A Perfect Recipe that Blends through the Heart

In my previous post, I discussed about my idea to join a Vietnamese cooking class and learn about the basics of preparing this wonderful Asian menu. More than anything else, I've met wonderful people that shared the same interest as mine, making this experience worthwhile and fun.

Just like the pan that's just starting to heat up, my interest took another turn which led me to no other than my own chef. The short introduction that she had on a site was enough to keep intrigues cooking in the back of my mind. She is a professional from another field before becoming a full time chef. She prefers to call her cooking class as the "Little Green Kitchen", the name of this class alone sets my curiosity on fire, I had to check it twice to make sure I didn't sign up for an all kids cooking class. 

Chef Shalu Asnani

To put all my curiosity to rest, I've finally decided to invite her for a short interview and much to my delight she gladly acknowledged it. Without much further delay, I am pleased to introduce my Instructor, Vegetarian Chef, Shalu Asnani founder of the "Little Green Kitchen" cooking class:

John: Did you ever see yourself being a Chef and becoming the owner of a cooking class?

Shalu: No! I started my career as a lawyer…but several years ago I moved to Beijing, took time out for me and re-discovered my passion for cooking along the way. Anyway, one thing led to another and I’m now a full-time private chef and cooking instructor!

J: We succeed at something because we love doing what we do best and we are influenced by people who are either close to us or by that somebody we look up to. How did you develop your love for cooking and where do you take your influences from?

S: I grew up in a family of full-time home cooks and during my time, kids didn’t have play dates, so I was always hanging around the kitchen when I was bored, as meals were being cooked for the family 3 times a day! My grandmother was an amazing cook, very precise, had a great palate and placed a huge emphasis on cooking from scratch without using processed ingredients, so I didn’t know any other way. The rest of  the family followed in her footsteps so I have always been surrounded by inspiring cooks and till today, I learn as much as I can from my mum and aunts.

J: Being a Chef and an instructor at the same time takes a lot of determination, what inspires you to teach people your knowledge in cooking?

S: I am passionate about being vegetarian, I truly believe it’s the best way to sustain oneself and the environment, not to mention the numerous health and emotional benefits, hence I am eager to teach people how to eat better and help them transition to a plant-based eating.

J: How did you come up with the "Little Green Kitchen" as the name of your cooking class?

S: Well, it’s a home based cooking studio specializing in "green" cuisine!

J: Most of the recipes in the class represent Asian cooking and probably of vegetarian, is that what you are passionate about and why?

S: I grew up in Singapore and have traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, training with chefs and picking up local cooking techniques along the way. I have a real appreciation for fresh, light and flavourful food enhanced with natural herbs and spices, hence Southeast Asian cuisine is my comfort food.

J: What are the preparations that you do before the start of the class?

S: Getting the right ingredients, measuring them out, washing them and separating them into different portions for the different recipes and getting ready all the required equipment. I like to be well prepared before the class so I can focus on teaching and giving my students full attention.

J: If you were to choose one ingredient from your menu, what would that be and why?

S: Tofu – it’s so versatile, can be grilled, sauteed, mashed, and is very flavourful when seasoned well. Plus, it’s high in protein.

J: If you were left with one kitchen utensil to work on what would it be and why?

S: I need 2 – a wooden chopping board and sharp knife!

J: How would you define a perfect recipe? 

S: One that is well balanced and you can taste all the flavours. I like taking my cue from Thai and Vietnamese cuisine where a lot of emphasis is placed on balancing the sweet, spicy, sour and salty flavours in a dish.

J: For the first timers in your cooking class, how would you describe "Little Green Cooking"?

S: Little Green Kitchen is a comfortable and friendly environment where you can either start from scratch or refine your cooking skills to take it to the next level. Anyone is welcome as long as you have an interest in cooking!

J: We feel contented after we've accomplished something, how do you measure your accomplishments at the end of each class? Any advice for aspiring cooks or chefs out there?

S: I feel really happy when students say they enjoyed the experience and more so when they tell me they will definitely be cooking the dishes again at home! Cook what you know and what comes from the heart, and people will flock to you to eat your food. Hone your skills in a particular cuisine and be really good at it.

J: Thank you very much Chef Shalu for taking time to answer the questions and for sharing the inspirations and for giving back your passion in cooking. Please invite them to your class:

S: To book a class please visit www.littlegreenkitchen.com.sg or contact Chef Shalu at shalu@littlegrenekitchen.com.sg for a customized private dining experience.

Aside from the curiosity that hounds me about Chef Shalu and her school, I started this interview with a question in my mind, "What makes up a good chef or a flavorful recipe?" The interview gave me the insights on the idiom "The home is where the heart is" that truly transpired our humble beginnings. 

The values that our families shared becomes a perfect recipe and the warmth of love that we felt is what added flavors in it. As what Chef Shalu had put it into words, "A perfect recipe is one that is well balanced and you can taste all the flavours in it" 

So, if you happened to taste a bad menu or been served by a grouchy chef, you know where to start looking for answers. Hope you'll all find inspirations and learned something from this interview as much as I did, especially for those aspiring in becoming a chef/cook.

Til next time. :)

Learning to Tame the Flame

I had my first cookbook probably like 5 or 7 years ago. I still keep it well and in good condition, this must be one of my gift when it comes to taking care of books. If there's a guardian of the books then probably I'll fit in that description.

The cookbook was hardbound and it contains about 1600 wok and stir fry recipes. I haven't tried most of it, simply because some of the ingredients are quite hard to find. But those that I've tried further drove my interests in cooking deeper into the realms of the hot and burning world of woks.

So, I've gone from one cookbook to another and jumping from one site to another exploring for more recipes to try on. I even evolved and became a fan of the food channels on the cable network. I used to not like it, but there must be truth in the saying food makes wonders.

This week though, like some ray of inspirations, I decided to take my cooking interest a notch up. I have signed up for a Vietnamese cooking class. I intentionally wanted to join the Thai cooking class, but the schedules were full. So anyway, it was fun and exciting. I've learned to prepare three menus, 1.  Fresh rice paper rolls with mango and mint 2. Spicy tofu with lemon grass plus basil and 3. Vietnamese crepe.

I've gained additional tips during the class, such as for the fresh rice paper rolls, you only need to dip the rice paper rolls in the warm water as quickly as possible otherwise, it will become soggy and too sticky to roll. 

If the fiber starts to appear more while you're chopping the lemon grass, you may want to peal off the outer layer and start with the fresh inner layer. Mushroom stems tend to be hard and it's not nice for cooking. They're usually chopped-off for other usage such as for soup base. 

I've learned to do proper julienne (cutting to result in longer, thinner strips), it usually starts off with cutting the sides of the vegetable such as a carrot to form angles or corners like a box. Start slicing the sides into thin layers and proceed to cut into thin strips.

I've done the right way to chop using the chef knife, holding the top of the knife with your fingers while trying to guide the middle of the knife's sharp edge to do the chopping. This is usually easier to do than using the knife's sharp edge near the point of the knife. 

I basically came to class to correct my own mistakes, learn the proper methods and perform the simple techniques, but what I got was more than what I paid for, I've met wonderful people, teamed-up and enjoyed learning together with them. That to me was priceless.

The photos above are the menus we've cooked in a roughly 2 hour cooking session. The first was the spicy tofu, the fresh rice paper rolls and the Vietnamese crepe. I am more than happy to share the recipe here, but due to copyright notice attached to the recipes, I'm not able to do so. Apologize for that guys.  

Til next time.

:)