Cooking Like a Local

I found that a great way to really dive into a culture is to learn how to cook the food - so a while back, I signed up for a class with Cookery Magic, run by the amazing Ruqxana.  The class was taught in her outdoor kitchen in her home on the East side of Singapore and it was truly hands on.  This first class was a Thai class and I learned so much about the ingredients and techniques involved, that I felt that I could easily apply them to dishes beyond the ones we prepared.  Ruqxana teaches not only Thai, but Singaporean, Malaysian, Peranakan and Indian cooking.  Since she is originally from the Gujarat state of India, I thought it would be great to learn Indian cooking from her, and indeed, she offered a class based on recipes from her grandmother.  So, when Chris and a couple of friends decided to take a class on a Sunday afternoon, we went for her grandmother's recipes.  It was fantastic, and the fact that it was our private class made it really outstanding.  Once again, I learned so much about Indian cooking and the technique of using the wonderful Indian spices, that it seems as though I can apply what we learned to many different dishes.  Maybe Malaysian will be next....

Yum!