Good food + Good company = Cookology

A representative scene

If you are interested in learning to cook, but have limited experience and worry that time spent gaining the necessary culinary skills is time away from your loved one, Cookology might be the place to start.

Cookology is a culinary recreational school in Northern Virginia. The instructor provides a menu for the night as well as all the ncessary ingredients. Step-by-step instructions on everything from how to hold the knife to how one should marinate meats are provided. In addition to getting exposed to ethnic cuisines such as Indian, French, Ethiopian, or Japanese, Cookology also allows participants to engage in other culinary activities such as baking, knife skills for sushi, or making your own sauces.

I went for a cook-out session on a Saturday night. The theme was Asian fusion. The instructor was not only knowledgeable but also friendly. He instructed a group of 16 people, most of whom came as a part of a couple.

We cooked three dishes: a salad, beef tacos, and chicken quesadillas. The mexican specialties dominated by adobo and chilli sauces and blended with Asian spices and sauces specifically soya sauce, and sesame oil. The instructor was kind enough to substitute beef with chicken at my request.

The session lasted for two hours: the first hour was devoted to preparing all the ingredients, marinating the meats while the remaining time was used to cook and enjoy the resulting meal. The meats were marinated with the sauces, a lot of lime, garlic, ginger powder, sesame oil, honey and green onions. The participants along with the instructor grilled their meat. Once the meat was ready, the quesadillas were layered with cooked diced chicken, and shredded cheese. They were folded to be baked in the oven until the cheese melted. It went well with the veggies.

The mixture prepared for the chicken (or beef) tacos was comprised of similar ingredients. Diced pears were added to the taco. However, although the strong taste of raw adobo sauce dominated, on the whole the dish worked. The meal paired with a glass of wine of the participant's choice.

I initially thought a meal for one at $65 dollars was a bit pricey given that you can obtain most recipes on the Internet. But the experience of cooking with people gave the class added value. I would definitely recommend it to more social foodies.

Gharer Khabar on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Gharer Khabar, Bengali

5151, Lee Highway, 

Arlington, VA

One of the disadvantages of living away from home is the nostalgia for childhood festivals. It is not just the rituals and the food, but the spirit of celebrating the occasion amidst a community that is not defined by the patrons of a temple site. I feel extremely home-sick during the Ganapathi festival and would imagine that someone who grew up in the eastern part of India would feel somewhat like that during the time of Durga pujo.

Bengali comfort food

I briefly experienced the Durga pujo festivities during my stay in Pune, which has a fairly large Bengali diaspora. So I am grateful that I had an opportunity to re-live my Pune days when I visited Gharer Khabar (translated to home-made food) with my Bengali friend Debasree.

Gharer Khabar is a small family-run Bangla restaurant that serves food that is very similar to what your Bengali friend might make for you at home. Seating is limited, but the quality of the food along with the modest price compensates for the lack of ambience. The take out service is highly recommended if you wish to enjoy the tastes of Bengal in the comfort of your own home.

We tried several appetizers, including some freshly fried samosas with peas, cauliflower and potatoes. These paired very well with the tea.  We had a number of entrees, including goat curry, fried fish, fish do pyaza (fish cooked with onions), dal and chicken biryani. The dishes were a bit oily for home made food, but this did not compromise the taste. 

Bengalis are fresh-water fish eaters unlike the Goans who prefer salt-water fish. The fish do pyaza comprised of fried fish cooked in caramelized onions and was nicely seasoned. The yellow lentils were paired to good effect with the goat curry. The latter was a bit oily, but perfectly cooked. They say it is hard to go wrong with meat, but I believe it is hard to cook meat well. If you have a tolerance for Indian spice levels, this was indeed one of those goat curries that I would fondly remember – spicy yet delicious. It paired well with the chicken biryani, which was surprisingly mild.

Now this is the club you want to belong to!

A platter of vegetarian dishes

It is the Bombay Club, located at 815, Connecticut Avenue, NW in Washington DC.

At, $20.95 per person, the Sunday buffet-brunch is priced a tad higher than the lunch buffet available at other Indian restaurants in the D.C. region. The buffet was adequate, although not very diverse. But the quality certainly compensated for the quantity. The ambience helped by the presence of a pianist, also added value to the experience.

Every dish brought out the subtle flavors of the spices, unlike some places that simply throw spices into every dish with little consideration for whether it accentuates or detracts from the natural flavors of the vegetables or protein.

One of the traditional brunch options was scrambled egg, cooked with cilantro, tomato and onions. If you are a vegetarian, there were several options including paneer rasala (cottage cheese gravy), dal kabila (lentils), spinach aloo (potato cooked in spinach), mixed vegetables, along with bhel puri, aloo tikki (potato patty), greens and pickles as appetisers, and jeera rice (cumin rice).
The paneer (cottage cheese) cooked in a cashew gravy with a savory hint of cardamom was subtle and interestingly mild. The spinach potato was delicious and seasoned with cumin, ginger and garam masala (blend of spices). Dal kabila (lentils) was the spiciest of the lot and perfectly complemented the other, less spicy dishes.

I personally loved their chicken served with a coconut gravy. It was cooked in freshly ground spices. The chicken was perfectly marinated and went well with naan (bread). If you are a seafood lover, there were fillets of fish cooked in a gravy. The chicken and the fish paired flawlessly with the jeera rice. The meal ended with gulab jamuns and some Darjeeling tea. 

I have also tried their ala carte options. One of my favorites is their thali - a platter of vegetarian and seafood/meat dishes.

My friend Debasree contributed to this post.