Friday’s class was all about Lebanese/Middle Eastern food. Out came the Zatar, Sumac, Tahini paste and other common ingredients. Interesting that spices like cumin and coriander that feature heavily in Indian cuisine also play a central role in Middle Eastern cuisine.

We cooked up a storm. First came the Mezzes or dips-we made Hummus, Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant), Muhammara (roasted capsicum and walnut) and Tzatziki. We not only learnt how to make them, we also learnt how to present them attractively:).

Then came the sides and mains. We made Shish Thouk (like a shish kebab) but with paneer. There was also a Chicken variation. We also made a Batata Harara (Roasted potatoes), Falafels and Pita Breads.

We also learnt how to make Pita Pockets and to make a simple Fatoush Salad and different ways of presenting our dishes. The falafels were disintegrating and we also learnt how to salvage it if that happened. It was our longest class so far (almost 5 hours) and we did not finish till 2.30.

All this of course made for a scrumptious and satisfying lunch for everyone.

Afternoon’s class was about Frozen Desserts like Sorbets, Granitas, Ice Creams and Kulfis. Learnt the basic principles of it and made some both by hand as well as using the churner.

Excited to go in on Sat afternoon to see how it all turned out and how to plate/present it! Watch out for my updates tomorrow on this. Have a great weekend all!