A taste of Israel

“There is no such thing as Israeli food,” says Chef Moshe Shek, as he folds his hands around his chest and leans on a cabinet by the window in the outhouse of A World Away, his cooking studio nestled in Alibaug.

The chef lived in Israel for four years early on in his career, where he worked at The Hilton, as well as in small restaurants. “There is no definition to the cuisine. The habitants include people from all over the world — Italy, Central Africa, India, the Arab states, Syria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, etc.”

Fish Cakes

He adds, “All the cuisines they brought with them earned a Mediterannean influence with an Israeli touch. The cuisine is so varied and beautiful. Falafel from a Yemenite guy will taste different as opposed to a Moroccan or an Egyptian guy. Some add cumin, some don’t, some add garlic some like it plain. And, they are so passionate about it that they can debate over it for hours. But, really, there is no one right here.” But mind you, if you ask for “haamus” in an American accent, the conversation ends at whether you want mayonnaise.

Cous Cous Salad

One among the group asks for his Instagram handle. “The only handle I have is on the bike outside,” he says with a serious face, adding that that’s how the idea to get people out of the city so they can learn to cook cropped up. Everyone is on their phones all day, and at recipe classes buried in their notepads to take notes. “That’s not how you learn to cook. You learn to cook by watching.”

Hassan Madah, Director, Israel Ministry of Tourism – India says that Israel has several ethnic communities settled in the country, which makes the cuisine diverse in nature. “In the whole country, there is no single cuisine that dominates. For example, in north of Israel there is a community called Druze and their cuisine is slightly different from the cuisine in central and south of Israel. They have grape leaves stuffed with rice and their pita is as big as the Indian roomali roti, which they eat with labneh and zaatar. In central Israel, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have a very strong food culture, which can be witnessed in the several food festivals they conduct throughout the year.”

Beetroot Hummus

Hands-on cooking
With a decent idea of the cuisine, Moshe has plans to get our hands working and we make our way to the glass house where a MasterChef-like set-up with cooking stations is waiting for us. Our aprons read: ‘Come Shakshuka with me’. Sweet.

We begin with a hummus, and learn the importance of adding baking soda to chick peas when soaked in water over night, and second time at boiling. “This separates the skin easily,” Moshe explains, demonstrating three variations —beetroot and pine nuts, rocket leaves and orange juice, and a plain version with olives. Hummus is incomplete without tahina, a sesame paste and seasoning of sumac, zaatar and paprika.  

Chef Moshe in action

Before we head to our stations, we get a lesson in knife skills, and it is the first time I am using a professional knife. But, it isn’t intimidating, if you follow the right moves. Never lift the knife from the board, and feed the veggies or onions into its way. Amid laughter, selfies and disasters, the idea that we are cooking our lunch for the day keeps us focussed on our steps. And, Moshe is right, we don’t need to look at the recipe because we have watched him demonstrate.

We even step out to char aubergines and bell peppers, prepare a cous cous salad garnished with fried haloumi and roll out pitas and toss them in the oven for baking. We break for lunch only once all the dishes have been plated. Happy, smiling faces make way to break bread that has risen out of a labour of love. And, for our hard toil in the kitchen, we are treated to a tahini panacotta.

Phorum Dalal is a Mumbai-based travel and food writer