A Taste of CulinEssence: Chopping Bok Choy at the CIA

Korean Pancakes

A good chef never stops learning. I have always found pleasure in cooking things differently and trying new things. Culinary inspiration can come from many places, but some are just better than others.

Stir Fry

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a cooking course at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The course was on Asian Ingredients and Techniques with Chef “Ski” Skibitcky.

Fresh Spring Rolls

The goal for Chef Ski is to make sure you can create a dish that represents each cuisine, and more importantly, that you understand the differences. Every day you learn a new cuisine, starting with Chinese, then moving on to Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Indian. The class does not make you an expert in these cuisines, but if you’re looking to learn and be inspired, then you’re in the right place.

Massaman Curry

The Culinary Institute offers immersion courses to those who are looking to broaden their culinary repertoire with other cuisines. In the past I took a class on Mediterranean cooking, and couldn’t wait to get the chance to take one again. There are many other courses offered such as Peruvian Cuisine, Pairing Wine with Food, Artisan Bread Baking, and Heathy Cooking. You can even double up and take two classes, one in the morning, and one in the evening. Many of the other students in my class were also taking Latin American cuisine in the evening. As great as the courses are, combined it’s a whopping 12 hour day, for 5 days straight!

Hot and Sour Soup

Class begins with a review of the prior day’s dishes, followed by a lecture about the new cuisine. After the lecture, the day gets even better with product demonstrations, and hands-on cooking. At the end of class you get to experience the food that was prepared, which tasted like it was made by Asian chefs!

Papadam

Every day you learn amazing stuff on just how complex and varied each region is. By then end of the course you feel right at home chopping with a Chinese cleaver, making dim sum, or cooking in a wok.

Saag Curry

Being a chef, and a major foodie, I have eaten my way around Chinatown enough to know the flavor differences in the regional cuisines. I even studied various cookbooks on Asian cooking, such as Robert Danhi’s South East Asian Flavors, and Michael Freeman’s Ricelands. But there is no comparison to having a chef demonstrate different techniques along with seeing, smelling, and tasting all the dishes that are prepared. Daily, the class cooked more than 25 dishes!