Monday, April 7, 2014

Chinese for Beginners - a cooking class in Berlin


Somehow this blog has been digressing somewhat from Cuisine de Provence to more international fare which I promise will be rectified soon but not before I share two wonderful and absolutely to be recommended adresses and events with you. I do not quite remember how I happened to stumble upon Goldhahn & Sampson but when I read Deli plus Cookbook Shop plus Cooking Classes I knew this was an adress to investigate. 



Almost disappointingly normal from the outside, once you enter G&S you are in for a delightful experience. This Berlin deli stocks not only the "world's best liverwurst" (which my husband, the liverwurst expert wholeheartedly confirms) but teas, spices, chocolates, cheeses and wines from pretty much all over the world plus wonderful specialities you won't easily find in just any old cornershop.
And their cookbook shop! OMG! As a self confessed cookbook junky I really, really had to restrain myself. I don't think I have ever seen such a fabulous selection of cookbooks - many titles in English and most I'd never seen before. You could spend hours there browsing.

 The deli
 The bookshop

But as wonderful as all this is what we had come to Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg for was the cooking class. G&S offers different cooking classes and my sister and I had chosen "Chinese for Beginners". What can I say? This was one of the best and most generous cooking classes I have ever attended.  Lijuan Chen our delightful teacher and Giulia, her lovely assistent made sure we all learned how to prepare six authentic Chinese recipes while nibbling on Soya beans and drinking fabulous German Riesling. This was hands on cooking and we all learned a lot and had a lot of fun. If you go to Berlin and want to take a cooking class - check out Goldhahn und Sampson's Website and, if you are lucky you might just be able to catch one of Lijuan's classes. I do urge you to go!

 Mise en Place
 
  
 Our delightful teacher Lijuan Chen
 We learned how to prepare Jiaozi - dumplings filled with a fragrant beef and spice mixture


not all that easy to prepare them....

Steamed seabream with ginger and spring onions

A feast not only for the eyes - the class ended with a delicious dinner

15 comments:

  1. Now, that sounds fantastic! I love Chinese food; but I am also intimidated by it big time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rosa it was a great experience and aside from the dumplings that took a bit of practice it wasn't all that complicated.

      Delete
  2. What fun! I love Chinese food but have not tried to make it very many times. The shop sounds wonderful, especially the cookbook corner. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. First visit to your blog and I enjoy it very much.
    Wonderful recipes and interesting writing, shopping at the G& S shop must be a great experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bonjour Daniela, welcome to Cuisine de Provence! I had a look at your blog and bookmarked it.

      Delete
  4. yes that was a very nice evening and experience. And chinese cooking this way is not complicated at all! All it takes is a little patience and a nice teacher!
    thank you for the lovely pictures, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Takile dear sister, yes it was a great experience and we had fun, didn't we? Lijuan is a very good teacher!

      Delete
  5. What a gem of a find - thanks for sharing with us, I hope one day make it there, loved the post!:)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Merci Özlem, if you go to Berlin be sure to check out G&S - it truly is a gem!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What fun and you got to share with your sister. Do you travel a lot? I just saw a little blurb where Rick Steves said American don't travel enough and European's travel frequently. It made me curious.

    Madonna
    MakeMineLemon

    ReplyDelete
  8. I always say if one day I would win the lottery I would travel all the time - so much to discover, so much to learn!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Liebe Cuisine de Provence, what an international post and what a fun post indeed! My very best friend lives in Berlin and I will definitely have to ask her about "Goldhahn & Sampson" - it looks like such a wonderful place for shopping, browsing through the cookbooks and taking cooking classes!
    Thanks for brightening my rainy Monday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure, liebe Andrea and make sure you go there too when visiting your friend in Berlin. I guess I almost sound like a PR person for G&S by now....

      Delete
  10. How fun and it sounds like a wonderful time was had by all!

    ReplyDelete