On Saturday I was lucky enough to join a group of fellow bloggers for a fantastic experience courtesy of Living Social. We met at Dilli's Indian Restaurant in Altrincham for a fantastic demonstration and lesson in Indian cuisine.
Dilli's is a restaurant that serves authentic regional dishes from the heart of India, and has become the benchmark for fine Indian dining. They run independent cookery classes where you can discover some of the secrets of India's fascinating and unique way of combining flavours and ingredients. Chefs Ravi and Naeem run the classes consisting of a half hour demonstration followed by a hands-on three dish class with instruction.
We each had our own work station and apron...I felt like I was on Masterchef!
Chef Naeem first demonstrated how to make onion bhajis and mango lassi. His knife skills were very impressive! His knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for Indian cuisine kept us all completely enthralled.
We were given lots of tips during the demonstration. Slicing onions, salting them and leaving them to rest draws out the moisture. This process can be used to make crispy fried onions if you dry them off or provides enough liquid to bind the bhaji mix when you add gram flour.
The bhajis were exquisite, served with an amazing mint and coriander sauce which was just so fresh and zingy, or a rich tamarind sauce.
We learned about the different regions of India and how various ingredients were associated with them. We were told how misused the word 'curry' was in England. Curry merely means gravy in India. Also, Masala is simply a word to describe something that consists of three or more ingredients! It was really informative.
After enjoying the bhajis, we were let loose to cook three dishes for ourselves, under the close guidance and tuition of the chefs. Vegetarians were very well catered for with separate and alternate ingredients.
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| My work station |
We used fresh ingredients and a whole array of wonderful spices. The smell in the room was amazing! We made an absolutely delicious Paneer Kali Mirch.
A Dal Tarka.
And an Aloo Palak.
The recipes were wonderful, producing three fantastic restaurant quality dishes that I took home for our dinner. We were also treated to lunch in the restaurant, which was delicious and came with the best nan bread I've ever had. Dilli's is an amazing restaurant with authentic food that tasted divine. If you are ever near Altrincham, I'd highly recommend it.
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| My DIY take-away!! |
The Cookery Course was just one of the experiential deals that can be purchased from Living Social. Everyday, Living Social has a selection of deals for great experiences at local restaurants, spas, theatres and more. They also have great offers on Family deals, Escapes and Adventures. Simply buy the deal and look forward to doing something new in your local area or beyond.
Living Social even has an Android or iOS App enabling you to check out what is going on wherever you are, purchase and redeem deals all in one place. You can get the inside scoop on handpicked, unique and great value deals, and explore the best of any city like a local no matter where you are.
I am now signed up to their daily emails. The Indian Cookery Course was a great example of the kind of deals they offer at great value prices. Check out livingsocial.com to find out more.