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According to the fine words of Sous Chef He Cheng ‘no one is born a great cook, we all learn by doing it’.
And my favourite Chinese on the island, the Sheraton Hotel’s celebrated Soie Restaurant, aims to prove that point every Friday morning with sessions dedicated to showing fans of the cuisine how to prepare, cook and plate it to perfection.
The proof of the pudding, of course, is in the eating … or in my case, the Stir-fried Chicken and Hot & Sour Soup.
Those two popular dishes were on the menu as Chef Cheng and his colleague Chef Lee Bak Lee put their culinary teaching skills to the test in the kitchen with my good lady wife, Kathryn, and our son, little Stan, 11, alongside me, with two visitors from Saudi Arabia who had made the trip across the Causeway to take part in the two-hour culinary adventure.
Abdulwahab Al Fattah, 25, is a senior sales coordinator during the day and replaces his office-attire for an apron every evening to concentrate on his passion for cooking in the kitchen of a restaurant owned by his friend Ali Sama, 28, which currently serves up grills and sandwiches.
However, things may soon be spiced up at the Creation Chef Restaurant near Damman if they can conquer the concept of Chinese cuisine. “The reason I’ve come is to add to my knowledge and open my eyes … and it’s also great fun!” explained Abdulwahab.
It’s always an honour to watch a master at work. Both chefs at Soie really know how to conjure up plates and bowls full of mouth-watering, delicious delights.
After a hand-scrubbing session worthy of preparation for open heart surgery we covered our clothes with aprons, put gloves on our hands for messy mixing moments and nets over our hair, not that there was much left on my head to cover.
Cutting the meat and vegetables is a delicate operation but there are tricks to the trade to ensure you don’t slice off your fingertips, with clever positioning of the middle finger knuckle.
The chicken breasts were chopped into cubes and caressed in corn flour after a sprinkle of salt, sugar, pepper and egg were added. The temperature had to be just right for the deep frying. We watched in awe, gently stirring as the chicken took on a bronze tint and then it was out with the oil and in with the stock and a selection of sauces resulting in a smell so divine it reached inside your soul.
There was a great sense of camaraderie between us as we followed the chefs’ instructions, aided by them when our efforts went awry before we tasted the end results and applauded our efforts.
It was parental-style instruction rather than a Gordon Ramsey-style crackdown and that’s thanks to the patience of Chef Cheng and his colleague.
Chef Cheng, who started his career at the Jing Ying Hotel Fujian in China and later gained experience and promotions at Sands Hotel and the award-winning Asian restaurant at Le Royal Meridien Hotel in Abu Dhabi before being selected to join the Sheraton, explained: “My mother inspired me to become a chef. When I was young I loved watching her and learning the dishes that she cooked for the family.
“Food can make people smile and my mum always had that magic. Yes, you can learn to cook just like how I learned from her, but in the end you must have a passion for it.
“The taste of food varies from each person who has cooked it, and what I mean by that is if the person who cooks the food is happy, the food will have that fantastic taste. Passion and love is the key.”
There was plenty of passion and love in the kitchen on Friday and the best bit about it was that you could take away whatever you’d cooked that you hadn’t already devoured.
The following evening we sat down to enjoy the soup which was sensational and happiness was the secret ingredient.
The cooking classes cost BD12.500++ per person and are being staged every Friday from 10am to noon.
Last week Malaysia Chicken Curry & Tom Yom Soup was on the agenda and this coming Friday its Spring Rolls & Stir Fried Prawns with Garlic Sauce. On October 10 there will be a Sushi and Maki class and the following week readers can try out the Szecowka experience of Stir-fried chicken and Hot & Sour Soup.
The classes are open for individual bookings, though there are a limited number of seats per session. Guests can book online at www.bit.ly/soiecooking or by calling 17533533.
