They are gearing up for a running race… by learning how to cook.

Yes, you read that right. In the lead-up to the Great Eastern Women’s Run (GEWR) to be held on November 9 this year, Tupperware, one of the sponsors of the race, organized a cooking class for the runners who had registered for the event, as well as the participants of the #RunToLiveGreat programme.

The scrumptious Homemade Asian Hawaiian pizza that we learnt how to cook

Learnt how to cook the healthy way

During the session, the runners had learnt how to cook Homemade Asian Hawaiian Pizza and Apple Salsa, the healthy way. All the ingredients, including the pizza dough and tomato sauce base, were prepared from scratch, so that the content of salt and sugar could be fully controlled. Also, nutritious vegetables such as capsicums and onions had made up the bulk of the ingredients – to further add to the health value of the food.

We also tried our hands at making salsa and ate it with tortilla chips.

Said 52-year-old Flossie Lio, the chef who had taught the participants how to prepare the dishes, “Our versions of these dishes are very healthy because even the sauce is made in-house so it is not commercial at all. And the methods of cooking are so simple that it would be easy for the runners to prepare at home themselves – for a healthy fix.”

Witnessing first-hand demonstrations of the cooking

The participants really enjoyed witnessing first-hand live demonstrations of both the pizza and salsa.

During these demonstrations, two lucky volunteers were also selected to knead the pizza dough. One of them was administrative officer Pearlyn Lau. On her experience, she said, “This is my first time making pizza dough from scratch. It was so much easier than I had thought, and I’m impressed by it. Now I’ll probably be going home to try and make pizza for my family, with my new skills.”

Chef Flossie Lio (Left) looks on, while a participant peels apples to make the Apple Salsa.

Getting into the actual cooking

Everyone subsequently had the chance to get their hands into the actual cooking in the second half of the class, when they were given a chance to make the salsa – and once they were done, the “judges” went around to taste everyone’s salsa and give their verdict. It felt just like Masterchef!

Said a participant, 36-year-old finance assistant Anne Tay, “I enjoyed making the salsa. It was easier to make than I had thought, because everything was simply cut and thrown into the mixer. It is very healthy too, compared to the salsa that’s usually sold in the supermarkets.”

As a bonus, everyone got to taste the food at the end of the session – and brought some home too, and everyone made full use of the complimentary containers that had been given to them by the generosity of Tupperware.

Enlightened many of the participants

The session definitely enlightened many participants, and opened their eyes to a much healthier method of preparing their favourite dishes.

Said 21-year-old student Shermin Liau, “It really opened my eyes to a healthy method of cooking. For instance, if I want to eat pizza, I would just pick up the phone and make a call. But today’s session really changed my perception of what I have always known about pizza.”

Some participants are watching the demonstration eagerly.

Added Pearlyn, “I am impressed that pizza can actually be made this way. It is very healthy compared to the commercial pizza, where you don’t know what you are eating.”

Given them a new passion for cooking

For some participants too, the session has also ignited a newfound interest in cooking within them. Said Anne, “Actually, I didn’t really know how to cook before today’s demonstration. But this class has given me a new passion for cooking.”

Added Flossie, “The participants really learnt a lot from today’s session and I’m glad by how it had all turned out.”

Here are the recipes for the Homemade Asian Hawaiian Pizza and Apple Salsa dishes that we were taught at the session.

(Both recipes courtesy of Tupperware)

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