Yunus Emre InstituteKemal Demirasal explored the ‘Roots to Contemporary Anatolian Cuisine’ with Yunus Emre Institute in London’s A Pinch of Anatolia and Le Cordon Bleu London.
Flavourful, abundant, and steeped in history, one of Turkey’s greatest cultural prides is its cuisine. Yunus Emre Institute in London was delighted to be joined by Kemal Demirasal to explore the ‘Roots to Contemporary Anatolian Cuisine’ for a culinary demonstration. This event took place in partnership with Le Cordon Bleu London and was part of Yunus Emre Institute in London’s long-running project, A Pinch of Anatolia. This fascinating demonstration took place on Wednesday 8th December at 6:30 PM.
True to its title, From Roots to Contemporary Anatolian Cuisine, Chef Kemal’s demonstration was a fascinating and tasty exploration of Turkish cuisine. Chef Demirasal picked two traditional Turkish dishes close to his heart to show the audience. Talking to a room full of hungry gourmets through traditional Anatolian ingredients and Anatolia’s unique art of cooking, Chef Demirasal started his demonstration with his sumptuous slow roast lamb tandoori (Kuzu Tandır). Alongside the demonstration, the audience was given tips and tricks on how to make their lamb as succulent and flavourful as possible. Chef Demirasal had picked this dish for its authentically Turkish roots as a meal he often eaten on celebratory days when living in western Turkey.
With the smells of the aromatic dish winding its way through the audience, Chef Demirasal moved briskly onto his next piece. For dessert, Chef Demirasal prepared a sticky-sweet favourite, baklava, with a surprise modern, French twist – 7 layers of baklava filo pastry with a luxurious pistachio cream between!
Following the completion of each dish, the audience were given the opportunity to try both dishes.
Kemal Demirasal is a self-taught and award-winning chef who is known for creating product-driven, authentic menus. He is chef-founder and/or manager in various prestigious brands such as YEK in London and Alaçatı, Alancha in Alaçatı and Istanbul, Foxy Potato in London and Barbun in Alaçatı, each of which has left its mark in gastronomy circles and created their own loyal followings.
Demirasal is also a familiar face in front of the camera. He has been featured on many well-known shows such as BBC’s ‘The Travel Show’ with Kate Hardie-Buckley, BBC’s ‘From Venice to Istanbul’ with Rick Stein and, TRT’s ‘The Apprentice’.
Those who have tried cooking either of these Turkish dishes will know that covering the making of both these dishes within 2 hours is quite a feat. Chef Demirasal, with the help of his assistant, managed to give the audience a quick taste of classic and contemporary taste of Turkey.
The event ended with a Q&A session with the Chef.
The event will be available to view on the Yunus Emre Institute in London YouTube channel, @yeelondra.
For more information on the event and to keep an out for more events like this, please visit the Yunus Emre Institute in London website, www.yeelondon.org.uk/, or follow the Institute via social media, @yeelondra.