PROMOTION
AT CONFIDENTIAL, we love our food but no-one can eat out every night so I went along to Zouk to brush up my own cooking skills at one of their Barbecue Masterclasses.
It was a really hands-on, or hands-in, experience as I spent a good while wrist-deep in marinade
With my souvenir apron, I looked every inch the professional but would I be able to cut the mustard (and the ginger, and the garlic...) with Zouk's expert chefs?
I needn't have worried – my instructor for the day was Sajjad Butt and he couldn't have been more helpful. The spices and herbs were all laid out ready and waiting – from meat tenderiser to methi leaves – everything was all prepared and ground in-house for a fresher flavour. No need for me to get busy with the pestle and mortar as the hard work had already been done.
The array of spicy bits and bobs is very impressive but if your spice rack runs to a jar of allspice from 1987 and an Oxo cube, you can buy a masala dabba from Zouk. This rather elegant set contains jars of all the spices you've used during the session so you can whip up Zouk's signature grill dishes at home. Or at least have a go.
During my session, I made chicken imli, paneer tikka, tandoori salmon, seekh keema and Zouk's lamb chops. It was a really hands-on, or hands-in, experience as I spent a good while wrist-deep in marinade, massaging it into the meat.
I picked up plenty of tips to use at home such as using less marinade on the lamb as due to its longer cooking time, the marinade burns. If your barbecued lamb always tastes slightly acrid and bitter, that may well be the reason.
I like to think I was pretty good, memorising the amounts and knocking up the marinades like a pro but the seekh keema was my undoing. Considering it resembles a sausage on a stick, my skewer and meat must have had a falling out. Getting them to stay together was beyond me. Fortunately, chef Sajjad Butt's superhuman patience meant that I eventually had something resembling a seekh kebab to pop on the grill.
At Zouk's Barbecue Masterclass, you make so many different dishes, you invite a friend to the restaurant for dinner where you can both share your handiwork. It's the perfect chance to bask in adulation – the paneer tikka was very well-receieved but my seekh kebabs definitely need practice.
To find out more about Zouk's forthcoming cookery classes, including a new barbecue masterclass, on the 12th September 2015 click here
