The CIEE Indian Masterclass
Each year a group of young and energetic exchange students of CIEE come over to The Culinary Lounge for a masterclass of Indian cuisine. Each year our studio erupts with excitement and enthusiasm. Each year we look forward to having the students over.
This year was no different. Twenty-Four students came over mid morning one Wednesday to learn the basic art of Indian cuisine. On the menu were Veg Pulao, Paneer Butter Masala, Rotis and Shahi Tukda. We decided to make the masterclass a bit more interesting and added a cook-off twist to the entire exercise. The students were divided into six smaller groups and each group had to follow recipes to cook up lunch for themselves. While our chefs were oscillating between the different stations guiding and helping the students, gradually we realised, they had it all under control and were enjoying themselves in the process.
What followed, was two hours of kitchen frenzy. The girls got cooking and got chopping, frying, kneading, plating. While they cooked, some refreshments in the form of snacks and beverages were served to them from The Culinary Lounge Kitchen. The delicious cheese corn balls along with some strawberry slush and lemonade prepared by Chef Sangeeta were lapped up by the students as they cooked. All the cooking was clearly helping them work up an appetite. At the allotted 2 hours came to a close everyone scrambles to present a dish that looked and tasted delicious.
The judges descended on each team to taste the dishes and mark them on presentation, taste, hygiene and innovation. While each team cooked the same dishes, each had a signature look, feel and taste to it. The girls impressed us all with the dexterity with which they prepared all the dishes and how flavourful each and every dish was. Given that each dish tasted perfectly, looked different and was presented with finesse it was very difficult to decide on a winner. After much deliberating, the judges finally declared a winner.
With the cook-off completed and the bellies empty, the girls proceeded to the lounge to enjoy the dishes they had cooked. Everyone couldn’t wait to taste the food that everyone had cooked. Once the food had all been consumed, it was time for them to move on to their next Indian adventure during their short stay in our country.
