Indian cooking class with Ity

TGIF, darlings! Are you so happy that the weekend is coming up? And … what did Peter actually think that is actually going to predict good weather? INCOMPREHENSIBLE. But we take it, right? For the Weekend, there is some news for all Foodies among you … or for all, who like to try something new again and again. For example, an Indian cooking class with girlfriends? I would have something for you!

Yep, today is cooking. Namely in Punk Rock City Wallisellen! I was invited to a “blogger round” some time ago to discover their home cooking together with an Indian living in Switzerland. And so I set out on an amazingly warm spring evening in the Zurich agglomeration, armed with a lot of ambition and a great desire to learn something new. And I was told there was Prosecco.

ALL ABOUT ITY:

Ity Tiwari, who has long been sharing recipes and travel tips on her (super clever named!) Blog www.creativ-ity.com, is a real all-rounder – or a “jack of all trades,” as she calls herself tongue in cheek.

My always slightly shifted priorities, here again, perfect in picture form … Sorry, Ity!

Originally from Jaipur, Ity, with stops in Germany, Sweden, and Singapore, has been in Switzerland for 17 years with her family. She enjoys cooking passionately: a cooking club has become a veritable business. “I like to cook, eat and love people,” she says.

What could be better than offering cooking classes?

Ity’s courses (or should one say “workshop evenings”?) Offer them both in the Migros Club School and on a smaller scale at home in Wallisellen – ideally for groups of up to 8 to 10 people. But that’s not all, you Pretties … Ity makes you brew pretty!

THREADING WITH ITY:

Yep, Brows’n’Cookery! Ity has mastered an ancient beauty technique she has learned in India – threading. This way, eyebrows (and other parts of the face) are quickly and incredibly precisely depilated and shaped – all with a simple thread!

Okay, that’s not the case, but we were allowed to make our eyebrows on Ity before cooking. Fast, almost completely painless and with 15 francs for brewing also incredibly cheap … I like, as you can easily see in this self-interested picture.

Now that my brows are finally alright, I would say it’s going to work!

INDIAN COOKING WITH ITY:

For this smaller blogger round Ity has put together a really nice menu … where we six bloggers and journalists prepare so under their guidance a total of nine different dishes:

• Moong Daal Veda (Moongo Lentil Veda and Falafel)
• Pudina chutney (mint chutney)
• Lobia curry (curry with white beans)
• Aloo gobi (potato cauliflower curry)
• Matar-Paneer (Pea-Paneer-Curry)
• Kheere ka Raita (yoghurt with cucumbers)
• Kosimbir (Rüeblisalat)
• Sade Chawal (Basmati rice)
• Sevai Kheer (vermicelli pudding for dessert)

What sounds a bit overwhelming in reality is actually quite easy: each one of us has “grabbed” a dish and then cooked it in packs.

I admire my colleague Elisabeth from Blog Bestyears , because she was not only a fanatic falafel conjured, but also could shoot cool slow-motion videos. RESPECT, BELLA!

For the fact that I’ve never cooked Indian, it quickly became clear to me in “my” recipe that the spices play a huge role – so I first set about measuring and delivering them as photogenic as possible:

I do not want to state, but then after about 90 minutes of cooking, laughing and learning (Ity had a lot of practical tips in store and could take the fear of the “exotic” kitchen totally!) Finally put to the table to enjoy our feast … I really found my white bean curry almost the finest!

Ehm … that, and the good Indian (?!?) White wine to!

And because it was so fine, I’ll share the recipe with you now, with Ity’s blessing!

Lobia curry (curry with white beans)

Ingredients for 4 persons:

• 300 g black-eyed beans (also called “Black Eyed Peas”), soaked overnight
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1.5 cm ginger, freshly grated

For the masala (sauce):

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1.5 cm ginger, freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 small green chili, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 pinch of Asant (Asa foetida = “devil’s dung”, available in Asia shops)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 red chili, dried
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp cilantro powder
• 2 teaspoons of chilli powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Korander, fresh (for garnish)
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Drain the soaked beans and cook with the ginger (piecewise), oil and salt in the pressure cooker with approx. 2 liters of water for approx. 10-12 minutes and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan. As soon as hot, add asante and cumin seed. If they are crisp, add the bay leaves, cinnamon and dried red chili and stir once.

Add the onion and fry on low heat until golden brown. Add tomatoes, salt, chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder, mix well and cover, simmer for 5 minutes.

Ginger from the beans and throw away. Carefully add the beans to the pot with the water, reduce the heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and serve with lemon juice and fresh cilantro. This fits: Basmati rice.

PS: Gell, Zimstange, bay leaves and red chillies are not eaten, but are only for the taste!

… and that’s what our homemade dinner looked like. Läck how fine it all got!

All in all, it was an extremely successful evening, which I can warmly recommend in the form! An Ity cooking evening is not only fun, but you also learn a lot about Indian cuisine.

Whether you are cooking in a cozy “private round” with and with Ity or attending one of their courses at the Migros Club School … it’s really worth it!

And so I release you into the weekend, probably with a light hunger and desire for a Bollywood movie. You’re welcome, darling. And enjoy the sunshine!

Ity Tiwary’s Indian cooking classes  (from approx. 70 francs) and threading offers  (from 15 francs) can be found here on her blog.

The next “fixed” offer: cooking class “Bollywood Indian Thali” on 1 August 2016, private bookings (almost) anytime, further information on tel. +41 78 721 19 46.