Dishing up knowledge

AGROUP of leading lecturers and teachers at a Bahrain university may be top of the class when it comes to the sciences, but it’s a different matter in the kitchen.

So they turned the tables and enrolled on a cooking class under the guidance of a celebrated chef at one of the kingdom’s top hotels.

The culinary session was staged at the K Hotel’s Klouds restaurant, renowned for offering contemporary modern cuisine with Asian touches since the arrival of Executive Chef Sylvester Rozario and his team specialising in different dishes from the East.

They put 15 women members of the University of Bahrain, College Of Science faculty through their paces and showed them the tricks to making scrumptious Japanese meals along with some popular Cantonese appetisers.

Sascha Benoit, director of food and beverage, says its success will pave the way for more culinary classes in the future. He said: “This was our frst cooking class with the aim of showcasing the freshness of our food and providing guests with the techniques and recipes to allow them to try cooking this style of cuisine at home.”

Roles were reversed in Juffair as the teachers became pupils, taking out their notebooks in preparation of jotting down notes during the cookery lecture.

They surrounded the chef at his cooking station as different members of the kitchen team showcased their abilities. Asian salad, Maki California rolls, dim sum, a main of teppanyaki and tempura were prepared in front of their eyes.

A deep-fried frozen ice cream drizzled in chocolate sauce followed for dessert.

As the culinary wizards showcased their skills, the ‘students’ took turns to try their hand at making the dishes alongside them. The kitchen team even informed the class where to source the ingredients, should those who attended wish to put their newly-acquired prowess to the test at a dinner party.

First on the menu was the Asian salad which included strawberries, caramelised walnut, cider dressing, parmesan cheese, pomegranate garnish and green apples.

This dish was a favourite among senior demonstrator for chemistry, Wedad Mayoos, from Seef. She said: “I loved the salad. It was fresh and light. I would defnitely make this at home for my family.”

The curious chemist then decided to give sushi a go, picking up the sushi-making kit and going through a step-by-step process with one of the chefs.

She said: “Making sushi was lovely but I think I need more practice when it comes to making the roll. It wasn’t as complicated as I thought it would be.

“Overall though, the food we sampled was fantastic.”

Ebtisam Bin Butti, a biology lecturer, from Muharraq, was a keen observer, following sushi chef Alexander Gonsalvez’s every movement,

taking pictures and videos of him at work. Chef Gonsalvez, from the Philippines, specialises in teppanyaki, sushi, teriyaki and other Japanese dishes.

Mrs Bin Butti said: I love to cook and I especially love sushi. That’s why I came to the class, because I really wanted to know how to make it. I always knew how to eat the California roll but now I know how to make it too.”

Afterwards, other chefs stepped into the limelight, teaching the class how to make a juicy dim sum, chicken and seafood teppanyaki as well as the popular chilly chocolate ice cream tempura with chocolate sauce.

The K Hotel is a four star property operated by the Gulf Hotels Group.

For more information on future classes, call 17360000.