Sunshine Coast Thai Cooking Class with the Sacred Chef
Yesterday’s Sunshine Coast Thai Cooking Class with the Sacred Chef was a great success. It was an extended family affair, organised by local Maleny patriarch, Ian Williams, and was a lovely gift to his children, friends and ex-wives. Group cooking classes like these can be very enjoyable for a whole host of reasons.
This lively group of five ladies and one culinarily well versed gent, were ready and able to cook up an eastern storm; with plenty of fish sauce and lime juice to rain down upon our palettes. I started the day earlier, by collecting some banana leaves from my tree for one of the dishes we would be preparing – Poached Chicken in Banana Leaves. Ross cut the leaves into smaller segments ready for wrapping later, as the last few stragglers arrived for the 11am class.
We greet cooking class attendees upon arrival, and after a few pleasantries distribute their recipe packs, aprons and bottled water – I am a great believer in staying hydrated in the kitchen. Then they make their way to the bathroom for the hygienic washing of hands before entering the cooking studio and finding a place at the kitchen bench. Chopping board and a sharp knife awaits them at their station.
There is usually a brief spell of chaotic energy as we all find our speed and sort out who is up for what – who can hack the sting of onions and the smell of garlic; who can wield a knife with a degree of competence; and of course the teacher might be fumbling about with menus and recipes; bowls of ingredients and produce; and finding his own speed. There is no forcing of anything here, we find the path of least resistance for all involved and work our way to a very enjoyable day.
So what was on the menu?
Hot & Sour Seafood Soup
Poached Chicken Thigh Fillets in Banana Leaves
Salted Pineapple & Cashew Nut Salad
Fragrant Noodles with Prawns in Chilli Jam
Snapper Fillet with Ginger & Chinese Greens
Grilled Thai Style Chicken Wings
Nam Jin Sauce
Bananas in Coconut Cream with Black Sticky Rice
Once we had prepared all these dishes the six cooking class participants were joined by Ian and three more guests for a sit down Thai banquet for ten. Glasses of chilled Pinot Grigio and mineral water were handed round and the Sacred Chef cooking school chefs began assembling and plating up soups and a sequential dispatching of dishes. It was hot in the stir fry kitchen and the chilli levels may have been a little fierce in the first course for some guests, but things calmed down with subsequent courses or perhaps they acclimatised. Great food and good conversation at table, a recipe for a really good day.
Plus you can mix and match a menu to your particular tastes or your groups.
The Sacred Chef would like to acknowledge David Thompson, Australia’s greatest Thai food chef, for some of the recipes used in this cooking class – and to also say that he fondly remembers David from his Newtown, Darley St days.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR SACRED CHEF COOKING CLASS GIFT VOUCHER
Cooking Classes Hugely Popular in the Cities
Cooking classes have recently experienced a big surge in popularity, especially in Sydney and Melbourne.
“In a quest to hone their skills in the kitchen and discover the joys of relaxation through cooking, Australians are attending classes in record numbers. Middle Eastern, vegetarian, mod Oz, you name it – there’s something for everyone. “
Australian Traveller http://www.australiantraveller.com/news/cooking-schools-around-australia
As a cooking teacher and provider of cooking classes on the sunshine coast, at Sacred Chef Cooking School , I have seen first-hand the upsurge in popularity and have a few theories why this is so. I think some Australians are a little sick of the passive nature of dining out as a consumer and want more out of the experience. Combining a learning structure with the enjoyment, that cooking and eating can offer, provides a far more interactive recreational pursuit. I also find that cooking class attendees actually enjoy eating the food more, as they take pride in their involvement in its creation. The whole thing is a much more give and take adventure, rather than just sitting back and stuffing your face.
I personally derive a great deal of enjoyment and learning from my own interaction with my cooking class attendees, as they share their knowledge and experience with me, and not just about food either. A cooking lesson can be a microcosm of a person’s whole approach to life. I recently had a delightful Irish woman, of a certain age that is traditionally associated with wisdom, and she was more of a tonic to me than any self-help book I have read of late. The Irish have a way of expressing common truths that go straight to the heart of the matter. We may not immediately recognise it, but cooking and eating are quite intimate activities, and the sharing of these are rewarding experiences for all.
I would imagine a few people may still be disinclined to attend a cooking class, in case they ended up with some insufferable bore or pedant teacher, perhaps remembering the worst of their school years. I would only say to them that my own approach to teaching is based on respect for all individuals, irrespective of their talents in the kitchen, and indeed a lack thereof is why they would be attending anyway. Keeping a relaxed ambience is important and working with what people have got, rather than what you may wish they were capable of, is a good way to ensure successful outcomes for all parties. Having some tasty fun!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR SACRED CHEF COOKING CLASS GIFT VOUCHER
Take Control of Your Diet
One of the most empowering things that you can do in your life is to take control of what you are eating. If you are eating a lot of processed foods bought in the supermarket, then you are not in charge of what goes into your body. How much salt and fat is inside that product and what kind of fat is it? How does the chemical balance, which has been put in place by the manufacturer to preserve that product, react with your own metabolism? There are so many variables to consider when you are not eating fresh food, and equally importantly, preparing it yourself.
Learning to cook and discovering the nutritional make-up of foods can really benefit you in so many ways, including losing weight and feeling more alive. Recently there have been huge leaps in the understanding of nutritional science and how foods are processed by our bodies. The importance of certain essential fatty acids, like omega 3, and redressing the imbalance of omega 6 essential fatty acids in our foods, with too much soy, grain fed livestock and vegetable oils – all rich in omega 6 – in our diets, which is often something like 40 times that of omega 3. We are generally not eating enough oily fish, nuts and seeds in our diets today.
What is the result of this? Too much omega 6 causes inflammation within our bodies and what are some of the chronic conditions this causes? Arthritis – inflammation of the joints; cardiovascular diseases – inflammation of the heart’s arteries; strokes – inflammation of the cerebrovascular; and there is speculation that depression may be caused by inflammation of the brain. Diet/ what we eat and how we eat is the most integral factor in our propensity to develop diseases. A lot of foods in the supermarket do not address this and their prime reason for existence is to make money for their manufacturers – food technology is about durability not nutrition.
Food is your best medicine, not some vitamin pill or pharmaceutical – these are again mainly about making money for their manufacturers – otherwise they would be free wouldn’t they? My advice is take charge of what you eat and how that food is prepared. You will find it can also be highly creative and you may derive some pleasure and pride in the act of cooking a great meal – which is healthy and delicious. You can also save money along the way.
Cooking classes are a great way to discover nutritional information whilst having some tasty fun. My Sacred Chef cooking school, here on the sunshine coast, focuses on preparing food that is both healthy and delicious – you will also receive a take home recipe pack with additional nutritional notes and articles, which I wrote for magazines like WellBeing, Conscious Living and Eco Living Health Aware; plus you receive a free health magazine too!
©Sacred Chef
Every class is full of healthy information and great recipes.
www.nofreudnoprozac.org for more information about omega 3
Coconut Redemption Day – You Are Invited
Coconut Redemption!
The True Story Behind a Real Super Food.
Is coconut good for you or bad for you?
Is coconut fattening or not?
Research has now identified that coconut oil actually raises good cholesterol (HDL) more than it raises LDL.
Many consumers are confused about the health and nutritional status of ingredients, like coconut milk and cream – and would like these questions answered.
Mike Foale, Ex-CSIRO scientist and Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Agriculture & Food Science at the University of Queensland, will answer these questions, at a public talk and demonstration to be held at The Green Kitchen Café & Organic Market, next to the Library in Maleny, on Tues 22 November 2011 at 10am.
Author of “The Coconut Odyssey’” published by the Australian Government, and inventor of the “Cocosplit” device, seen on the ABC’s New Inventors programme, Mike Foale is a leading expert on the coconut. Nutritionally and agriculturally, he has studied the coconut throughout his working life and spent years in the field, in the Solomon Islands and a vast array of countries throughout the tropical world.
Mike has been helping communities in these poorer nations, whose economies are dependent upon the coconut, through AusAID and their coconut improvement projects.
Discover how the US, through their promotion of soya beans,margarine and their negative PR about coconut fats, effectively killed off Australia’s love of cooking with coconut!
SEE MIKE FOALE DEMONSTRATE THE INGENIOUS COCOSPLIT DEVICE LIVE!
The Cocosplit device will be available for sale and is the perfect Christmas gift, for foodies!
When -Tues 22 November 2011 at 10am.
A huge range of products, derived from the coconut, will be demonstrated and onsale at the Green Kitchen Organic Market, located at 11 Coral St Maleny – next to the Maleny Library – plenty of free parking is available!
Local culinary teacher, the Sacred Chef, will be demonstrating some of the many uses coconut oil, cream, milk, sugar and flour can be put to in creating yummy food.
LEARN EAT DRINK DISCOVER BE INSPIRED SHARE IN
The Coconut Redemption!
Bios
Mike Foale was raised on a wheat and sheep farm in the Mallee of South Australia but got his first job as a coconut agronomist on a plantation in the Solomon Islands in 1959.
After nine years working out how to increase the yield of fruit from the coconut palms with fertiliser, how best to replace aging palms, and how to develop hybrids, Mike left the islands with his young family and returned to work for CSIRO in Australia on other crops. But the call of the coconut never went unheard so that Mike got involved through AusAID in coconut improvement projects in the south Pacific at a time when the coconut star appeared to be setting.
From the 1970s fierce competition developed in the marketplace for edible oils and massive processors in the USA sought to oust coconut as a healthy food from the market on the basis of some data linking coconut oil with serum cholesterol in humans. The value of coconut fell sharply and was in the doldrums until more detailed research identified that coconut oil actually raised good cholesterol (HDL) more than it raised LDL. Mike does all that he can to spread the word about this finding and to highlight the many other positive effects of coconut oil on human health. This great food, foundation of the healthy diet of hundreds of millions of people in the tropical world, offers much as well to the diet of all who live outside the coconut heartlands.
The Australian government published Mike’s book “The Coconut Odyssey” in 2003 (still in print), and he presented a coconut splitting device known as Cocosplit to the ABCTV New Inventors in 2007 (see details on www.cocosplit.com). Mike and his wife Pam moved to Maleny in 2009. He is presently an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Agriculture and Food Science at the University of Queensland.
The Sacred Chef, Sudha Hamilton, has been cooking professionally for 30 years, restauranter, teacher and caterer, he runs The Sacred Chef cooking school in Maleny, www.sacredchef.com , and is the author of several WellBeing Magazine cookbook supplements and was their food editor for five years.
The Green Kitchen Café & Organic Market, is arguably Queensland’s most dedicatedly organic outlet for food, supporting local growers and producers. Located at 11 Coral St, Maleny, it has been operating under its current management for about a year www.greenkitchencafe.com.au
For more information and interviews please contact Sudha Hamilton on 0466 281 806 or email Sudha@midasword.com.au
Sunshine Coast Annual Girl’s Day out with the Sacred Chef
12 lovely ladies, a cooking class, a gourmet lunch and the Sacred Chef – what a recipe for a wonderful day!
Throw in a psychic reader and a touch of divine madness and what a dish or 6 or 7 we made.
Thai style lamb shanks with a red curry sauce and jasmine rice; pure chocolate tart with double cream; apple & rhubarb crumble with Macadamia nut ice cream; citrus tart with raspberry coulis; snapper fillet fish cakes; pesto pizzettes; baby beetroot & ginger salad; and so much more…
Make it; eat it; drink to it – laugh and learn a few culinary things!
Sacred Chef cooking school on the sunshine coast - a great day for ladies who love to lunch!
Is the Sacred Chef a rooster in the hen’s house, tempting brides with tapas and tarot?
Extra virgin olive oil? Will it protect you?
From good taste and yummy food?
Are you curious about the future?
Do you long for lingering tastes of delicious food?
Will the Sacred Chef cook for you?
Sacred Chef catering and cooking school on the sunshine coast - hens are lining up for the experience.
Make your day or night a special one!
Sacred Chef Hen’s Night in Montville
The Sacred Chef was lucky enough to cater for a hen’s night in Montville, at the Montville Mountain Lodge , on Friday night and a more delightful group of 12 women could not be imagined. Beauty, grace and good taste are rarely met in one such collection of lovely women and it was a privilege to cook for these ladies.
Tapas was the order of the evening and it was prawns in garlic & sherry; scallops in the shell; olive tapenade crostini; Spanish omelette with roasted garlic aioli; local mussels in wine, chilli & tomato; Chorizo sausage, goat’s cheese pastries; stuffed baby capsicums; asparagus, rocket & balsamic salad; and veal & chicken mince croquettes with a leek & tomato coulis.
Gorgeous women, impending marriage, tarot cards and flashing smiles were all ingredients in beautiful surroundings and the Sacred Chef was weak in the presence of such beauty, but still managed to impress the taste buds of goddesses!
Sacred Chef catering and cooking school on the sunshine coast - a perfect way to celebrate a hen’s night or day!
Sacred Chef Hen’s Lunch a Real Joy
The Sacred Chef hosted a delightful hen’s lunch and cooking class, for nine lovely, gorgeous women and it was one of the most enjoyable day’s we have entertained. Fantastic people who played, cooked and had a great time, sharing their stories and excitement about the impending special day for bride and bride’s maids.
We made fresh rice paper rolls with crab, bean shoots and glass noodles with a hoi sin dipping sauce; arancinni risotto balls with a tomato and basil coulis; local mussels opened with wine and chilli; panfried crumbed butterflied whiting fillets with roasted garlic aioli; Reggiano Parmesan, asparagus and baby spinach salad with a balsamic dressing; and a pure chocolate tart with raspberry coulis and double cream.
Sacred Chef cooking classes on the sunshine coast are a great way to celebrate being a vibrant and juicy woman!!!!
Pure Dark Chocolate Tart This is a yummy gluten free dessert served with raspberry coulis & double cream. • 5 eggs separated • 200g dark chocolate 70% • 200g butter • 1 tspn vanilla extract • 1 cup mascobado (raw brown sugar) • 1 cup castor sugar Line a cake tin with baking paper and set oven to 1600 C in a fan forced oven. Melt butter & chocolate together in a bowl. Beat egg yokes, mascobado sugar & vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites unitil stiff peaks form, gradually adding castor sugar as you go. Add in melted butter & chocolate to egg yolk mixture, gently mixing together before folding in egg whites. Transfer to prepared cake tin and bake until skewer comes out clean, usually around 40 minutes. Serve with double cream and raspberry coulis. ©Sacred Chef Raspberry Coulis This uplifting sweet concoction is great with lots of desserts and keeps in the fridge for about a week. • 250g frozen or fresh raspberries • 1 tbspn freshly squeezed lemon juice • 1 cup icing sugar Whip ingredients together in a blender until they form a uniform consistency. Transfer to a squeeze bottle to make artistic swirls on your dessert plates. ©Sacred Chef
Culinary Travels on a Weekend with the Sacred Chef
A busy weekend saw the Sacred Chef travelling to Noosa North Shore to present a tapas evening for a hen’s party from Brisbane – cooking scallops in the shell with fresh lime, garlic, chilli and basil; olive tapenade crostinis; king prawns in fino sherry, Spanish omelette with roast garlic aioli; local mussels in wine, herbs and chilli; veal & pork croquettes with a tomato coulis; baked stuffed peppers with chicken and parmesan; and asparagus and buffalo mozzarella rocket salad.
Next stop a vegetarian cooking class, here in Maleny, where we created a chickpea and lemongrass coconut curry; Thai tofu, almond and cabbage pastries with fresh mint raita; tomato and cumin chutney, glass noodle sesame raw veg and toasted seed salad; Mediterranean savoury muffins with olives and roasted red capsicum, pine nuts and Parmesan; and the pure dark chocolate trat with raspberry coulis and double cream.
Racing off to Witta, to the Wattle Valley Retreat farmhouse, where we presented a BBQ and tapas starters – which included rocket pesto, buffalo milk cheese and oven dried cherry tomato pastries; Moroccan lamb back strap skewers with yoghurt & lemon sauce; king prawns with lime & roast red capsicum salsa; Chorizo & goats cheese platters; snapper fillets in rosemary & lemon; mussels in wine, chilli & tomato; pesto & buffalo mozzarella pizzettes; balsamic baby spinach leaves with grilled pumpkin & fresh French farmhouse style cheese; and a range of gourmet sausages with home made chutneys and sauces.
Finishing with a delightful Thai cooking class featuring David Thompson’s recipe for clams in chilli jam, here in Maleny at Sacred Chef central.
Take a deep breath and tomorrow we start as a new chef at the Green Kitchen organic cafe in Maleny, bringing my recipes to transform their menu and perhaps create some magic. Come and visit!!!
Smoked Tofu & Slow Roasted Tomato Lasagne with Ricotta Pesto.
Smoked Tofu & Slow Roasted Tomato Lasagna with Ricotta Pesto.
250g lasagna sheets
6 vine ripened tomatoes
1 block smoked tofu crumbled
2 cups soft ricotta
2 tbspn basil pesto
1 tbspn chopped garlic
1 tspn chopped rosemary
2 tbspn fresh basil chopped
1 tbspn olive oil
1 tspn chopped oregano
½ cup parmesan
½ cup white wine
1 tspn sea salt
1 cup shallots
black pepper to taste
This is a slow food dish & I recommend that you devote at least half a day to the relaxed creation of this very tasty meal.
Set your oven to a very low heat 100 degrees.
On a baking sheet lay out your thinly chopped tomatoes, garlic, sea salt, rosemary & oregano & slowly oven dry for several hours. The smell that begins to emanate from these after sometime is heavenly & you begin to understand what this slow food thing is all about.
In a heavy based saucepan sauté your shallots, salt, tofu, oil & wine.
When your tomatoes are ready fold into the sauté mixture & set aside.
In a bowl fold together ricotta & pesto.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
In a greased loaf tin or baking dish lay out a sheet of lasagna pasta, top with the smoky tofu & tomato mix, another layer of lasagna & then ricotta pesto. Repeat again & sprinkle over parmesan to finish. Cover with grease proof paper & alfoil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until pasta sheets are cooked.
Remove & slice into serves.
Serves 4.
©Sacre Chef
Cooking school on the sunshine coast with the Sacred Chef
Vegetarian Real Food Festival Cooking Class with the Sacred Chef Today
Yes today completes the Vegetarian Real Food Festival Cooking Class with the Sacred Chef, which has been a wonderful success. Once again we will be creating six or seven yummy vegetarian dishes, such as my chickpea and lemongrass, coconut curry; fresh mint raita; tomato and cumin chutney; glass noodle sesame raw veg salad; tofu, cabbage and almond Thai pastries; and for dessert my pure dark chocolate tart and raspberry coulis. $69 for a two hour cooking class and 3 course lunch – best value on the sunshine coast I think.
Then we will all sit down together and eat this vegetarian feast, with complimentary wines and mineral water. The conversations and friendly exchanges amongst the collected cooks has been a real pleasure, and yes I do think vegetarians do it better.
There are still 2 places available – so if you would like to join us – just let me know – we start at 10am today Sat 8 Oct.
Cooking school on the sunshine coast, with the Sacred Chef.
Healthy Noni Chai Fruit Muffins
These muffins are delectably different and a great way to start the day!
Noni & Chai Fruit Muffins
1 cup wholemeal plain flour or gluten free flour
1 ½ cups wholemeal SR flour or gluten free SR flour
1 cup psyllium husks
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup yoghurt
2 tbspn chai spiced tea syrup
1 cup dried mixed fruit
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 tsp grated lemon peel
200g unsalted butter
4 whole 60g FR eggs
1 cup soy milk or alternative
1 cup raw sugar or mascobado
½ cup blue berries
2 cups chopped banana
1 tspn cinnamon ground
1 tspn mixed spice
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease muffin trays & or line trays with muffin cases. Sift flours & dry ingredients in to a large mixing bowl. Either rub in softened butter by hand to this dry mix or whizz together in a food processor until you achieve a breadcrumb-like consistency. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, sugar, yoghurt, soy milk, lemon peel & chai, before folding in banana, blue berries & dried fruit. Slowly & gently fold this wet mixture into the dry ingredients. When well mixed spoon cake like mix into individual muffin rings. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on wire rack & serve with butter. Serves 6-8.
©Sacred Chef
Sacred Chef News
Hi All,
I thought that I would summarise much of the intense goings on with the Sacred Chef cooking school, here on the sunshine coast as so much has happened in such a short space of time.
We have had 12 members of the local branch of McDonalds, here on the sunshine coast, attending a Sacred Chef cooking class and lunch – which I thought was brilliant and possibly a move in the right direction.
The Real Food Festival generated vegetarian cooking lessons for upwards of thirty people, who all attended the Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking classes under the festival’s auspices. It was such a big response we are still taking bookings now, weeks later, and the classes/lunches have been a real delight – with lovely groups of people having a great day! My conclusion is that vegetarians, and those interested in vegetarian cooking, are very nice people to have to lunch. We have another vegetarian cooking class and lunch on the 8 Oct – a couple of places remain available.
The Sacred Chef was host to a number of hen’s lunches and cooking classes, which are a great way to spend a fun day with friends and family! Why not celebrate your hen’s day or night with some tasty fun?
The Cooking the Great cuisines from around the world has been in full swing now for two weeks and we have visited Spain and Thailand. These classes and the following gourmet lunches have been fun and seriously delicious. Apart from the odd bump on my head from a flying pepper grinder I have thoroughly enjoyed these gastronomic Sundays – a really great way to spend a day in Maleny.
The Sacred Chef 6 week vegetarian cooking series, concluded last Thursday evening, with Japanese slippery silky textures on my lips. I would like to pay tribute to the class members for making my last month and a half a real joy, thank you.
In between all of this cooking school activity, Sacred Chef has catered for several large wedding anniversaries and a few smaller events, with many gracious thank yous coming our way.
Coming up we have weddings booked in November and a three day seminar in late October.
Recipe of the week:
Vegetarian Laksa with Tofu Laksa Paste • 4 Birds Eye Chillies • 4 Large Garlic Cloves • 2 Tbspns Ginger Chopped • 2 Stalks Lemongrass Chopped • 10 Macadamina Nuts • 1 tspn Asafoetida • 10 Vietnamese Mint Leaves • 2 tspns Ground Coriander Seed • 2 tspns Ground Cumin Seed • 2 tspns Ground Turmeric • 2 tspns Paparika • 2 Tbspsns Canola Oil • 2 tspsns Sea Salt Pound ingredient in a mortar or blend in a food processor until smooth. Store in an air tight jar in the fridge. Laksa with Tofu & Egg Noodles • 1 cup Laksa Paste • 250g Egg Noodles or Rice Noodles • 2 cups Sweet Potato Cubed • 2 cups Potato Cubed • 2 cups Tofu Cubed & Fried • 1 cup Black Fungus • 1 cup Baby Corn • 1 cup Bok Choy Chopped • 1 cup Green Beans • 1 litre Vegetable Stock • 1 can Coconut Milk • 2 cups Bean Shoots • 1 cup Fresh Coriander Leaves • 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves In a large saucepan pour in your stock, add both potatoes and bring to boil before simmering until they are tender. Add in your beans, fungus, corn, tofu, bok choy and cook for a further five minutes. In a seperate saucepan boil noodles until just ready, drain and set aside still hot. In a small frypan saute your laksa paste for a couple of minutes before adding to your main pan, along with coconut milk and stirring in. In large soup bowls place noodles, then fresh herbs, bean shoots and ladle over laksa vegetable soup. Finish with fried shallots and serve with chopsticks and Chinese soup ladle. ©Sacred Chef
Sacred Chef 6 Week Vegetarian Cooking Class Series Concludes Deliciously
The Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking class 6 week series concluded last night in Japanese style, with a miso soup slippery with wakame, silken tofu and loads of flavour; followed by sushi nori rolls filled with teriyaki tofu, toasted sesame seeds, cucumber, pickled ginger, wasabi, avocado, spring onion, and even a few with “Love Supreme” buffalo milk cheese. Tempura vegetables were a real delight, with asparagus spears, cauliflowerets, zucchini, baby corns and more; all with that light golden crunch. An array of dipping sauces accompanied platters of these visually satisfying dishes, tamari, shoyu, red wine vinegar and chilli sauce.
The students expressed their appreciation of the weekly sessions, loving the food and the company. “What will we do next Sunday?” was the common refrain. It has been a real pleasure meeting these people and sharing my table with them, watching their enthusiasm for cooking grow and perhaps planting a few seeds, in the form of recipes, which will very likely bear fruit for them down the track. Cooking classes are a lot of fun and a great way to meet like minded people, getting to know them in a good environment. The kitchen is not a place where dissembling and disguise flourishes.
These cooking classes on the sunshine coast have been richly rewarding in the people I have met and I look forward to further chapters eventuating in my culinary adventure. Maleny is a great place to hold cooking lessons, surrounded by lush pasture and rolling green hills, it speaks of abundance and a pantry of plenty.
The next Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking class 6 week series, begins Sat 8 October, and there are still places available. So come and join me for a weekly immersion in new recipes, ideas, flavours and culinary fulfilment.
Sacred Chef Spanish Cooking Class Olé Sunday 25 Sept
Olé Spanish cuisine!
The Sacred Chef cooking class on Sunday Sept 25 was a full blooded delicious triumph according to participants: Elizabeth, Joan & Max – who were later joined by by Randell and sons for lunch.
Grilled Chorizo sausage with anchovy and olive tapenade; Spanish omelette made with a medley of gourmet potatoes; roast garlic aoli; local mussels in wine, chilli, tomato and garlic; panfried butterflied whiting fillets crumbed in Parmesan and breadcrumbs; king prawns sautéed in fino sherry, bacon and leeks; roast pumpkin and local buffalo milk cheese, baby spinach leaf salad; tomato and roasted red capsicum, fresh basil salad; and dark chocolate, coconut and mixed nut slice with raspberry coulis and double cream.
A thirst quenching array of wines by the glass, matched these mouth watering dishes and tapas. Good music and good company made this a lunch to remember – the anecdote, involving a large pepper grinder hitting the Sacred Chef on the top of his head, caused much laughter and a sizeable egg on his head.
Sacred Chef cooking class on the sunshine coast will feature Thai food this Sunday 2 Oct 2011.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR SACRED CHEF COOKING CLASS GIFT VOUCHER
Sacred Chef Vegetarian Cooking Class Sept 24 Another Wonderful Day
The Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking class and lunch, was another great success and thoroughly enjoyed by all the participants. We made Thai pastries with tofu, cabbage and almonds; a delicious chickpea lemongrass and sweet potato curry with basmati rice; Mediterranean savoury muffins; buffalo milk cheese and grilled rosemary pumpkin, baby spinach leaf salad; also a glass noodle, sesame veg and fresh mint and coriander salad; plus a pure chocolate tart with raspberry coulis; and a LSA spelt rhubarb and apple crumble.
Very tasty fun and then a relaxing lunch on a gorgeous Maleny day – the wine was good and the music selection was also much commented upon as very complementary. Several attendees are seriously thinking about doing the Vegetarian Cooking Series, running for 6 weeks and beginning on the 8 of October. Cooking new dishes, discovering some new ingredients, working with local produce and having a lovely day – not a bad way to spend a Saturday.
Real Food Festival Sacred Chef Vegetarian Cooking Class a Great Success
Great fun in a warm and friendly atmosphere
The Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking class, held under the auspices of the inaugural Real Food Festival, was a great success. A dozen wonderful people attended the hands-on cooking class and gourmet lunch, and if my ears didn’t betray me, they absolutely loved it! We doubled the size of our usual class, due to the demand, and made the necessary structural adjustments to make it possible. Some very culinary talented individuals created delicious Mediterranean savoury muffins, which were gluten free, and Thai pastries with a fresh mint raita, followed by buffalo mozzarella rocket pesto thin crusted pizzas, warmed medley of olives in lime, rosemary and chilli. They then created a beautiful chickpea and lemongrass curry, served with basmati rice, and Roma tomato, fresh basil and buffalo bocconcini salad, and to top it all off they made a divine pure dark chocolate tart and raspberry coulis, which was served with strawberries and double cream.
What really impressed me about this group, and the day itself, was how well everyone got on, animated conversation flowed around the communal table and you would have thought that it was a family gathering, without the fights of course. Generous amounts of wine flowed, although all within today’s prescribed levels of moderation, and everyone expressed genuine appreciation and praise for the day. They were a great group of people.
I would like to express my thanks and congratulations to Julie Shelton and Lee Ponder, for the wonderful job they did with putting on the Real Food festival – it was a great success!
We have booked out another Sacred Chef vegetarian cooking class, here on the sunshine coast in Maleny, on the 24 Sept, and are now booking into Saturday 1 Oct 2011, for which there are still a few places left. If you want to have a truly great day, come and partake in a fun class and enjoy a yummy lunch!
Vegetarian Laksa
Vegetarian Laksa with Tofu
Laksa Paste
4 Birds Eye Chillies
4 Large Garlic Cloves
2 Tbspns Ginger Chopped
2 Stalks Lemongrass Chopped
10 Macadamina Nuts
1 tspn Asafoetida
10 Vietnamese Mint Leaves
2 tspns Ground Coriander Seed
2 tspns Ground Cumin Seed
2 tspns Ground Turmeric
2 tspns Paparika
2 Tbspsns Canola Oil
2 tspsns Sea Salt
Pound ingredient in a mortar or blend in a food processor until smooth. Store in an air tight jar in the fridge.
Laksa with Tofu & Egg Noodles
1 cup Laksa Paste
250g Egg Noodles or Rice Noodles
2 cups Sweet Potato Cubed
2 cups Potato Cubed
2 cups Tofu Cubed & Fried
1 cup Black Fungus
1 cup Baby Corn
1 cup Bok Choy Chopped
1 cup Green Beans
1 litre Vegetable Stock
1 can Coconut Milk
2 cups Bean Shoots
1 cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
In a large saucepan pour in your stock, add both potatoes and bring to boil before simmering until they are tender. Add in your beans, fungus, corn, tofu, bok choy and cook for a further five minutes.
In a seperate saucepan boil noodles until just ready, drain and set aside still hot.
In a small frypan saute your laksa paste for a couple of minutes before adding to your main pan, along with coconut milk and stirring in.
In large soup bowls place noodles, then fresh herbs, bean shoots and ladle over laksa vegetable soup.
Finish with fried shallots and serve with chopsticks and Chinese soup ladle.
©Sacred Chef
Sacred Chef sunshine coast cooking school, have you been Sudhafed?
Sacred Chef Caters 50th Wedding Anniversary in Mooloolaba
The Sacred Chef was lucky enough to be asked to cater for a very special event last Saturday, at Alexandra Headland in the penthouse apartments overlooking the expansive eastern coastline. A fiftieth wedding anniversary is a rare and wonderful achievement, and something that belongs to two special people who have walked a long and often winding road. Congratulations to Margo, who let me know know that she was once a Hamilton, before she married her Man, a wee half century or so ago.
The Sacred Chef, and the lovely Lucy, who accompanied me on this catering bequest, were ensconced in our very own penthouse apartment and we plattered up an array of delectable canapés, whilst keeping an eye on the children – who were a little bored by proceedings, not having the benefit of experience or wisdom in such things. Our morsels of divine and delicious things were pillowed on cushions of French farmhouse buffalo cheese, made by Trevor Hart of the Cedar Street Cheesery. Oven dried cherry tomatoes and rocket pesto; grilled wafers of Chorizo sausage and tomato chutney; smoked ocean trout and pickled lemon; BBQ Thai Duck and tangy fresh pineapple. Sushi; tandoori lamb cutlets; roasted red capsicum and lime salsa; potato Parmesan and rosemary pizzettes.
Lucy walked tall and straight with her platters held high, and a smile like a promise of spring, as she invited guests to sample our wares. The ocean beckoned through the wide expansive windows and it reminded me a little of when I worked with Neil Perry at the Blue Water Grill in Bondi; all that Pacific ocean mirroring in. A beautiful ambience for a special party and days like this make catering more than just my hard work! Thank you to Leigh and Stephen for giving us the opportunity to be part of a truly lovely event.
Sacred Chef cooking school on the sunshine coast, have you been Sudhafed?
Sacred Chef Cooking School Features in Sunshine Coast Daily on Friday 2 Sept 2011
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR SACRED CHEF COOKING CLASS GIFT VOUCHER
Sacred Chef Cooking School will feature in Sunshine Coast Daily on Friday 2 Sept 2011
Recipes and information about the Sunshine Coast cooking school with the Sacred Chef will be featuring in their lifestyle section of the newspaper.
CLASSES AVAILABLE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK!
Cooking Great Cuisines from Around the World – a 4 week series
The Sacred Chef cooking school on the sunshine coast, is the perfect place for hands-on cooking experience in our well equipped cooking studio, here in Maleny. Fun learning in beautiful surrounds, overlooking the Glass House Mountains, and even better you get to eat what we make in relaxed comfort after the class.
For a great day of sensuous experience and stimulating learning in South-East Queensland, the Sacred Chef cooking school is the ideal outlet for those that love their food and cooking. You will be introduced to local produce, made here on the sunshine coast, like silky smooth buffalo milk cheeses and other great organic ingredients. Coffees, wines and exotic fruits are all to be sampled at the Sacred Chef cooking school in Maleny.
Classes are:
- 2 hours in the cooking studio hands-on
- apron & knives provided
- leisurely lunch follows each class
- fine wines by the glass
- take home pack of recipes & notes
- articles & food philosophy
- complimentary magazine
- goodie bag
- cooking class attendees at lunch
Imagine a day where you get to learn all these wonderful new recipes, with some helpful guidance, laugh and cry (in the presence of a few onions), share stories about kitchen triumphs and disasters in the company of fellow cooks, produce seven sensational dishes, before sitting down to one of the best lunches you have ever had. A glass of wine in hand, the delicious aroma of freshly cooked culinary creations and the appetite of the truly deserved.
Purchase a Sacred Chef Gift Voucher for your cooking class and arrange a suitable time & date when you are ready!
The perfect foodie gift!
5499 9280
Sacred Chef Vegetarian Cooking Class at the Real Food Festival Saturday 10 Sept 2011
Maleny’s premier cooking school
Cooking school only one hour’s drive from Brisbane
Sunshine coast hinterland cooking school for budding masterchefs
Cooking school for him and her on the sunshine coast, south east Queensland
The Sunshine Coast Cooking School presents the Sacred Chef
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Cooking is a dance of creativity
Sacred Chef's Ganesh
When I enter my kitchen I am often excited. I can be enthused and filled with purpose, as I have usually been brooding upon a brew or ruminating over a recipe. The gestation complete I have my pallete of colours and flavours clear in my mind’s eye. I begin to move quickly, running my knife over a steel, aligning the chopping board, pulling pots and pans out of cupboards. The clatter of stainless steel and a good deal of banging and crashing about signals my intentions to the household. The cooking dance is about to begin.
Rhythm is important to me when I am cooking, finding the right pace of movement as I chop, sauté and stir. A whirling dervish in the kitchen with the eight arms of Ghanesha, flipping pans, opening oven doors, adding ingredients, decanting, plating and all the rest. Cyclone Sudha and the west winds of a culinary storm – I often need to rest myself along with my meats before consuming anything I have cooked.
Sunshine coast cooking school with the Sacred Chef, where learning something new is fun and tasty too!
Turmeric & Coriander Panbreads
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup yoghurt
- 1 cup LSA mix
- 1 tbspn ground turmeric
- 1 tspn ground garam masala
- 1 tspn salt
- balck pepper to taste
- 2 cups chick pea flour
- 1 cup buck wheat flour sifted
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 tbspn canola oil
- 3 cups soy milk
- 1 cup chopped fresh coriander
Whisk eggs, yoghurt & spices together before adding soy milk, oil & the remaining ingredients. Beat batter to a smooth consistency & ladle into hot crepe pans. Flip & cook until golden brown on each side. Stack on a plate.
©Sacred Chef
Cooking school on the sunshine coast with the Sacred Chef, where everyone is welcome and good food is abundantly served.
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