It was Saturday afternoon, and Fatima’s kitchen was full of laughter, conversation, and the delicious aroma of food cooking. Today was the group’s first Cooking Challenge, where everyone prepared a dish from their country. The counters were filled with ingredients—flour, vegetables, spices, cheese, meat, and more.
“I hope you’re all ready,” Fatima said, tying her apron. “We’re going to have a fun—and maybe a little messy—day!”
Maria laughed. “I have never cooked for so many people before!”
Alex patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Maria. If your pasta is bad, we’ll still eat it.”
“Very funny, Alex,” Maria said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s see if your pizza is better than a restaurant’s.”
Diego clapped his hands. “Okay, let’s start! Who goes first?”
Making Recipes
Fatima handed out printed recipe cards so everyone could follow along.
“Cooking is easier when you have a recipe,” she said. “A recipe tells you what ingredients you need and how to cook the food.”
She pointed to her card. “Here’s my recipe for chicken curry.”
Ingredients:
- 500g chicken
- 2 onions (chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Salt to taste
Steps:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add onions and cook until golden.
- Add garlic and ginger, cook for one minute.
- Add tomatoes and spices, stir well.
- Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk, simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve with rice or bread.
Maria looked at the recipe. “This is helpful! I always forget the steps when I cook.”
Diego nodded. “Me too. Let’s write our own recipes!”
Cooking in Teams
The group split into pairs to cook.
Team 1: Maria and Lily (Pasta Carbonara)
Maria took charge. “First, we need spaghetti, eggs, cheese, and bacon.”
Lily read the recipe. “We cook the pasta first, then mix the eggs and cheese.”
As they worked, Maria taught Lily Italian cooking words.
“Pasta needs to be al dente,” Maria explained. “Not too soft, not too hard.”
Lily repeated, “Al dente. Got it!”
Team 2: Alex and Diego (Homemade Pizza)
Alex kneaded the dough. “This takes time, but it’s important.”
Diego helped chop vegetables. “We make asado in Argentina, but I’ve never made pizza before.”
Alex laughed. “Pizza is easy. Just don’t burn it!”
Team 3: Fatima and Chen (Dumplings)
Chen showed Fatima how to fold dumplings. “Pinch the edges like this.”
Fatima tried but made a funny shape. “Mine looks bad!”
Chen smiled. “It still tastes good.”
Kitchen Mistakes
Of course, not everything went perfectly.
Maria dropped an egg on the floor. “Oops!”
Alex burned the first pizza. “Okay… maybe it isn’t that easy.”
Chen laughed. “Cooking is about learning. Mistakes are normal.”
Fatima nodded. “That’s why we practice.”
The Big Feast
After an hour, the dishes were ready. Everyone sat down to eat.
“This is amazing!” Lily said, tasting Maria’s pasta.
Alex tried Diego’s empanadas. “So good! You need to give me the recipe.”
Fatima passed around her curry. “I love sharing food from my culture.”
Maria raised her glass. “To good food and good friends!”
Everyone cheered.
Learning New Words
After dinner, the group wrote cooking words in their notebooks:
- Boil
- Fry
- Bake
- Chop
- Mix
- Simmer
- Stir
- Recipe
- Ingredients
- Delicious
Maria asked, “How do you say ‘delicious’ in your language?”
Fatima: “Lazeez (Urdu)”
Chen: “Hǎo chī (Chinese)”
Diego: “Rico (Spanish)”
Alex: “Buono (Italian)”
Lily: “Oishii (Japanese)”
Activity for Readers
- Write your favorite recipe in English.
- List the ingredients.
- Write the steps.
- Practice these sentences:
- “I need ____ to cook ____.”
- “First, you _____. Then, you _____.”
- “I like to cook ____ because ____.”
- Answer these questions:
- What is your favorite dish to cook?
- Do you like baking or cooking more?
- What cooking words do you know?