Recipe for discovery

Black Sesame Kitchen offers classes that demystify the magic of Chinese cooking

"Chinese cooking is not difficult once you know the basics," Black Sesame Kitchen's founder, chef and food writer Jen Lin-Liu reassured me over the telephone.

Had I not participated in a Black Sesame cooking class earlier that day I would have labeled her a prevaricator. The unpalatable truth remained that after two years in China, I could order and I could certainly eat, but I would never call what I concocted in my own kitchen authentic Chinese food. She had proven me wrong.

With its tasty and thorough education in the art of local cuisine, the school accomplishes much more than breaking down the many components in a Chinese meal. Its classes bring the culinarily curious together to broaden their knowledge of Chinese culture, bite after savory bite.

Both a cooking school and restaurant nestled in a hutong off Nanluoguxiang pedestrian street, Black Sesame Kitchen offers a Thursday midday class (250 yuan) and a Saturday afternoon gourmet class (300 yuan).

Not wanting to get ahead of my limited ability, I opted for the Thursday class. Taught by Chef Zhang, a professional chef from Shanxi province, and led with translation help from general manager Candice Lee, the recipes for class that day were all stir-fried dishes - three mushroom, potato, eggplant and green pepper (disanxian) and tri-color chicken (sanse jisi). For Lee, learning the origins of Chinese flavors is paramount. Students are first instructed on fundamental ingredients in cooking that are often entirely absent from Western cupboards and pantries.

We learned white pepper plays a role in almost every Chinese dish but goes particularly well with mushrooms. And sugar, a seemingly unlikely ingredient, is used to achieve balance "because there are a lot of sour and spicy flavors", Lee explained.

Garlic, ginger and leeks serve as the holy trinity of Chinese seasoning. Chef Zhang, before anything else, made certain to have a big bowl with all three, diced and wok-ready at all times.

Lee cheerfully dispensed her wisdom on the fundamentals of Chinese cooking along with tips for preventing any disasters. "In Chinese cooking everything must be brought to over 100 degrees, either in water or in oil," she said. "And know where your ingredients are before you start cooking because stir-frying is so fast."

Students are given cutting boards, instructed on how to use a cleaver properly and told that uniform shapes are key in Chinese cooking. "If the chicken's in strips, so is everything else," Lee noted.

We are also told that as long as oil is not heated over 200 degrees, we can reuse it as flavored oil. Sesame Kitchen preaches not a love of oil, but definitely extols the mantra it can be your very good friend - something many Western chefs might distain.

In the beginning everyone is a little shy, but that is quickly overcome as aromas from Chef Zhang's wok begin to permeate the cozy hutong setting. People from all over the world with various experiences living and traveling in China come together to learn through their taste buds as well as their intellects. Observations, lessons and experiences are shared along with bowls of food prepared each by pair of students.

Liz Denny Haenle from the US, newly arrived to start her own event management business, joined the class to learn about Chinese culture, and in particular, how to cook healthfully at home.

"With me being pregnant, I want to know what I'm eating," she told METRO. "And after my husband's heart attack, healthy eating is a priority for the whole family."

Other students included Lauren Armstrong and her mother Carol from South Africa, who came because Armstrong wants to "cook a big Chinese feast" for her friends on her return to Cape Town.

Author of Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China, Lin-Liu's focus on food led her to become becoming a certified Chinese chef. She then decided to start the Black Sesame school because friends were constantly asking for lessons.

"There weren't any cooking schools that catered to them (foreigners) so I'd bring my supplies and my chefs over," she explained. "The idea for Black Sesame Kitchen all came from that.

"You know, it's really about enjoying it. And cooking it in a way it suits whoever is eating."