Not only will you walk away with new skills and recipes, but Otao Kitchen’s classes are a reminder that cooking and eating should be enjoyable, meaningful experiences.
The past months have brought significant challenges and changes to the ways we live. The COVID-19 related shutdowns have significantly impacted our social lives and have seen the majority of people spending more time in the kitchen than ever. Even with dining out back on the menu as restrictions begin to ease, limited capacities for cafes and restaurants mean that most people will opt to cook and entertain at home.
So, to keep things fresh in the kitchen and have you less likely to order takeout, Otao Kitchen Cooking School has launched a series of virtual cooking classes that will bring its chefs into your kitchen.
Launched in 2014, Otao Kitchen was founded by Chef Ha Nguyen in Richmond’s “little Vietnam” strip on Victoria Street with the aim of celebrating the rich and varied cooking experiences of Melbourne’s immigrant Asian communities. Focusing on fresh, healthy and authentic meals, Otao Kitchen celebrates the experiences of cooking and eating while emphasizing the connection between food and culture.
The chefs at Otao Kitchen have gone digital to teach virtual cooking courses while the restrictions have us spending more time at home. And the best part is, there’s a class for everyone – whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or you just want to broaden your skills and learn some new recipes. There’s even a plant-based workshop for vegans looking to try their hand at authentic Asian cuisine.
If you’re really looking to up your kitchen game, the 12-week home cooking course has you covered. Spanning a range of Asian cuisines from Japanese to Indian, you’ll learn the fundamental cooking skills tied to each of these unique Asian cultures with every lesson. Each week you’ll gain access to new recipes, tutorials and lessons on everything from shopping tips and knife skills to nutritional tips and unique cooking methods.
What makes this course unique is the hands-on support system. You’ll be connected with professional chefs to help guide you through your own cooking adventure with round-the-clock support, Q&As, and direct coaching to create a fully interactive experience.
For vegans looking for ways to adapt authentic cuisine to suit their dietary requirements, the vegan cooking course is designed just for you. You’ll tackle dishes from a number of different Asian cultures, with a focus on cooking traditions created to support a plant-based diet. Whether from the Sattvic vitality increasing diet of India or Buddhist temple foods from Korea and Japan, you’ll learn nutritious and tasty dishes from a variety of cultures that have been creating plant-based foods for centuries.
Plant-based food doesn’t have to be the kind of drab, flavourless, meat-imitating concoctions that spring to mind for most meat-eaters when they hear the word ‘vegan’. Looking to cultures with a rich history in plant-based cooking, the vegan cooking course has been crafted to promote a coexisting balance between taste and what is healthy for the body, mind and planet so that even meat-lovers looking to cut back a little or try something new can find something they’ll enjoy.
And if you’re the kind of person who fails to find joy in the kitchen, Otao Kitchen’s Asian cooking party will not only equip you with delicious and imaginative recipes and techniques, but it will show you that cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. This class is built around cooking meals to be shared and celebrates how food brings people together.
Aiming to empower people to connect through the back-to-the-basics ways of making food and drinks, the Otao Kitchen chefs will teach you a bunch of easy-to-make, delicious meals perfect for any social gathering.
So instead of ordering takeout for the umpteenth time or rotating through the same handful of recipes you’ve mastered, why not take the opportunity to learn some new skills in the kitchen? Your taste buds will thank you for it.
For more information, visit the Otao Kitchen website.
Never miss a story. Sign up to Beat’s newsletter and you’ll be served fresh music, arts, food and culture stories five times a week.
