If you ever wanted to enrol for a cooking class and make those awesome dishes that not only look good on the plate but on your Instagram page too, here’s your chance to do so. Paulami Sen, a Netherlands-based food blogger, stylist and content creator who runs the page @spicetripwithpaulami, is whipping up some delicious and good-looking dishes that are easy to make and hosting virtual cooking workshops to make cooking easy and fun.
CALLING ALL FOOD LOVERS
After moving to the Netherlands in 2017, Sen could not find the same job profile she held in India, and food always being her favourite thing she decided to give it a try.
“So with my background in marketing and communications and love for food I started creating content and recipes, and it worked,” she says. Sen informs that people in Europe are fond of Indian cuisine and are open to know more about it.
“I started hosting cooking workshops in batches where we would interact with each other, learn recipes and Indian flavour and so on, and it was an impactful beginning,” says Sen.
MEAL IN AN HOUR
Sen says that the first quarter of 2020 was brilliant. “I had several workshops planned, but things didn’t work out amidst the pandemic, and as per guidelines hosting events is a big no-no, so they have been cancelled,” she says.
That said, cooking makes her happy and stress-free. She also liked the concept of cooking from her kitchen. So, Sen decided to go live on her Instagram page and whipped up some exciting Indian dishes. After which she started hosting workshops online so that those interested could attend the classes in the comfort and safety of their homes.
Her recipes not only involve basic ingredients that are easily available in stores, but she also makes sure that they are easy to cook so that people with different levels of cooking skills can still follow them.
“Five days before the workshop, I gave the participants a list of ingredients and also added a note about things that were optional and a few alternatives as well so that they did not have to rush to different stores to source them,” she says.
The first workshop had over 30 participants from different countries and regions. While a few were Indians, the majority were expatriates and foreigners, cooking a wholesome Indian meal that consisted of Paneer Jalfrezi, Pulav and Raita.
“We completed cooking the three dishes in an hour, answering doubts, questions and even following up with each other’s progress, it was quite an experience, a joyful one,” says Sen.
The second workshop was all about Chole Kebabs and Mint Chutney.
Talking about the idea behind cooking a wholesome meal, Sen says that if people are spending an hour on preparing it should be filling and something that makes them happy.
Sen says that people have offered to pay for the workshop, but she refused and instead have asked them to donate for the needy.
A HAPPY GET-TOGETHER
The workshops are not just about cooking hearty meals, but they are happy get-togethers. “We are living in stressful times, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to feel stuck up and depressed at home. And cooking is something you can do from the comfort of your home and feel happy about it. It helps you keep calm,” says Sen.
The response has been overwhelming. “Even after a day or two after the workshop, participants were reaching out to me through emails and messages to tell me how happy they felt by cooking that meal and how it changed their mood,” she says.
The idea behind these workshops is not to make you a master chef, but more about coming together, cooking together and knowing that there are people out there who are facing similar problems, so we all are in this together. Until things get okay, we can stay indoors and learn something new.
Sen concludes by saying that she is continuously collaborating with other bloggers and is also attending virtual classes where she learns painting. If you want to upskill, start now.
