A masterclass with Alfred Prasad at Great British Chefs #GBCCookSchool

By : Vaishali Sengupta | 17 Comments | On : June 30, 2015 | Category : Uncategorized

On Friday, I spent a lovely evening in the company of a few fellow food-bloggers and a terrific Chef, Alfred Prasad at a hands-on masterclass on Indian food.

This was organised by the Great British Chefs at the Cookery School as a part of #GBCCookSchool initiative.

Chef Alfred Prasad is a very talented, young Chef. He acquired the coveted Michelin star at the very young age of 29 for his work at  Tamarind,  an Indian restaurant at Mayfair, London.

We started off the evening with some nibbles and bubbles whilst we made our introductions with other invitees.

The cuisine was of course close to my heart- Indian, but most importantly, I was amazed by the down-to-earth chef who had everyone cooking complex Indian food in no time.

The menu was in true Indian style- elaborate and sumptuous.

Idli – steamed ricecakes with lentils-   3 way s- Kanchipuram idli , idli with gunpowder ( chilli spiced condiment) , and masala Idli ( with potatoes)

Paobhaji- a spicy , steaming hot medley of crushed boiled vegetables and potatoes with taosted buns.

Chickpea Chaat– boiled chickpeas with yoghurt and tamarind sauce

Malai Kulfi – an eggless Indian icecream

We started off with the ubiquitous (well, not so much in this part of the world, more so in India) but tricky, Idli. Chef demonstrated  the famous Kanchipuram Idli with the addition of whole pepper, cumin, ginger and a ton of other stuff.

And there he is with the perfect Kanchipuram Idli.

We also learned to make the Masala Potato Bhaji that can be served with Dosa or Idli.

Then we went on to the most famous of all street food- Pao bhaji- a  mouthwatering, spicy medley of vegetables that’s eaten with bins. The name Pao bhaji literally means Bread and Vegetables. Goa and Bombay refer to bread as Pao- a term derived from the Portuguese times and that is now a word in both Konkani and Marathi. Bhaji (pronounced Bhaaji) means vegetables.

Alfred’s unassuming demeanour  has a way of making everyone feel instantly comfortable and in no time, people were grouped up, chatting away and prepping vegetables to tackle the paobhaji.

Manjiri Chitnis with the lovely Fran and Rebecca .

Monica Shaw , a fellow blogger, looking absolutely at ease mashing up the Paobhaji.

Then Alfred went on the demonstrate the Chickpea Chaat. Chaat is a kind of streetfood typically found in Delhi, Bombay , Calcutta and Gujarat.

Chaats are made from potatoes, chickpeas, coriander and tamarind and mint chutneys that make so many complex flavours explode in your mouth- salty, tangy, sour, sweet, spicy. You just can’t stop eating them.

As one of us was dairy intolerant, the thoughtful Alfred decided to make dosa for her and quickly demonstrated the perfect South Indian style of making a dosa with a small steel bowl.

And then came the true star of the evening the Malai Kulfi! Alfred very aptly described it as an eggless Indian icecream and went on to regale us with stories of Kulfi sellers who sold kulfi in little aluminium cones on their bicycles. It took me back to my childhood where many a summer afternoon was spent with friends playing in the streets with our ears however waiting for that typical clanging of the Kulfiwallah’s bicycle. Then we would chase him with some coins in our pockets and get our daily allowance of delicious kulfi.

Alfred shared a very clever and simple Kulfi recipe that doesn’t entail slaving over the gas trying to reduce milk. The kulfi he treated us to was creamy, luscious and rich with a slight hint of salt- the touch he added to remind of that cyclewallah Kulfi seller. He also advised us to get our pistachios from the Persian shops where you get the best!

I couldn’t have asked for a better evening.

Thanks Great British Chefs and Cookery School. Alfred Prasad, I can’t wait to try out the Kulfi, my mouth waters even at the memory.

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