I’m the food equivalent of a die-hard online gamer. The kitchen is my playing field and I’m rewarded in pretty plates. Home Bao has created a series of cooking classes that not only feeds your appetite for kitchen creativity, but also levels you up quick-quick to Masterchef status!
Introduction
You’ll remember that I introduced you to Tina and Home Bao a few weeks ago when Tina spoilt me with a selection of her frozen dumplings. Easy to prepare, nutritious and ridiculously tasty, Home Bao has been a game changer in The Little House.
Seeing that I’m always on the run, or getting home late, or forgetting to do the groceries (!), Home Bao has been my saving grace. A pan full of these beauties and I’m fed in record speed, with minimal dishes, fuss and time. Plus, nutritionist mom, Tina, has taken all the think-work out of your dinners, as each dumpling has been carefully researched and crafted to contain the perfect ratio of good carbs to protein, and all the other feel-good nutrients.
To read my blog on her range of products and how to prepare them, please click here!
Background
Tina’s humble home venture has flourished into a full-time business. Since the last time we chatted about Home Bao, they have spread the love to the streets by offering interactive dumpling cooking classes.
We all know how I feel about cooking classes, and I didn’t even need to try and convince The Tall Hedonist to join me (not that he needs any leveling up in the kitchen!). Tina was so kind as to invite us both to a cooking class last month to further our education in all things dumpling.
The cooking class
The cooking class includes the following:
- Welcome drink and light snacks on arrival.
- Demonstration and ingredients provided to make 10 x pork potstickers, 10 x vegan potstickers and a rice noodle salad. The salad is vegan and pork potstickers can be swopped for vegan by prior arrangement.
- Aprons and all cooking equipment will be provided. Please bring along a container to take home any extra dumplings (unless you plan on eating them all!)
- Free corkage. Bring your own drinks.
Tina hosts these incredibly interactive and fun classes at Food Jams in Salt River. What a great spot to come together to learn, cook and eat, all under one roof. The uber modern, uber large kitchen area is light, airy and contemporary, providing the perfect canvas for a range of cooking activities.
The classes run from 18.00 to 21.00 and is a feast from the minute you step inside to when you leave at the end of the night with a few new friends.
Classes are R395 each and you can book your spots online or check when the next class is coming up.
To book your seat for Home Bao’s dumpling cooking class, please click here!
The experience
We arrived at Food Jams a little before 18.00. One flight of stairs up and we entered a beautifully contemporary kitchen and dining space, with large, industrial windows and a row of gleaming stove-tops on the far side. Scattered across the open plan space, was a handful of wooden workstations, all laid out with Home Bao branded aprons and a toy-box full of kitchen gadgets and ingredients.
I could see Tina and her team swiftly moving between stations, adding the last touches and getting the bubbles on ice. People arrived in bits and pieces, and some were already relaxing in the lounge area with a glass of bubbly in hand.
Once everyone had arrived and made themselves comfortable and indulged in gorgeously fluffy pork bao buns, Tina called us to our workstations. Each workstation was set up for four people, working in two sets of twos. That night was a full-house, with about 30 eager cooks chomping at the bit to start folding dumplings.
Tina ran us through a bit of the story behind her passion-project, and what we can expect of the night. She fired up a few demonstrations on folding and frying techniques and answered all our questions.
Soon, our glasses were filled, our dumpling wrappers placed in hand and our creativity flowing out the door.
Ready, steady, fold!
The beauty of dumplings lies in the folds. The neat little line of pleats that seal these pockets of flavour for cooking. The art of dumplings lies in the texture of the dough; it simply can’t be too wet or too crumbly.
To help us out, Tina pre-rolled and cut a bunch of colourful wrappers for us, but also gave us balls of dough to roll and shape ourselves, if we felt brave enough!
We also got a bowl of pre-made vegan and pork fillings each and all the tools we could possibly need to sculpt our creations. It’s here that I have to say that the vegan filling might be my favourite! Stuffed with tofu, mushrooms and crunchy veggies, they pack a mean flavour punch!
Tina’s sterling team of Santa’s elves moved around the floor and helped us when we got stuck or needed an extra pair of hands. Soon the kitchen space was filled with excited cheers, lots of laughter and exclamations and the sound of glasses clinking.
As soon as we gained some confidence in the pleating, things started getting creative. I was confidently mixing different colours of dough and rolling intricate patterns into my wrappers. The Tall Hedonist turns out to be quite a master pleater; I however, still need to level up quite a few times!
Everyone was super engaged and completely committed to mastering the art of dumplings. I loved the companionable chatter and the fact that food is the catalyst for human connections. Soon, we were chatting and giggling with people who were strangers just minutes before, all bound by the magic of these colourful little pasta pockets.
The eating
After firing up the pans and cooking hundreds of dumplings, the smell of sticky, crispy, golden brown pot stickers filled the space, leaving us with growling tummies. After a quick mix of dipping sauces, we sat down at the large dining table to feast on our creations.
And then that silence. Everyone knows that satisfied silence at the table that signals a great meal. It descended on our loud crowd like a hushed cloud across Table Mountain, as we sat and enjoyed the delicious flavour combinations, and bathed in the glow of our new-found cooking talents.
There was a lot of showing off and competitive banter throughout the night, of course, but for a few minutes we were united in our enjoyment of this moment. Tina and her team could also finally sit down and reap the rewards of their hard labour, as this was very obviously a very content group of cooks.
In conclusion
As we left with our Tupperwares filled with dumplings, I simply had to reflect on the amazing night we had. It’s more than just a cooking class; it’s the pot in which all of life’s best ingredients come together; human connections, new friendships, good wine, great food, awesome experiences and laughter. So much feel-good, uninhibited laughter. It was such a good night; The Tall Hedonist and I even had a very rare photo of us taken! Happy days.
Even if you’re not the world’s best cook, or simply like to eat, there is a space for you in Home Bao’s cooking classes. Get as messy as you want, live out your Masterchef daydreams, keep the enthusiastic home cooks motivated, enjoy a glass of wine or simply watch from the sidelines, but I guarantee you, you won’t be able to resist getting involved. It’s messy, it’s fun and it’s simply delicious. There’s something so satisfying about creating something and doubly so when you can eat it!
Thank you to the gorgeous Tina and her Home Bao team for creating such an awesome space for foodies to not only learn new skills, but to actively engage with interesting ingredients, and absorb your fountain of knowledge! Rainbow unicorn dumplings filled with edible glitter and marshmallow fluff; I’m coming for you next time!
Second photographer: The Tall Hedonist, aka Timothy P. Gibson
The Little Hedonist has made every effort to ensure that the information in this post was correct at the time of publication. However, I do not assume any liability caused by errors, such as price, menu changes, opening times, and contact details.
Disclaimer: I was invited to this event in my personal capacity as The Little Hedonist. There was no expectation for platform coverage in the form of a blog, or social media posts. This is my honest and truthful opinion and review thereof. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are solely those of The Little Hedonist, given in good faith and in no way influenced by the company or its affiliates. All images, unless otherwise stated/credited, are also my own.
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