So you think you can cook!’, an exclusive cookery workshop for men was conducted by cookery expert Tarla Dalal, at Forum Value Mall, Whitefield recently.
The workshop was a charity venture, the proceeds of which will go to the NGO, ‘Smile Foundation’. The expert taught the men to make easy dishes that anyone can try at home. Men from different professions came forward to be a part of this workshop.
They joined Tarla Dalal’s chefs on stage and formed two teams to gain some culinary experience. Tarla Dalal first taught the men to make a drink known as the Kiwi Kooler. She dictated the recipes and helped both teams to make their drinks. Tarla Dalal proudly showed off the preparation of the first team to the cheering audience. “Add more lemon juice,” she chided the second team and asked them to catch up.
Smita Sawant, an accessory designer said, “This is very innovative and creative and it is the first time that it has happened in Bangalore. The men are showing so much enthusiasm. Nowadays men are ready to help their wives in the kitchen which is a good thing. The fact that these guys are cooking while their wives cheer them on is a lot of fun.”
Tarla Dalal also gave tips to the audience. She said, “You must read a lot, follow the recipes and practice at home.” She then taught to make fondue, “This is a different take on the original fondue,” she said. “The original fondue is made of white wine as a base. But the fondue that we will make today will be something that both adults and children can enjoy. It is without alcohol,” she added. She went on to help them make the rich cheesy fondue and also invited questions from the audience where she cleared doubts and gave tips on what cheeses to use for making fondues.
Minoti Patil, wife of Rahul Patil, a pilot and one of the participants said, “It is a good idea to involve men in such activities and it is great that Tarla Dalal herself came down here to cook. Both my father and brother are great cooks so I would want my husband also to master cooking. I will definitely make sure he cooks something special for me now that he has learnt something here.”
Tarla Dalal also invited the wives to come up and taste the dishes made by the men, and they turned out to be delicious. Ashish Ballal, former hockey player and participant said,
“The event was very creative and interesting. Though I do not cook, I am open to trying now. The recipes tried here were very easy and nice. Tarla Dalal is so cheerful and she helped us make these dishes, it was a lot of fun.”