LEARN how to cook a good curry and you're set up for dinner parties for life. Few dishes are greeted with as much glee by guests, but few dishes are as tricky to get right. If your curries tend to go stew-like and your rice is sticky no matter how much you rinse it, there's help at hand.
This isn't a watch-from-the-sidelines course but a hands-on experience where you prepare, marinate and cook each dish yourself.
Zouk's Cookery School runs half-day Indian cookery classes at their Manchester restaurant, just off Oxford Road. These step-by-step practical classes teach you how to cook a full Indian feast including two starters, two mains, a rice or side, and a naan or roti bread. Each dish is healthy, zesty and delicious, much like the food served at Zouk.
The restaurant set up the classes in response to demand from customers who wanted to know the secrets of their award-winning curries. Classes now run once a month on Saturdays and they're suitable for all levels of cook, from the absolute novice to the trained chef.
You'll begin the day with a welcome glass of desi chai (Indian chai tea) before you get started on the first of two practical sessions. This isn't a watch-from-the-sidelines course but a hands-on experience where you prepare, marinate and cook each dish yourself. Along the way, you'll learn about the different tastes and properties of Indian herbs and spices, and get a good understanding of the principles of Indian cooking.
Recipes vary for each course. At the next one on Saturday 7 June you can learn how to cook chicken tikka (starter), lamb chops (starter), butter chicken (main), and keema karahi (main). The two practical sessions are followed by a 'Tandoor Finale' before you have a sit-down meal where you tuck into what you've cooked. Or if you prefer, you can take your dishes home to impress family and friends.
You also take home step-by-step instructions so that you can recreate your feast in your own kitchen.
The courses are taught by Zouk's top chefs from Nepal, Pakistan, and India, and they attract curry enthusiasts from as far afield as London and Scotland. It's a fun, friendly day and it's a reasonable price at just £80 for a 3.5 hour class. If you enjoy Indian food and want the confidence and skills to cook it yourself at home, why not book onto their next class?
For dates and booking details, visit our Zouk Cookery Classes page.
Call 0161 410 0272 to find out more.
