Alfred Prasad & Le Cordon Bleu Masterclass

This week we were invited to Le Cordon Bleu in London by Great British Chefs for an exclusive cooking session with Michelin star chef, Alfred Prasad. As the youngest Indian chef to receive a Michelin star at the age of 29, we were keen to soak up Alfred’s incredible knowledge of Indian cooking and give it a go ourselves.

Alfred’s dish of choice was a Tandoor grilled monk fish served with pomegranate kachumber, samphire tempkora and “sea water” foam. The night got underway with a demo of the monk fish marinades, where Alfred combined spices such as turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and ginger with fresh chillies and kaffir lime leaves. Each step of the dish was demonstrated exceptionally well and we found recreating the dish simple to do.

Once our fish and colourful salad was prepared we braved skewering the monk fish, in preparation for the oven. Our favourite part of the evening was getting to use a traditional, Tandoor oven to cook the monk fish. Using a Tandoor involves cooking the meat vertically allowing it to be cooked to perfection, sealing in the scrumptious marinade flavour.

We got creative when plating up our dishes, channeling our inner-Masterchef to present the food in a way that did it’s sublime ingredients justice. The unusual textures of the samphire “tempkora” (Alfred’s own invention) and clam infused sea water foam, added a whole new dimension to the dish and we were rather proud of creations.

For dessert, Le Cordon Bleu’s Cuisine Master Chef, Colin Westal demonstrated a delicious charcoal roasted pineapple, mango, almond and pistachio kulfi dish, perfect for family barbecues. This summery dessert contrasts the heat of barbecued pineapple, heightened by spices with sweet, cool and nutty kulfi. We wasted no time tucking in, and it was every bit as appetizing as it sounds.

Both Alfred and Colin were fantastic, humorous hosts and their passion for excellent cuisine was obvious throughout. The final dishes tasted divine and we can’t wait to recreate them for all our friends and family to try.