One of the best things about Beijing is the mouth-watering food, but recreating delicious dishes like steamed ribs with fermented soybeans and dry stir-fried green beans at home can be difficult – unless that is, you went to a Hutong Cuisine cooking class during your visit.
Professional cook Chun Yi, who speaks perfect English, holds informal and fun classes everyday from her home, where she teaches a selection of her favourite dishes from the Sichuan province, home to some of China's spiciest and most memorable dishes.
Don't worry if the nearest you've been to cooking Chinese food is cracking open a fortune cookie, as Chun Yi starts with the basics. First thing in the morning there's an optional market tour where she will talk you through the myriad of different vegetables available in China, covering everything from choosing cai xin or cai sum for blanched vegetable dishes, to what the different types of soy bean pastes are used for.
Once you've returned to her courtyard home, just off one of Beijing's trendiest hutong alleys, the aprons go on and the knives come out. Classes are kept to a maximum of six people, each of whom has their own cooking space around a big table. It's a good job there's plenty of room as Chun Yi teaches you how to wield a fearsome looking cleaver.
Once you've mastered knife skills, the real fun begins and after four hours you'll have cooked three different dishes and, if you're anything like me, will have eaten everything with gusto. Well, you've been slaving in the kitchen for a few hours – you deserve it, right?
Cooking classes cost 180RMB per person for 4 hours and every day there is a different menu. Check Chun Yi’s website for details, www.hutongcuisine.com.
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Photos by Helena Iveson.
