Chinese Cooking Classes in New York, Winter 2011

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and day!

Now that it's January, signs of people acting out on their New Year's resolutions are everywhere. Every gym I pass appears packed from the street, even at 2pm on a weekday. Friends are purging their cabinets of cookies and candy. Magazines on the newstand seem have recipes only for low-cal soups and salads. (My own resolution was going to be curbing my addiction to sour cream & onion potato chips. On careful consideration, I chose the less difficult option of making it to yoga class twice a week.)

Luckily, there are New Year's resolutions that still celebrate food. I received an email a few weeks ago from a reader whose resolution for 2011 was to learn more about cooking, specifically Chinese cooking, and asked if I happened to be teaching any classes in New York in the coming months. So for this reader, and anyone else who is interested, here are the classes I'm teaching this winter. There's still room available for the "Sichuan Spice" and "Cuisine of Macau" classes at the Institute of Culinary Education. My "Chinatown Classics" class at Whole Foods is sold out, but you can sign up for the waiting list. Register on the schools' websites by clicking the links below.

Sichuan Spice- Jan 19, 2001, 6-10pm @ The Institute of Culinary Education

Many of Sichuan province's signature dishes incorporate one key ingredient: Sichuan peppercorn. Learn how to use this backbone of Sichuan cooking in stir-fries, braises, salads, and even steamed dishes. Recipes include Sichuan Wontons; Cucumber Salad; Dry-Fried Green Beans; Kung Pao Chicken; Mapo Tofu; Pork and Spinach Dumplings; Braised Beef with Daikon Radish; Fish-Fragrant Eggplant; and Twice-Cooked Pork.

Cuisine of Macau - Mar 3, 2011, 6-10pm @ The Institute of Culinary Education

Led by Chinese food expert Diana Kuan, who has taught cooking classes in Beijing and written about food for numerous U.S. publications, you will explore the techniques and ingredients behind a variety of East-West dishes, including Tamarind Pork; Macanese Feijoada; Eggplant Sambal; Chili Prawns; Minchi (beef and potato sauté); Stir-Fried Duck with Lychees; and Caldo Verde (potato and kale soup).

Chinatown Classics - Feb 8, 2011, 6-9pm @ Bowery Culinary Center at Whole Foods (CLASS FULL, Waiting List Available)

Also check out the classes at ICE taught by friend and fellow blogger Kian Lam Kho, including The Complete Chinese Dinner and Stir-frying Demystified.