Learn how to make your own thali platter and feast on the rewards
You know what they say about too many cooks being in the kitchen? Well, it’s rubbish. More than 10 of us crammed ourselves into Karma Kooking’s cosy kitchen with the sole purpose of whipping up as many succulent starters and juicy main courses as we could, and the end result was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
The tasting was the reward at the end of a few hours in the kitchen. First off, to introduce us to the art of Indian cooking – more specifically cooking thali platters (several contemporary North Indian dishes served and eaten simultaneously) – was Karma restaurant chef Zara Karmali, who started with a quick “Indian cooking 101” on some of the most widely used spices that give Indian food its flavours, colours and aromas.
Alternating useful tips (such as the speed with which mustard and cumin seeds burn and spoil in hot oil) with information about the spices that many of us throw so haphazardly into our curry pots, Karmali had us smelling and tasting the spices before they came near our pots.
She taught us that turmeric, for example, is often overused by amateurs and becomes quite a bitter addition unless used in moderation. Rather than for its flavours, this vibrant yellow spice is favoured for its anti-inflammatory properties and the golden hue it casts on the rest of the ingredients bubbling away beside it.
Probably in response to expressions of over-saturation and rumbling tummies, Karmali quickly went through the must-know information and got us started on the chopping, dicing, measuring and frying that lay ahead. Those that thought a pinch of extra spice here and there wouldn’t make a difference were proved very wrong.
In fact, if we walked away with any understanding of Indian cuisine it was the fine balance of flavours that complement one another and do not overpower and burn the senses. “Spicy food doesn’t necessarily mean hot food,” cautioned Karmali throughout the day.
With the odd helpful hand or reassuring glance at an over-boiling pot, all of us journalists succeeded in plating up a rather impressive array of delicacies. As far as starters went, Wicount general manager Natalie Du Preez’s potato koftas definitely secured the position of class favourite, although the decadent butter curry and green chili goodness of the methi mushroom dish certainly redeemed the potential for the main courses to impress.
Literally wrapping up the day with a crash course on folding and filling chilli chocolate samoosas, we all left Karmali’s kitchen inspired and ready to tackle the same dishes in our kitchens.
This article first appeared in CitiVibe on Monday19 September 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment