Hello everyone,
On Sunday I was kindly invited to a cooking masterclass at the East India Cafe Cheltenham*. I was so happy to have been asked as myself and Sam recently attended a Blogger event at the sister restaurant, Memsahib Gin and Tea bar in Cheltenham which was so much fun and the food was amazing. So we knew that the food was going to be incredible. Living in Cheltenham, I had always seen this restaurant/cafe but had never thought to go in and try it, but to be able to go and see just how they make their Anglo- Indian cuisine was just amazing.
We were welcomed by lovely staff who offered us a welcome drink, which tasted a lot like a non alcoholic mojito, and I know that both myself and Sam absolutely love a mojito. We then tasted their appetisers, including this amazing popadom with a delicious mango chutney. We were asked to notice just how many flavours you can taste within this dish, and let me tell you, there were so many.
We then started the masterclass with the starter, croquette and pakoras served with salad and chutneys. We were shown step by step instructions on how to make everything from the batter, to the croquette preparation and making the pakoras. It was so amazing to see just how differently the anglo Indian batter is made compared to your average chip shop beer batter. After we were shown how to make the starter, we were then presented with our own starter and I must say it was so yummy. The potato pakoras were so yummy and the flavours were just unlike anything I have ever tasted before.
The next starter was a Cured beef fillet with asparagus chaat and horseradish mayonaise. I can not believe how simple it was to create this dish, they rolled the beef in cling film with salt and pepper and wrapped it up and reccomened to cure for at least 12-24 hours. They would then sear the edges and pop it back into the cling film with the spices and lime and roll and wrap it back up into the cling film, making it easy to cut when served. I was so surprised at how easy it was to make the mayonaise, It was so great to see it made before we ate it as it makes you appreciate the food that little bit more.I can't lie, the beef was of course incredibly raw/pink and its only as of recent I take my steak medium/ medium rare, so to have incredibly rare steak, was a little too much for me , but If you are a lover of rare steak you would love this dish.
The main course was quite possibly one of the tastiest dishes I have ever tried. We were shown how they cook and prepare their Smoked Cod kedgeree. Before this we had the most amazing raspberry sorbet which was quite possibly the best sorbet i have ever had. Sam's dad often cooks kedgeree which is so tasty but it was great to see how they use different methods within the restaurant. We were shown every step including the cooking of the rice, the making of your very own masala paste and how to assemble the kedgeree. I was so surprised at how easy it is to make a simple masala paste that can be used for almost any curry. You begin by toasting the spices, adding ginger and garlic, add some sweated onions, oil or ghee and a little greek yoghurt. Myself and Sam actually tried this recipe the day after we attended the masterclass and made our own curry paste and it was so simple. I highly reccomened trying to make your own instead of buying a pre made jar.
Finally we had the most amazing rum and chocolate cake. It was unlike any other cake i have ever had and had a biscuity cake with a mousse infused with rum in the center, covered in ganache. It was such a nice pudding and I would highly reccomened it to anyone who loves a good chocolate cake. It also looked beautiful inside as you could see all of the layers from the ganache, cake and mouse.
The food was unlike anything I have ever tried and it was so nice to try something new. I absolutely love the idea of watching your food being cooked before you eat it as it makes you appreciate the food so much more. The East India Cafe offer masterclasses on a regular basis and they would make the perfect gift for someone who is really interested in cooking or wants to learn more about the Anglo Indian cuisine. Of course you do not have to attend the masterclass as the menu look so lovely and I think myself and sam will definitely be going back to try their main menu. This masterclass was kindly gifted to me by the lovely team at East India Cafe, however all of my opinions are my own. Myself and Sam had the most wonderful time and it was such a lovely, fulfilling afternoon of eating amazing food.
You can visit there site here to find out more or even book a table if you are fancying some amazing cuisine
Thankyou so much for reading, See you next time...
Cristy N
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