Culinary Therapy
Cookery classes
Why is it that we have become a society that would rather spend 10 minutes on preparing dinner and several hours sitting in front of the TV or the computer screen?
Charmaine has a passionate and wholistic interest in food and cookery. Her food philosophy based on the belief that cooking and eating well:
- Can significantly affect our physical and psychological well being for the better
- Assist us to develop self-determination and empowerment
(not knowing how to cook or to eat well leaves you vulnerable to the marketing prowess of the processed food industry) - Provide us with carnal and creative pleasure and enjoyment and make us feel good
Charmaine is an experienced and inspiring cookery teacher with an expertise in regional and contemporary Indian cookery; cooking with spices and healthy eating. The focus of all her classes is on encouraging participants to nourish themselves and their loved ones well and to accept that eating well does require some planning and effort but that it is one of life's enduring and rewarding pleasures (and good health insurance to boot!).
Regular public cookery classes are held at CAE
Private cookery classes can be held in your home. Each class runs for three hours and culminates in a meal (lunch, dinner or a dinner party if you are game).
All classes include a spice kit and printed recipes.

Prices (including GST):
1-2 people: $140
3 people: $ 190
4 people: $250
For more information on private cookery classes please contact Charmaine.
Food Coaching
Charmaine also offers a food coaching service in which she works with clients on an individual basis to develop their own 'eating well' practice through coaching sessions.
Latest Recipe
Malabar Coast Fish Kofte With Coconut Sauce
Malabar Coast fish kofte with coconut sauce
Serves 6
Ingredients
500g white fish fillets
½ tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp white vinegar
3 shallots, grated or minced
2 green chilies, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp dried coconut
the zest of one lime
Sauce
1 tbsp garlic paste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
I red onion, grated
1 tsp white poppy seeds ground to a paste*
½ cup yoghurt
½ cup thick coconut milk
50g butter
fresh coriander leaves
vegetable oil for cooking
Method
To make the kofte
Cut the fish into chunks. Mix the turmeric and vinegar with a little salt. Marinate the fish in the vinegar mix for 30 minutes.
Drain the fish and process it in a food processor with all the remaining ingredients. Do this on the pulse setting as you want the fish to retain some texture; it should come away from the sides of the processor jug and form a large ball (just as dough does)
Shape into golf-ball size balls gently between the palms of your hands and then slightly flatten them so that are more disc like.
Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
You can choose to gently shallow fry or steam the kofte. Set aside when cooked.
To make the sauce
Mix the garlic and ginger pastes with a little water to make a paste.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok or a heavy based pan over a medium-high heat. When hot add the cumin seeds and allow them to ‘pop’ then mix in the onion and stir until it softens a little. Mix in the garlic and ginger and the poppy seed paste and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and then the yoghurt and stir for 1 minute.
Stir in the coconut milk. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the sauce for 10 minutes. Stir the butter into the sauce.
Just before serving slide the kofte into the sauce and allow to warm through. Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves.
* White poppy seeds are available from some Indian grocery stores and can be difficult to find. If you can’t get any please do not substitute black poppy seeds – these are not the same thing and they make the sauce look like black sludge. The best substitute is raw cashews or blanched almonds.
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