Recently, my wife who is a member of the Delft Mama club, asked me whether I can get a cooking club started in Delft. I have hosted similar cooking courses in Hungary and I thought it would be a great opportunity to come together, once a month, with other internationals in Delft and share food and other cultural tid-bits. I along with my fellow, co-ordinator Viji, got into action and started planning the cooking night.
The plan is to organize cooking night once a month. Each month we would have a different theme, and we will rope in a person from a different country to lead the evening. To facilitate cultural exchange and ensure a proper discussion, we would restrict the guest list to 5-6 people, plus one coordinator and one chef who would be leading the evening. Aim is to keep it simple and cosy.
For the trial cooking night, I led the evening with an Indian cooking theme. The menu was inspired by India’s coastal cuisine. India’s coastline measures 7,517 kilometres in length, and coconut are widely available in the adjoining areas. Coconut powder and cream influences the cuisine in a large part. The menu for the evening included
- Creamy coconut chicken curry in oven (main course)
- Vegetable curry (Potatoes, green peas and carrot)
Below, we will walk you through the evening’s menu (and recipes) along with some photos.
Photos of the set-up
- Creamy coconut chicken curry in oven (main course) recipe
Things you need (2 person)
4 … Large/medium chicken thighs
2 tbsp … Tandoori chicken masala
2 Fresh chilis + 4 garlic cloves + small ginger piece (Mashed in a Pestle/Mortar)
1/2 … Lime or lemon
1 tbsp … Salt
2 spoons … Mustard sauce
2 spoons … Oil
1 cup … coconut cream
2-3 twigs … Cilantro/coriander leaves
Here’s how
1) Wash the chicken thighs or drumsticks. Give a few small superficial cuts to the meat
2) Mix the coconut cream, Mustard sauce, oil, salt, tandoori masala, turmeric, mortar mash,
lime juice and rub it nicely on the chicken (all the spices are as per taste). You can mix this
directly in an oven tray
3) Let it marinate for a few hours
4) Pre-heat the oven to 250 deg C
5) Put the meat in the oven. Please stir the meat every 5-10 mins. The meat should be cooked in 30 mins
6) Sprinkle some lemon juice as per taste. Chop some coriander leaves and add as per taste.
2. Vegetable curry (Potatoes, green peas and carrot)
Things you need (2 person)
3-4 … Potatoes—chopped
1 cup … Green peas
2 … Carrots chopped
3-5 … Garlic cloves
1 tbsp … Garam Masala + Cumin powder +
Chili powder … 1/2 Lime or lemon
1 … Onion
3 spoons … Oil
2 … Tomato
2-3 twigs … Cilantro/coriander leaves
1-2 tbsp … Salt
Tiny piece … Ginger
Here’s how
1) Heat oil, and once hot add the chopped garlic and chopped onion. Let the onion brown
2) Chop the tomatoes, and add to the onions. Once the tomato is reduced…
3) Add chili, black pepper, cumin, ginger and salt—all as per taste. If you like spicy food you can add extra chili powder, if you prefer it bland skip the chili
4) Add all veggies (potatoes, carrots and peas) and 1 cup of water. Let it cook for 15 mins, while stirring every now and then.
5) Veggies should be cooked in about 15-20 mins
6) Sprinkle some lemon juice as per taste. Chop some coriander leaves and add as per taste.
Dinner time
