There are definitely worse ways to spend a Sunday morning than attending a masterclass with one of the country's finest Indian chefs...
Atul Kochhar's reputation and mastery of the spices is well known, as is his Michelin starred restaurant Benares, the scene for the morning's demonstration. However, the focus on this occasion was not on deconstructed dishes with an Indian twist, the likes of which would be a daunting undertaking in the confines of a home kitchen. Instead his new book "Atul's Curries of the World" was the theme, and the group were treated to watching him prepare four dishes of the two hundred plus recipes from around the globe listed within.
Considering Benares is shut on a Sunday the hospitality shown by the staff from the outset was excellent. Coffees, orange juice and breakfast pastries were offered round, not to mention a long list of all sorts of variety of tea. With this on board it was into the kitchen to watch Atul run through the dishes. He was friendly and encouraged questions and conversation throughout - although some of the group ran with this and went into question-overdrive. However, this was handled by Atul with patience and humour, which only added to the experience.
Spread amongst the instructions for each dish were anecdotes of Atul's travels researching the recipes for "Atul's Curries of the World", highlighting that curries appear the world over, in the well known places such as India and Thailand, but also East Africa, the Caribbean, Canada and South Africa. He did mention South America during the class, although a recipe from the region is conspicuous by its absence from the book.
There were also invaluable tips on spicing. The care and attention that you would give to fresh produce should also come into your thinking when it comes to spices. A sin I would imagine most home chefs have committed is using a jar of spice well past its best - think of the abandoned cumin sitting at the back of the cupboard. Atul preached a couple of months as an absolute limit in terms of shelf-life. Another tip was stainless steel containers as opposed to glass to prevent the spices being affected by light or oxidising. He spoke with great passion whenever the topic came round to spice, which it did predictably often, and the passion was infectious. I would imagine most, if not all those in attendance will have gone straight home and cleaned out the spice cupboard.
Back to the cooking! The smells of roasted spices cannot be given the justice they deserve by a just few superlatives. Each of the dishes we were shown had its own distinct flavour profile, and this was reflected in how Atul selected, prepared and blended his spices each time. However, nothing seemed too difficult, and all worth a bash at home.
Once he had finished all four demonstrations, without even breaking a sweat, it was time for him to head home. However, that meant we got to eat all four of the curries, accompanied by bowls of rice and lightly fried paratha. To pick a favourite is tough, but it was a toss up between the mango and Sea Bass fish stew from South India, or the courgettes with poppy seeds from Bangladesh. That said neither the Kenyan Jeera chicken, nor the East African prawn curry would be turned down in a hurry...
In terms of an experience the masterclass was excellent, the food was also exceptional. The whole process from start to finish was very relaxed. It is not the norm for a group of ten diners to sit in Benares just passing round bowls of curry, but this was not trying to be Michelin starred experience, they were great tasting dishes you want to attempt at home.
We were presented with the cookbook on the way out. This is not just a flick through and admire the gastronomic pictures book, this is one that will get splattered in sauce, getting the attention it deserves right next to the hob. I suggest you check it out for yourself.
