Cooking Programs

Flavor Principles: 6/18 Taste of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a huge and beautiful country in Central Asia with a very rich history. It is famous for its wide steppes, modern cities, and incredibly friendly people. If you visit, the most important thing to experience is the traditional food. Kazakh cuisine is based on meat and milk because of the country’s nomadic past. Eating in Kazakhstan is always about hospitality and making guests feel at home. Join us for a delightful home cooked Kazakh meal featuring recipes from guest chef Akgul Yessirkep:

Shuba (Russian Salad)

Baursak (Kazakh pastry)

Samsa (Kazah meat pie)

Manti (Kazakh dumplings)

Shugus Tattisi (walnut pie)

Akgul Yessirkep Akgul Yessirkep is a mother of three and loves to experiment in the kitchen. "I am very proud of my culture's traditions of hospitality," says Akgul. "In our home, the door is always open, and the table is always set with love. I have been a school teacher for 10 years, teaching students about Information Technology. Before I got married, I honestly never spent any time cooking. However, starting my own family changed everything and I discovered a true passion for it. Now, as a mother of three, my greatest joy is preparing delicious meals for my children. I love to experiment in the kitchen and fill our home with the wonderful aromas of Kazakh cuisine. It makes me so happy to see my kids well-fed and enjoying my food. I try to make every family meal feel special and full of warmth. My life is a beautiful mix of my career in IT and my love for my family. I am proud to share our cultural traditions through the dishes I create every day."

262.801

Open

Phillips Recreation Center

Age: 16+

Fees

$45 (R) $68 (NR)

Thu: Jun. 18

6:00 pm: 2h30m

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Flavor Principles: 7/09 Chinese Home Cooking

Chinese cuisine is known as the mother of all Asian cooking. Shaped by a vast geography and eight distinct regional styles, Chinese cuisine can be as diverse as its people and climate. At home, however, these regional lines tend to blur. What stays the same is a familiar set of bold flavors and simple techniques: soy sauce for depth, garlic and ginger for aroma, and scallions to finish things off. In this class, we’ll focus on home-style dishes from central China, where everyday cooking draws heavily from both Sichuan and Shanghai traditions. Guest chef Huijuan Dong will share a few of his favorite recipes of dishes that he regularly cooks at home — practical, comforting dishes that are practical, comforting and all about balance, texture, and familiar flavor:

Mapo Tofu

Chinese Egg and Tomato Stir-Fry

Hong Shao Rou (Shanghai-Style Braised Pork Belly)

Huijuan Dong Huijuan Dong is a visiting research scientist at University of Illinois specializing in molecular biology. He has been living in the USA for over seven years and really likes to cook for his wife and son. Huijuang learned home cooking from his mother back in China and he is familiar with all the popular home-cooked dishes from Anhui province in Mideast China where he was born.

262.802