Helen RandellThe Sticky Rice Experience
December 17th 2008 19:29
Last weekend I had the privilege of attending a Sticky Rice Cooking Class. The class was offered to me because of my work and I jumped at the chance.
As an aside, my sister and I actually purchased a class voucher for my mum for her birthday, and I am very keen to head along with her and take part in another class.
Sticky Rice is a new business which has opened up in the Adelaide Hills, offering cooking classes with a range of Asian influences.
The class I attended on Sunday, December 14 was Indian Vegetarian, run by Korma Dasa. The class ran for four-hours and they we ate (too much – but it was such beautiful food!).
On the menu was Basmati rice Pulao, soft cashew-studded South-Indian steamed semolina breads (Rawa Idli), traditional hot-and-sour toor-dal (Sambar) South Indian coconut chutney, Punjabi-style tomatoes, peas and home-made curd cheese (Matar Panir), Udaipur spicy stuffed potato triangles (Samosas), fresh mango chutney, traditional cardamom-infused Karnataka carrot halava.
The stand out dish for my money was the carrot Halava. It is a difficult dish to describe. Basically you grate the carrot, the gently saute it with butter and sugar until it is soft and sweet and then spice it with ground cardamon seeds. The result is simply breathtaking and quite unexpected. It has a similar flavour to that of a carrot cake, but the texture is another thing altogether – it is silky smooth and melts in the mouth. I can't wait to make this for my next dinner guests at some stage soon.
My other favourite experience was the making of the Panir. This is done with boiling milk and a coagulate - either yoghurt, or lemon or lime juice. When the mix is just about to form the cheese, the mixture becomes a strange yellow/green colour and in the next second you have bits of curd appearing on the surface. I'd love to make this soon as well – but I'd like to have a practice with just me and the boy before I set upon unsuspecting guests!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Sticky Rice Cooking experience. The groups are limited to 18 people which means that everyone can see what is happening, and everyone has a chance to be involved. Very much recommended! Stay tuned for my own attempts!
As an aside, my sister and I actually purchased a class voucher for my mum for her birthday, and I am very keen to head along with her and take part in another class.
Sticky Rice is a new business which has opened up in the Adelaide Hills, offering cooking classes with a range of Asian influences.
The class I attended on Sunday, December 14 was Indian Vegetarian, run by Korma Dasa. The class ran for four-hours and they we ate (too much – but it was such beautiful food!).
On the menu was Basmati rice Pulao, soft cashew-studded South-Indian steamed semolina breads (Rawa Idli), traditional hot-and-sour toor-dal (Sambar) South Indian coconut chutney, Punjabi-style tomatoes, peas and home-made curd cheese (Matar Panir), Udaipur spicy stuffed potato triangles (Samosas), fresh mango chutney, traditional cardamom-infused Karnataka carrot halava.
The stand out dish for my money was the carrot Halava. It is a difficult dish to describe. Basically you grate the carrot, the gently saute it with butter and sugar until it is soft and sweet and then spice it with ground cardamon seeds. The result is simply breathtaking and quite unexpected. It has a similar flavour to that of a carrot cake, but the texture is another thing altogether – it is silky smooth and melts in the mouth. I can't wait to make this for my next dinner guests at some stage soon.
My other favourite experience was the making of the Panir. This is done with boiling milk and a coagulate - either yoghurt, or lemon or lime juice. When the mix is just about to form the cheese, the mixture becomes a strange yellow/green colour and in the next second you have bits of curd appearing on the surface. I'd love to make this soon as well – but I'd like to have a practice with just me and the boy before I set upon unsuspecting guests!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Sticky Rice Cooking experience. The groups are limited to 18 people which means that everyone can see what is happening, and everyone has a chance to be involved. Very much recommended! Stay tuned for my own attempts!
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Comment by GlenB
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Comment by Helen Randell
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No photos sorry Glen - too busy cooking! However, I assure you that once I make a few of these at home you will be able to see and read all about it!