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Asian-Inspired Cooking

Food & Drink
4.8 out of 5 Average rating

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022
  • DURATION 60 mins
  • HOW TO ATTEND Attendance is live via Zoom
4.8 out of 5 Average rating

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022

Event Description

In this series, you’ll learn four different Asian-inspired dishes. I will talk you through the origins of the dish and the authentic ingredients used to make them in Asia, however, I will also be giving you alternative ingredients that you can use if you’re unable to find the traditional ingredients where you are, therefore, these dishes are adapted versions of traditional dishes.

I’ll also be talking about my travels in Asia and my top tips for things to do, see, and eat. Bring your questions and we will have time for a Q&A too!

Massaman Gai (Chicken) - 22nd July

Packed with the warming spices of cinnamon and star anise Massaman Curry is a quick and delicious savory Thai curry. Chicken and potatoes are cooked in coconut milk to give the dish a sweet and mildly spicy sauce, it’s a flavor explosion, and one of my favourite Thai curries!

Ingredients

  • 500g. Chicken (on the bone is best (legs and thighs) but if you prefer boneless use thighs)
  • 2 Potatoes ( white or any waxy variety)
  • 1 onion, cut into quarters
  • 400ml coconut milk 
  • 1 Cinnamon stick
  • 1 Whole star anise
  • 20g. roasted peanuts 
  • 1 tbsp. massaman curry paste (shop bought is fine or see below if you’d like to make it from scratch) 
  • 1 tbsp tamarind sauce 
  • 1/2 tbsp. palm sugar 
  • 1/4 tbsp. fish sauce 
  • 1 chicken stock cube.

Curry paste

  • 1 tsp coriander seeds 
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 
  • 4 cardamom pods  
  • 3 cloves 
  • ½ nutmeg 1/2 
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick 
  • 5 dried chillies, soaked in water, (use less if you don’t like it too spicy)
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
  • 1/2tsp finely chopped galangal 
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass 
  • 1 tsp kaffir lime zest 
  • 3 cloves of garlic 
  • 2 shallots 
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste 
  • 1 tsp ground roasted white pepper 
  1. Roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, one at a time, in a pan over low heat until fragrant. Then scoop it out of the pan and pound until fine. Set aside. 
  2. Pop roasted spices along with all the other curry paste ingredients into a blender and blend thoroughly into a paste

Please prepare the curry paste in advance if you plan on cooking along live.


Gyoza noodle soup - 12th August

Join me in making this quick and easy noodle soup packed with flavour. This is a cheat version made with frozen gyoza and ingredients that you may already have at home in the fridge or store cupboard. I’ll also teach you how to ensure you get a good depth of flavour to the broth, which you can use time and time again as a base for many different variations of noodle soups.  

Makes one large bowl

Ingredients: 

  • Any neutral oil 
  • 6 Frozen gyoza (filling of your choice)
  • Thumb size piece of ginger, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic. crushed
  • 500ml bone broth or stock (chicken, veg, or beef, whatever your preference is) 
  • Dried or fresh egg noodles
  • Handful of beansprouts
  • 1 head of Pak Choi
  • Handful of fresh coriander (optional)
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 ½ tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine (sub for dry sherry if you can’t find this)
  • 1tbsp sesame oil 
  • 1tsp chilli oil
  • 1tsp palm sugar (use any sugar if you don’t have palm)
  • 1L of water from a just boiled kettle. 
  • 1 Spring onion
  • Crispy onions (optional)
  • Handful of sesame seeds
  • Duration: 60 mins
  • Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Shamal Kumal, profie (1).jpg

Meet the Host, Shamal Kumal

Shamal is a London born homecook of Guyanese heritage. She specialises in developing recipes inspired by the food her parents and grandparents cooked her. She creates inclusive spaces and communities for people to discover and share the joy of cooking by hosting virtual cooking experiences that focus on teaching people to learn to love to cook at home. An advocate of cooking for self-care and building a sense of community.  Sharing a meal allows us to not only share food that nourishes our souls but also share our cultures and heritage with each other. 

Shamal is a member of Kinspiration. Shamal’s Kin-spirations are her mum Chumattie and Nanee (maternal grandmother) Doris.

More Information

What if I can’t make the event?

If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.

Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?

Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.

How do I watch the live event?

Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.

How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)

Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.

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