Lamb from persia, Middle Eastern Cookery class at The Cooking Academy

Cooking Middle Eastern Food

I’m recently back from Eygpt and armed with lots of new recipes from the region as enjoyed by people of the Middle East.  I met with a number of chef’s on my travels who shared their love of food, cookery techniques and recipes, for this I am blessed.   Now I’m raring to go and share these wonderful flavours with you on our Middle Eastern cookery classes.   

Although I’m already a big fan of Tabbouleh, my new recipe freshly learned is really something to behold.  The New almond Kofta’s and also something of a treat and we’ll be discovering some lovely fresh coconut desserts as well. 

If you are interesting to learn Middle Eastern Cookery  then join us on this class.  Check our availability schedule to book your class now. 

Middle Eastern Cookery classes

Whether it’s Moroccan, Labanese, Persian or anywhere in the Middle East you find an intense love of cooking, eating and entertaining. Many of the dishes in Middle Eastern cookery are common to each other and in our Middle Eastern cookery classes we share our experience and knowledge of this vibrant and exotic cuisine.

We will show you how to blend the wonderful array of aromatic spices; combining the sweet and savoury flavours whilst achieving a perfect balance and harmony of taste. As always you will take you on a journey of all the spices that are associated with Middle Eastern cookery; understanding your use of spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, saffron, and the rich roasted cumin.

What’s on the menu

At our One-day Middle Eastern cookery class you will prepare exotic dishes such as chicken tagine with dates & honey, this recipes dates back over 400 years, or aromatic lamb meatballs simmered in a tomato sauce with cherries, Spicy vegetables in apricots oven baked, Lamb with chickpeas in a casserole with sweet paprika and an aromatic layered pilaf rice dish.

As with all our classes you’ll be in a small group, giving you lots of one to one attention and of course entirely hands on cooking, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and spice up your day with this wonderfully aromatic cuisine.

Lamb Somosas - at The Cooking Academy - Indian cookery class

Minced Lamb & fresh Garden peas somosas

 Ingredients: Section 1

500g Minced spring lamb – 90% lean

150g finely chopped onion

3 tbsp Rapeseed oil

2 cinnamon sticks

3 green cardamoms

5 cloves

2 bay leaves

2 tsp garlic 

2 tsp ginger 

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp fresh green chillies 

1 tsp salt or to taste

1 tsp garam masala

30g fresh coriander

60g garden peas

2 tbsp lemon juice

 Cooking Instructions

 Heat the oil in a deep pan, add the whole spices and splutter for a few seconds before adding the onions.  Sauté for 5 minutes until lightly brown then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Now add the minced lamb, green chillies, ground cumin, garam masala, ground cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and half of the fresh coriander. 

Mix the spices and the lamb very well on a medium heat for 5 minutes until all the meat is browned off/sealed and evenly coloured, cook for 20 minutes or until cooked. 

Now add the garden peas and another tablespoon of lemon juice, however ensure the mixture is dry so that the somosas don’t get soggy.

 Section 2

Somosas pastry or Filo pastry

50g Plain flour

Cold water

Vegetable Oil to fry

 Cooking Instruction:

To make the somosas filling:

 In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix well.  Taste to season accordingly with salt and additional chillies if required. 

 Filling the somosas:

1. Start by making a flour paste (edible glue) to bind the somosas together.
2. Mix flour and water in a bowl until it is pancake consistency. 
3. Now separate the somosa pastry one slice at a time covering the pastry you are not using with a slightly damp cloth. Create pocket as shown in the class and fill. Be careful to seal all the edges to prevent leaking whilst frying.
4. Heat oil to deep fry and slowly slide the somosas into the oil at the sides, cook for 1.5 minutes on either side or until golden brown.

1. Remove from oil onto absorbent paper to drain any oil and serve. 

 Cooks Hint 1: Don’t be afraid to be generous with the ‘edible glue’ as it will dry out like the pastry and stop the somosa from opening in the cooking process

Cooks Hint 2: Be careful the oil is not too hot as it will brown the somosas without heating the filling sufficiently. 

Cooks Hint 3: The somosas can be frozen flat on a tray once made but before frying

 Serving Tip: Allow somosas to cool for a moment or two before serving as they are too hot to eat straight away.

 Lamb somosas Recipe by Kumud Gandhi -  Founder of The Cooking Academy

Nutritional cookery class at The Cooking Academy

Nutritional cooking classes

Today we’ve had our 1 day nutritional cookery class

It is a cookery classes for nutritional cooking, great recipes that are nutrient rich. In this class we look at what food to eat to boost your immune system, feed your muscles with the right nutrients to keep you supple and fit to enjoy a long but healthy lifestyle.

This class is designed to show you how to cook a range of recipes that are nutritionally dense, deliciously tasty, and easy to make.

We will start with an quick update of basic nutritional information to set the scene, followed by an introduction to the powerful ingredients that should become part of your regularly shopping list, include the 10 most important ingredients you should eat on a daily and weekly basis. 

Often times basic everyday ingredients are overlooked for modern fashionable ingredients. Porridge oats and Avocado for example, great basic food that provide essential nutrients to deliver healthy well-being.  Learn to use oats as part of your diet in very tasty ways by learning to make your own super powered delicious granola and bircher museli.   Butternut squash and tomatoes have fabulous nutrient value but how do you cook them to taste delicious?  What advantage does fish have over chicken?  Why is milk such a complete nutient.  What food can be used to substite key ingredients like wheat.  

All these questions and more will be answered on our  healthy eating nutritional cookery class .

To book this class please contact www.thecookingacademy.co.uk or call us on 01923 778880.

Thai cooking classes at The Cooking Academy, Oxfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire

I hear it’s difficult to find Thai cookery classes in Oxfordshire !   Well, your search is over;  here at The Cooking Academy in Rickmansworth – Hertfordshire we offer a range of Thai cookery classes as well as Indian cookery classes, all highly original and authentic.  Whilst it is a shame Oxfordshire residents will need to travel, I do promise that the distance will be worth while! 

Here at The Cooking Academy our client travel from far and wide to attend our original and authentic range of Thai cookery classes.    I myself have travelled extensively throughout  Thailand and have had the benefit of great Thai cooking, taught to me first hand in Thailand.   My passion isAsian cuisine and fusion foods, so my palette is well trained to flavours from around the world and my joy in life is to share my knowledge of food with others.  

We’ve had a number of customers from the Oxfordshire in particular and they’ve come back to enjoy other classes in at our cookery school.   I hope the people of Oxfordshire will enjoy the benefits of our Authentic cookery classes in Asian cuisine and join us here in Rickmansworth at The Cooking Academy not in Oxfordshire but here in Rickmansworth, which I believe to be a 50 minute journey.  

To find out more about of Cookery classes please call us on 01923 77 8880.  or email cara@thecookingacademy.co.uk

Advance Thai cooking classes at The Cooking Academy

Thai cooking classes for the converted

Thai food is just divine, and no more so than when you cook it yourself and have the pleasure of enjoying such fresh delightful food.   If you know your Thai food then the next step is really to attend a Thai cookery class and enjoy the real deal home-cooked cusine just as Thai people eat.  

If you have already attended our 1 day Thai cookery class then today’s Advanced Thai classes  is really for you!  You’ll be taking the plunge from what you learnt at the last class and going into the Phad Thai’s and Scented fish salads.  The real essence of the day is in learning the hnts and tips around cookery, the techniques employed by the chef’s that provide such an insights on our cookery classes as well as the technical skill of the actual recipes. 

Thai cooking is amazingly easy when you are shown how.  On this class you will learn just how easily you can put together meals that look complicated yet are so simple, tasty and delicious, you’ll wonder hwhy you waited to so long and tolerated so many avaerage Thai restaurants and takeaways.  Learning to cook thai food is a day of pure pleasure.  Treat your self and book onto one of our classes today.   Tel 01923 77 8880 now to book the next class