Why methods?
We teach techniques, not recipes – because techniques are the building blocks of great cooking. All our chefs are either trade qualified or Le Cordon Bleu trained, and we teach the way we were taught – using a ‘see it, do it’ model. This means that for most classes our chef instructors use ‘running demos’ where they show you the skill and then you copy it – with assistance from your instructor as needed. And in our express classes you will cook at the same time as the chef, following their lead. We will give you an ingredients list and a method for each class, but you do not have to use it.
Our chefs will explain patiently and walk you through each class. And if your dish doesn’t work out, that is OK – we run most classes 3 or 4 times a week so you can always come and try again! Failure is part of learning.
Use these methods below to practice at home.
Goan fish curry (v - egg)
1 x 650ml container
1 x 350ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Large saucepan or wok
- Blender
- Spatula
Ingredients
For spice paste
- 1 tbsp oil (coconut, if you have it – otherwise vegetable oil)
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 1.5cm piece of ginger
- 1 large clove garlic
- ¼ tsp black lime powder OR a squeeze of lime juice
- Fat pinch salt
For curry base
- ½ tbsp oil (coconut, if you have it – otherwise vegetable oil)
- ¼ tsp brown or yellow mustard seeds
- ½ large green chilli (or one birdseye or other pungent chilli, if you like a lot of heat)
- ¼ onion
- ½ tomato
- 2 tsp tamarind paste
- 200ml coconut milk (half a tin)
- 125g white firm fish such a cod or snapper (v – 2 large eggs)
- 1 cup basmati rice (chef to provide)
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
- Chop ginger and garlic roughly (together is fine).
- Slice chilli.
- Cut onion and tomato into chunks.
- Make and cook spice paste:
- Grind or blend all spice paste ingredients including ginger and garlic to a coarse puree (like thick porridge – add a little water if necessary)
- Heat ½ tbsp oil over a medium heat.
- Add spice paste and cook, stirring and scraping pan, until the paste thickens (about 2 minutes).
- Set aside.
- Make curry base
- Heat ½ tbsp oil over a medium heat.
- Add mustard seeds and cook until they start to pop.
- Turn down heat and add onion. Gently cook onion until it softens.
- Add spice paste, chilli and tomato.
- Add tamarind and coconut milk.
- Prepare and add fish (v – egg):
- Cut fish into bite sized pieces (v – boil eggs for 8 minutes).
- Add fish to curry base (v – chill then peel eggs and add to curry base).
- Turn off heat.
- Wash knife and board.
- Plate curry with rice.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Intermediate French – Omelette Fines Herbes and Poached Eggs with Hollandaise
2 x 350ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel under it
- Knife
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Saucepan
- Spatula
- Small metal container
- Teatowel
- 2 small bowls
- Whisk
- Slotted spoon or strainer
Ingredients
Poached eggs with Hollandaise
- 80g butter
- ½ shallot
- 3 peppercorns
- 40 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 egg yolk
- Salt
- ¼ Lemon
- 2 eggs
Omelette Fines Herbes
- 30g butter
- 3 eggs
- Handful of chives, dill and parsley
- 40 ml white vinegar
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare hollandaise:
a. Brunoise shallot.
b. Put vinegar, shallot, peppercorns and water into saucepan, reduce to approximately 5ml (1 tsp), strain and cool. Rinse saucepan.
c. Put egg yolk and cooled reduced vinegar into bowl, whisk.
d. Clarify butter in a bowl over bain marie.
e. Add clarified butter very slowly indeed whisking constantly (spoon at start).
f. Adjust with hot water if needed, finish with lemon juice, season and taste for seasoning.
g. Set aside in small metal container, covered with a tea towel. - Poach eggs
a. Bring water to a boil
b. Add enough vinegar to stop boiling, hold at a simmer.
c. Add salt to water.
d. Stir water to make a vortex.
e. Break eggs into vortex.
f. Poach until cooked to desired doneness.
g. Remove with a slotted spoon.
h. Serve with hollandaise (add ham and serve on a toasted English muffin for Eggs Benedict – or add smoked salmon instead of ham for Eggs Royal). - Make omelette fine herbes
a. Very finely chop herbs.
b. Whisk egg very thoroughly in a bowl. Add herbs.
c. Heat 20g butter in frypan until bubbling.
d. Pour egg into frypan and scramble centre a little, moving egg around.
e. Fold egg away from you to edge of frypan into cigar shape.
f. Tip onto plate. Rub with a little butter. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Savoury crepes with chicken (v – mushrooms)
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Spatula
- Bowl
- Sifter
- Whisk
- Paper towel
Ingredients
For crepes
- 125g 00 flour
- 1 large egg
- 250ml whole milk
- 25 g butter
- Big handful mixed soft herbs
- Fat pinch caster sugar
- Fat pinch salt
- 50ml vegetable oil
For chicken mix (v – mushroom)
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 100ml chicken stock (v – mushroom)
- 120g chicken pieces (thigh or breast) (v – 120g mushrooms)
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ¼ onion
- ½ clove garlic
- 1 small sprig thyme
- 3cm piece leek
- 60ml cream
- ¼ lemon
- 3 cm piece red capsicum for garnish
- Handful of soft green herbs for garnish
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Make and rest crepe batter
a. Sift flour and salt into bowl.
b. Make a bay, whisk egg and add to bowl along with sugar.
c. Add milk slowly, whisking to a smooth batter.
d. Cook butter to nut brown, whisk in to batter, set aside to rest (min 30 minutes, preferably 1 hr, on benchtop is fine) - Prepare vegetables
a. Chop herbs
b. Slice onion finely
c. Slice leek finely
d. Confetti dice capsicum
e. (v – chop mushroom finely) - Cook crepes
a. Add ¾ of the herbs
b. Stir mix and adjust consistency with water.
c. Heat oil in frypan until hot.
d. Wipe out surplus oil with paper towel.
e. Add a thin coating of crepe batter, swirl quickly to just coat the bottom of the pan.
f. Cook until brown on both sides. The surface should look lacy (think – your grandma’s doily). You should get at least 2 largish crepes.
g. Set aside. - Make chicken mix (v – mushroom)
a. Heat butter in frypan and sweat onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
b. Cut chicken (v – mushroom) into pieces and fry with butter and onion mix.
c. When browned, add flour and mix, then cook out until flour starts to smell toasted.
d. Deglaze pan with stock
e. Whisk until smooth, add thyme and heat until thickened
f. Add cream.
g. Season to taste and adjust with lemon juice. - Plate:
a. Lay crepes on plate.
b. Spoon half the chicken mix onto each.
c. Sprinkle over herbs and confetti diced capsicum. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Salmon meuniere (with beurre noisette or brown butter sauce) (v – mushroom)
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Frypan
- Cutting board w paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Zester
- Spatula/fish slice
- Bowl with iced water for refreshing
- Small sheet of foil (about 30 x 30cm)
Ingredients
- 120g salmon fillet, skin on (v – 150g king oyster or Swiss brown mushrooms)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp EVOO
- ½ lemon
- ½ tbsp parsley
- ½ tbsp baby capers
- 1 small potato
- Handful green beans
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Get ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare veg and lemon:
a. Cut potatoes into 1 cm dice.
b. Top and tail beans.
c. Finely chop parsley, set aside.
d. Finely slice half of the lemon.
e. (v – cut mushroom into thick slices) - Cook potato and beans and set aside:
a. Boil 2cm of water in saucepan and salt (like the ocean).
b. Cook diced potato.
c. When close to being soft, add beans and cook briefly until no longer squeaky.
d. Tip into iced water to chill, remove to container. - Cook salmon (v – mushroom):
a. Season flour with salt and pepper.
b. Dip salmon (v – mushroom) in flour until both flat sides are coated (do not coat short sides).
c. Heat oil in frypan.
d. Add salmon, skin side down (v – add mushroom). Do this on a small square of baking paper if you are worried about sticking.
e. Cook until golden (will take about 3 minutes).
f. Turn and cook the other side.
g. Remove to serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm. - Make sauce:
a. Wipe out pan, add butter and melt over low heat.
b. Allow butter to cook until brown specks appear (this is ‘browned butter’)
c. Add juice of uncut lemon, capers and chopped parsley. - Plate:
a. Place salmon (v – mushroom) on plate.
b. Pour over sauce.
c. Quickly reheat beans and potato together in residual pan sauce, add to plate.
d. Garnish with lemon slices. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Butter chicken (v – tofu)
1 x 650ml container
Equipment
- Cutting board with paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Small bowl
- Blender
- Cooktop
- Large frypan
- Spatula
- Piece of foil to cover frypan
Ingredients
120g chicken fillet (preferably thigh) (v – 140g firm or extra firm tofu)
For marinade
- ¼ lemon
- 4 tbsp Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- Scant ¼ tsp turmeric
- Scant ¼ tsp garam masala
- Scant ¼ tsp cumin powder
- Scant ¼ tsp coriander powder
- Fat pinch chilli powder (or paprika for less spice)
- Fat pinch salt
For makhani sauce
- 3 tbsp butter or ghee
- 4 cm piece cinnamon quill
- 3 green cardamoms
- 3 cloves
- ½ tbsp ginger/garlic paste
- 1 medium onion
- 400g peeled tinned tomatoes (1 tin)
- 1 green chilli, fresh
- 40g raw cashews, soaked in hot water with a fat pinch of bicarb soda then blended (chef will soak and blend)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 250ml hot water
- 100ml whipping cream
- Salt
- Big handful coriander leaves for garnish
- 1 cup steamed basmati rice, chef to cook
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Marinate chicken (v – tofu)
a. Cut into bite sized pieces.
b. Mix with all marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside (you can do this the night before). - Prepare vegetables:
a. Peel and slice onion finel
b. Slice chilli finely - Cook chicken (f – tofu)
a. Fry in half the butter until very lightly browned. It needs to be fully cooked. (v – fry tofu until is has a bit of gentle brown colour on the outside).
b. Set aside. - Cook onion – fry in a little oil until starting to turn golden. Put in blender base.
- Fry spices and aromatics: In a little oil, toast the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom pods. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and fry until it smells very fragrant. Do not burn. Leave in the frypan.
- Make makhani sauce:
a. Add onion, tomatoes, cashews and a little hot water to a blender.
b. Blend until smooth.
c. Add to pan with fried spices and aromatics.
d. Add all powdered spices (chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala).
e. Cook partially covered with foil until thickened.
f. If necessary, add remaining hot water. - Finish curry:
a. Add cooked chicken (v – add tofu) to makhani sauce, cover and simmer for about 10 mins (while you clean down)
b. Add cream.
c. Add salt and sugar and adjust for seasoning - Plate: serve with rice, sprinkled with coriander leaves.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Intermediate French – Sauces – beurre blanc and mayonnaise
2 x 650ml containers
Beurre blanc
Note: this is not the same thing as hollandaise. Hollandaise is a strained sauce made over a bain marie using clarified butter, egg yolks, a vinegar reduction and lemon juice. Beurre blanc, on the other hand, is made in the pan with butter on a white wine and vinegar reduction and need not be strained.
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Saucepan
- Cutting board with paper towel
- Knife
- Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 65ml dry white wine
- Scant 1 tbs white wine vinegar
- ¼ small shallot
- 100g butter
- ¼ lemon
- Salt
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Very finely brunoise shallot.
- Cut butter into small cubes.
- Add white wine, vinegar and shallots to saucepan over low heat.
- Cook until there are approximately 2 tbsp of liquid remaining in the pan.
- Whisk in the butter piece by piece – you will need to whisk quite hard. When almost all the butter is melted, remove from the heat.
- Continue whisking until smooth.
- Season and adjust for acid.
- Clean down quickly, wipe knives and boards.
Mayonnaise
Note: If you add chopped capers and cornichon, with a little chopped parsley, chives and tarragon, you will have made a lovely remoulade. Or add some roasted or confit garlic plus a little fresh garlic and a little extra salt for aioli.
Equipment
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- 5 g Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp white wine vinegar
- 125ml neutral oil
- 5ml hot water
- ¼ lemon
- Salt and white pepper
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Put egg yolk, mustard, vinegar into bowl.
- Whisk until pale.
- Add oil very slowly, whisking all the time, until all the oil is incorporated.
- Adjust for acid and season.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
Mystery Box Challenge – The Guidelines
1 x 650ml container
- You will be given 3 to 5 ingredients in your mystery box. These will usually (but not always) include a grain, a protein and a vegetable.
- The goal of these classes is to teach adaptability – i.e. using what you have. Try to use all of the ingredients to make a meal you would like to eat.
- It’s not a race, please cook calmly without running or rushing. Normal safety rules apply.
- It’s also not a competition – this is a skills building class and if you improve your ability to adapt and improvise then you have succeeded.
- If you dirty it you wash it up – so it pays to be mindful of your mess.
- In addition to what is in the mystery box, you can access the dry store and anything in the fridge that is not marked ‘do not use’. Please do not use frozen ingredients (except ice).
- When accessing the dry store and fridge, please be mindful of the needs of other students in your class (aka ‘please don’t hog the good stuff’ and use clean hands – some of our students are coeliac and it is important to keep the outside of containers gluten-free).
- Please use clean utensils when portioning ingredients – no double dipping between containers and no fingers.
- Please use ingredients like saffron, truffle paste and the like mindfully – the current ingredients pack fee for this class is inexpensive, let’s keep it that way 😊
- If you notice something you use is low, or you use the last of something, then please make a note on the shopping list on the side of the fridge.
- This is a good class to practice plating skills, if that is your jam.
- If you make a mistake, or burn something, or an element of the dish doesn’t work out, try to pivot. If that doesn’t work then don’t worry – there is always next week. 😊
- You have one hour to cook, which leaves 30 minutes to taste, plate, clean down and eat your food.
- The chef teacher is available to help you if you need ideas or suggestions.
- Remember, as always, to taste and season your food.
Double Meal Prep Lamb saag (v – paneer) and French roasted lamb shoulder (v – mushroom, lentils and pumpkin)
Double Meal Prep
This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished on the oven or stovetop or reheated in the oven at home. Please bring:
- 2 x 650ml container (4 x 650ml container if making 4 serves/meal) for the rice and parboiled potatoes
- 1 x 4 litre capacity container with a lid for the cooked curry (you will reheat this on the stove top or in the oven at home).
- 1 x deep baking tray with lid – small (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (6 to 8 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal.
Otherwise, you can buy ‘containers’ packs on our website for a couple of dollars each.
Lamb saag (v – paneer)
Note: This is excellent with some Greek yoghurt with a bit of mint, sugar, salt and lime juice, and some chopped tomato, red onion and cucumber.
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Frying pan
- Cutting board with paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Foil to cover frypan
Ingredients
- 350g lamb shoulder, boneless (v – 300g paneer)
- 250g frozen pureed spinach, defrosted
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
- ½ onion
- ½ tomato
- ½ green chilli
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- Small bay leaf
- 1 green cardamom pod
- 1 clove
- Fat pinch chilli powder
- ¼ tsp amchur (dried mango powder, available at coles)
- ½ tsp garam masala
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups of steamed basmati rice (chef to provide)
Method
- Get all ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables:
a. Peel and finely chop onion.
b. Finely chop tomato
c. Finely slice green chilli - Cut and cook lamb (v- paneer):
a. Dice lamb (v- paneer) into bite sized pieces
b. Sear in frypan over high heat. (v – remove paneer)
c. Add a little water and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes until almost cooked. - Make base for curry sauce
a. Heat ghee/butter in frypan.
b. Fry cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves until the cumin spits a little.
c. Add onions and fry until golden.
d. Add ginger/garlic mix and green chilli.
e. Add powdered spices (garam masala, amchur, red chilli powder) and ¼ tsp salt.
f. Add tomatoes and spinach. - Finish curry sauce.
a. Add lamb (v- paneer) to spinach and mix.
b. Add hot water if needed to loosen sauce – it should not cling to the lamb (v- paneer).
c. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 to 10 minutes. - Package curry and rice separately to take home.
- Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
- At home, reheat in oven or on stovetop until warmed through.
- Serve with rice.
French roasted lamb shoulder (v – mushroom, lentils and pumpkin)
Equipment
- Cooktop
- Saucepan
- Cutting board w paper towel
- Chef’s knife
- Paring knife
- Foil
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 brown onion
- 2 large potatoes
- 350g piece of lamb shoulder (v – half a tin of lentils, half a butternut pumpkin, 4 swiss brown mushrooms)
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 small sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp flaked salt
- Black pepper
Method
- Get ingredients and equipment.
- Prepare vegetables
a. Cut onion into wedges
b. Slice 4 cloves of garlic thinly.
c. Strip rosemary leaves.
d. Cut potatoes into bite sized chunks.
e. (v – drain lentils, peel pumpkin and leave in big pieces, cut or tear mushrooms in half). - Parboil potatoes
a. Put in a saucepan with cold water, add salt.
b. Bring to boil.
c. Cook for about 5 minutes or until a knife goes into the potatoes with a little resistance.
d. Drain and allow to dry in the saucepan.
e. When dry, toss in vegetable oil and put into takehome container. - Prepare roasting tray
a. Put 4 whole garlic cloves and all the onion into the bottom of the roasting pan.
b. Put lamb (v – lentils, pumpkin pieces and mushroom) on top of garlic and onions.
c. Poke the paring knife into the top side of the lamb in about 10 spots and push a bit of rosemary and a slice or two of garlic into each incision.
d. Rub lamb (v – pumpkin) with combined herbs de Provence, salt, pepper and half the EVOO.
e. Put water, wine and rosemary sprigs in the base of the pan.
f. Drizzle remaining EVOO over the top.
g. Cover with a double layer of foil. - Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
- At home, roast at 160C for about 2.5 hours covered until the meat pulls apart with a fork. Remove foil, turn up heat to 200, add potatoes to tray and roast for another 35 minutes or until the potatoes are browned. (v – roast uncovered for about 50 minutes until pumpkin is soft. Turn up heat to 200, add potatoes to tray and roast for another 35 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.)
- Rest meat, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.