirsung Grocery and held at the Mettler Center Cooking School in Champaign. What a lovely class it was! Mary Knight, the Mettler University coordinator, was also on hand, pouring wine, offering beer and sparkling water to participants, and generally helping to keep the class running smoothly.The dishes that Rana and Manoj demonstrated (and gave us the recipes for) were chicken curry with coconut milk, cumin rice, raita, and a dessert called gulab jamun. As you can see, the room where classes are held is nicely appointed and has a mirror over the cooking area so that everyone can see what's going on.
Since class started at 6 p.m. and they figured we might be hungry, our instructors had thoughtfully prepared appetizers for us to snack on while they demonstrated the cooking of the dishes. We started off with sev chaat: tiny puris (crisp-fried mini-chapatis) topped with sev (crispy chickpea-flour bits), a mashed potato mixture, chopped red onions and cilantro, and your choice of several chutneys: garlic, green chilli, or date and tamarind.
While we nibbled our appetizers and enjoyed our beverages, the cooking of the chicken and rice and the preparation of the cucumber raita began. Rana and Manoj were extremely well organized and prepared, and they chatted with us and answered our questions as they cooked, sharing info about Indian culture, history, and cuisine. Then it was time to eat! The chicken was delicious (I really love coconut-milk curries), and the rice and raita complemented it nicely.
For dessert, they prepared gulab jamun, which you can think of as doughnut holes served with a light, sweet sauce. Somehow I missed getting a photo of dessert; phooey. Well, it was yummy, and you can buy a mix for the "doughnuts" at the store, which makes prep very quick. We all went home with a tasty dinner in our tummies and well-written, easy-to-follow recipes for the four dishes. Thanks to Rana and Manoj for a class well done. Keep watching the Mirsung Web site for dates of future cooking classes.
P.S. The Shenoys mentioned during class that they have rented the space next to the store and are in the process of creating an Indian deli! There will be some tables, so you can eat snacks and such there or you can carry out any number of prepared foods. Watch for the deli to open in the next couple of months.
Labels: cooking class
posted by Lisa at 6:19 AM
Add to Del.icio.us
12 Comments:
I am so checking out the Mettler Center and Mirsung to see if there are more classes and such. Thanks so much for the post. That class sounds interesting and fun! :)
you can actually make gulab jamun with bisquick and nonfat milk powder...i can give you the recipe if you are interested.
Nice to see the demonstration with the mirror on top for better view. Rana and Manoj are my friends and the other co-owner Renita did mention about you when I asked about u and your blog. Nice to hear that you liked this class.
wow! i've never been to a cooking class before...it seems super exciting! but looking at my track record of failures...will i embarrass myself in classes hehe
Michael, it was my pleasure as always. Hope you can make it to one of the classes.
Archie, thanks. I did see a recipe online that used Bisquick; would be glad to see your version.
Padma: It really was a fun class. And do you know, I was confused before about who the owners of the store are! I realized when I met Rana at class that she was not the same woman I had spoken to at the store—now it all makes sense!
Rita, I'm sure you'd do just fine in a cooking class. :) They can be a lot of fun if they're well organized and the teachers are good, and interesting, as in this case.
Oh, I love gulab jaman. I had no idea you could buy a mix for it, though it does make sense when I think about it.
The cooking demonstration was fun. Nice seeing you there Lisa!
Adele: I know. I like the mix idea, myself.
Genki: Great seeing you and Aaron as well!
I just signed up for one of these classes, and now I think I might cancel. To me, a cooking class is me learning to cook, not watching other people cook! With the help of the pause button, I can learn better from my TV set!
Thanks for reporting back.
Hi Rudy: One way of learning to cook is having someone who knows show you what they do and how they do it, giving you tips and so forth as they prepare a dish. That way, when you try the recipe at home, you have a better idea of how to proceed.
I understand your desire for hands-on training, but unless you attend a professional culinary school, you aren't likely to get much of that. Not many community-based cooking classes have facilities (or staff) to support the training of many individuals cooking at the same time.
Hi Lisa,
I am new to Champaign, and I am wondering if you are aware of any more regularly scheduled cooking classes in the area. I had a look around your site, but all I was able to find are the one time classes. Any leads you have would be most appreciated! (I am a regular home cook who likes to be experimental).
Thanks!
Tara
Tara, the Urbana Adult Education Center offers lots of cooking classes. The next ones will start probably in January and will run through the spring semester. http://www.usd116.org/adult/cooking.html. If you give them a call, I think you can get on a mailing list so you'll be alerted.
Post a Comment
<< Home