Baking Class and PUTAK

I was excited to learn how to make the original Hainanese Chicken Rice, on the first day of my 5-day culinary journey.

Instead of the cooking class, Enderun started with the one -day baking class.
I was probably the only one who’s not pursuing a career in baking or culinary. And I was obviously the oldest among the students.

The chef was frowning and giving us a dagger look while we entered the big kitchen. Someone whispered “Mukhang masungit”. I answered “oo nga bakit ang samang tumingin, parang masama ang gising”.

I wasn’t able to get the name of the Chef.

I had trouble focusing because I ‘m already so used to being the one giving orders. My impulse was to look for a chair somewhere at the back and just wait for them to finish. Like “can you just give me a slice after you’re done?” Sobrang diva.

I positioned myself closer to him for better understanding of what he was saying. Aside from listening, I also tried to read his lips. I kept on hearing him say PUTAK. I looked at the 2-page recipe and couldn’t find a word PUTAK. Ano kaya yun?, paulit -ulit nya binabanggit, PUTAK.

I found myself in an unfamiliar territory. I felt so weird attending a baking class. To begin with I have no desire to learn how to bake. We are not crazy about chocolate cakes. It’s easier, cheaper and faster to buy Gateau Manille’s moist choco cake. But yesterday afternoon, I was at Enderun courtesy of my lovely daughter. The 5-session course included learning the Louis XV recipe. Luck would have it that they tackled first the one that I was least interested in.

We were 24 and were made to split into groups of 4 and 3. My groupmates were Len, 34 years old mother of 3, who together with her husband, owns the Brother’s Burger franchise in Katipunan across Ateneo, and the Blue Water Day Spa in Capitol Hills. Len has taken classes at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in Katipunan and has been catering and cooking for years. She also bakes.

Candy, 30, (in red) is also an entrepreneur. Together with her husband, they have vehicles for rent and she has formally studied baking at Heny Sison’s and has been baking for sometime now, accepting orders for wedding cakes, debut, birthday, give-aways, etc. She obviously can very well teach me how to bake. Candy said she no longer eats or tastes what she bakes to avoid putting on weight. She used to be 240 lbs. heavy till she got sick and was forced to diet. She now enjoys a lighter 180 lbs. frame. When she told us about that, I could only agree with her that it’s best for her not to eat or even taste anymore any of her cakes.

Candy and Len both credit their supportive husbands for encouraging them to pursue their hobbies seriously.

I told my groupmate Len that the embroidery in my apron was inverted. I wanted to exchange it. She said, it’s really like that because it’s supposed to be folded.

I would have preferred that I have my own work station, that we could do the stuff individually, not as a group. I think I would learn faster that way.

AFter half-hour, I finally figured-out what Chef meant when he said PUTAK. …………………. product.