Guests of the Compassionate Chefs Cafe event on May 25th got to see a cultural highlight never before attempted: Chefs Martin Yan and Ranjan Dey belly dancing with Nisha.
For those of you who couldn’t be there - we immortalized this grand event on video.
Enjoy!
Thanks to everyone who came on May 25th. We had a great time and raised over $10,000 (and still counting) for Compassionate Chefs Cafe! Our biggest thanks goes out to Chef Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook who joined us for the dinner, dancing and merriment. We would also like to extend our gratitude to to Shanti and Sam Mathan, who has volunteered to buy mattresses for all the children at the Gandhi Ashram. We cannot thank you enough for this generous donation.
Many many thanks to all of you who came and to all our sponsors who made the event a grand success.
Thanks to Vonne from Open Table for welcoming everybody. Thanks also go to Kodi and Latha Dey for organzing all the donations, Amar for putting together the music that kept us
jumping all evening long and Nisha who started the dancing off right with Ranjan and Martin.
And big thank you to each and every staff member of New Delhi Restaurant for volunteering their time to this event.
On that note, please send us your check if you did not get a chance to join us, but still wanted to make a contribution. Please make check payable to:
Compassionate Chefs Cafe
and mail it to
New Delhi Restaurant
160 Ellis Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Thanks again for all your support and we look forward to seeing you at our next event in November.
Click here to see all the photos from the evening.
In celebration of the combined talents of Chefs Martin Yan and Ranjan Dey, the menu will feature a fusion of Indian and Chinese dishes served family style.
Learn more about Indian-Chinese Culture and Cuisine
Chicken in a fragrant, spicy Chinese sauce
with ginger and peppers
Hakka Noodles
A flavorful noodle dish prepared in the
Hakka style of India
Chili Paneer
A spicy Indian stir fry with house-made paneer
Vegetarian options available
Third Course
New Delhi Barbeque Chicken Ferezi
Seasoned wth garlic, peppers and tomatoes
cooked in a light sauce.
Kashmiri Lamb Kofta
A succulent Kashmiri-style dish cooked
in a delicious mild yogurt-cream sauce.
Served with saffron rice and hot naan bread
Vegetarian options available
Sumptous Desserts
Chilled Rice Pudding with Alfanso Mango Float
Warm Gulab Jamun Milk Dumpling in
Warm Cardamom Syrup
Masala Chai Indian milk tea flavored with cardamom
And that’s not all…
DJ and Dancing!
Live Entertainment!
About Martin Yan
Internationally known chef and author Martin Yan got his start at age 13 when he began his apprenticeship in Hong Kong. After honing his skills in Asia, he moved to the United States and earned an MS in Food Science at The University of California/Davis.In 1978, the now-classic “Yan Can Cook” debuted on television and a star was born. He has been the celebrated host of over 2800 cooking shows broadcast worldwide. Chef Yan has published 30 cookbooks and won numerous awards, including the James Beard Award. Most recently, he has opened a culinary school in Shehzhen, China. His trademark wit and energetic style have won him fans around the globe. YanCanCook.com About Compassionate Chefs Cafe
Compassionate Chefs Cafe (CCC) is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization with one goal: To help children locally and globally. We work with the Tenderloin After School Program (TASP) in San Francisco and Gandhi Ashram in New Delhi, India to uplift the lives of the children and provide them with important resources to become members of the global village.100% of money raised goes to CCC. The $26,000 raised last year kept TASP’s door open and available to over 250 kids for 40 hours a week, sent 16 kids on a visit to colleges in Chicago and helped provide free homework tutoring five nights a week.
At the Gandhi Ashram, our donation provide clean water and new bathrooms to the school, bought new uniforms and provided school supplies to all 300 students.
More details are available here.
CCC would like to thank everyone who donated their time and money in the past year. If you were wondering how the funds got used, here’s the break down of how the Tenderloin After School Program (TASP) and the Gandhi Ashram distributed the money.
Tenderloin After School Program
Offer TASP free of charge to an average of 55 children a day.
Keep TASP doors open 40 hours a week, including Saturdays.
Provide free homework tutoring five days a week, relying on 20 TASP volunteers.
Offer free assistance to parents to maneuver through the public and private school system through the TASP School Liaison Program.
Host 10 weekly Teen Night workshops to prepare youth for the Annual College Tour.
Take 16 TASP youth to Chicago on the week-long Annual College Tour.
Provide youth leadership development by presenting two community cultural events inc luding the African American Festival in January and the Cinco de Mayo Festival in May.
Organize at least one recreational activity per day including bike trips, bowling, swimming, hikes, dance, and other activities.
Offer four intergenerational events with seniors living in TNDC senior buildings.
Bring TASP families together for three activities, including a on-site, overnight camping event.
Gandhi Ashram
The donated funds went toward the installation of a dry septic tank, plumbing and lavatory facilities for dormitory building.
Purchased two new sets of school uniforms for each child.
Replaced school supplies for the students.
Paid six months back wages for boarding school staff.
India West gave CCC some news coverage when they mentioned our Nov. 11 gala fund raiser in their January 4th edition and gave the 25 Club a boost in February. Read the stories below.
Celebrating the Original Fusion Cuisine at Macy’s Cellar
On May 15th at 6:00 pm Ranjan will be hosting a cooking demo, tasting and talk about Indian Chinese cuisine. This is a reflection on two of the oldest cultures and cuisines in the world and how they came together to create something delicious. Indian-Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the tiny Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata for over a century. This exciting talk and tasting is led by Ranjan K Dey . Ranjan Dey is passionate about promoting Indian culture and cuisine. He has over 35 years of experience in running Indian restaurants in India, Hong Kong, Bangkok and San Francisco. He is the chef and owner of the New Delhi Restaurant and New World Spices in San Francisco.
Indian Feast to Benefit Children
Join us for an exciting experience featuring the finest Indian food and drink, fabulous performances, and the company of our superstar chef Martin Yan. Where: New Delhi Restaurant, 160 Ellis St. When: Sunday, May 25th at 6:00-9:00 pm How: Tickets are $125 per person Contact: 415-816-4068 or by email at ranjan@newdelhirestaurant.com.
If you can’t make it to the presentation, here’s a sneak peek of what Ranjan will be cooking. Feel free to try it at home!
Hakka Noodles Serves 4
Noodles 1/2 pound. Ginger - finely chopped 4 tbsp. Green chillies - finely chopped 2 tsp. Spring Onions - chopped 1 1/2 cup Carrots - chopped 1 cup Bell pepper - chopped 1 cup Bean sprouts 1 cup Cabbage, chopped 1 cup Dried red chilies 3 MSG, optional A pinch White pepper 1/2 tsp Soy sauce 3 tbsp. Oil 1/2 cup Salt To taste
For the Noodles - Water 10 cups Oil 2 tsp. Salt 2 tsp.
Method for cooking noodles -
1. Boil the water and add the noodles and salt. Cook uncovered over a high flame for 4 minutes, stirring often. When noodles are al dente, remove from the water and toss with the oil. Chill until time to cook.
Method for Hakka noodles -
1. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan with high edges.
2. Add the ginger, dried red chilies and green chilies. Fry lightly.
3. Add cooked noodles and toss in oil.
4. Add all the vegetables, pepper, soy sauce and salt. Stir fry over a high flame for 2 minutes.
5. Garnish with thin long pieces of spring onion tops.
6. Serve very hot over noodles.
(This dish usually uses red food coloring to achieve it’s distinctive color. Feel free to omit it or to substitute beet juice instead. You may also include a pinch of MSG if desired, although we prefer to leave it out.)
Join us for an exciting experience featuring the finest Indian food and drink, fabulous performances, and the company of our superstar chef Martin Yan. Where: New Delhi Restaurant, 160 Ellis St. When: Sunday, May 25th at 6:00-9:00 pm How: Tickets are $125 per person Contact: 415-816-4068.
Compassionate Chefs Cafe is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization with one goal: To help children locally and globally. We work with the Tenderloin After School Program (TASP) and Gandhi Ashram in New Delhi, India to uplift the lives of the children and provide them with important resources to become members of the global village.
The Bollywood Dance Extravaganza benefit in November generated some press. We were happy to find ourselves reported on by San Francisco Daily and - prior to the event - by India West. Please click on the images to read larger versions.