Chefs share the secrets of a curry to remember
There are not too many of us who can claim to make the perfect Indian chicken jalfrezi dish, but to let you in on a little secret, you can learn in Christchurch.
Coriander’s Ethnic Indian Restaurant is holding cooking lessons each weekend to help locals master the art of Indian cuisine.
The cooking classes have been running for almost two years and have been extremely popular, says general manager Gopi Sajja.
‘‘The cooking class gives them confidence. They come here to learn the tricks. Like the oil from the tomato sauce, we just pass on these tricks, and give them the experience of how to cook their own curries.’’
Sajja came to New Zealand in 2003 and has been with the restaurant since it opened its doors in 2006. For him, a curry is about food sharing and family bonding.
Coriander’s masterclasses give participants the opportunity to learn from a seasoned chef about using spices and sauces expertly, or in some cases not so expertly.
Classes at the St Asaph St branch are taught by the restaurant’s head chef, Pankaj Kumar.
Kumar gained his knowledge of Indian food from the ground up, working in hotels in India. He started over a decade ago as a commis chef and worked his way up through the ranks to become a chef de cuisine.
At the Rolleston restaurant the head chef Direndra Bhandari shares his expertise from working at the 5-star Royal Orchid in Pune, India.
Each week, Coriander’s teaches a different curry. The week Stuff went along, participants were taught how to make chicken jalfrezi, a dish with a sweet coconut creamy flavour.
It is made in three stages. The first is to cook the chicken either by stir frying, or baking followed by making the base sauce. The crucial third step is to flavour the chicken, which is marinated in yoghurt and spices.
Coriander’s Indian cooking masterclasses are $50 per adult, $25 and are held each weekend with the next chicken jalfrezi lesson on May 21. The meat bhuna masala class is on May 29, chicken madras on June 12, and bombay chicken on June 19.
Email stacey@corianders.co.nz to book.