Catch me on the Mumbai Episode of The Great Indian Rasoi 2

 Koli episode

I am assuming you read about my exciting experience on the making of the Mumbai Episode of The Great Indian Rasoi 2. Sharing here the video.

The link is now available on Living foods
https://livingfoodz.com/episodes/the-great-indian-rasoi-2-3-episode-3-mumbai-s-unique-cuisine-335


Suranga Date has written an ode to the episode, a poem for the smashing Chef Ranveer Brar and one for me too!

तेलात चकाकले शुभ्र कांदे , हळूहळू झाले सोने , जणू मावशीन्च्या नाकी चमके साग्रर मोत्याची नथ; फटाकड्या हिरव्या मिरच्या तुटून पडती त्याञ्च्यावर , आणि कुणा एका ब्रारला ठसका लागताच, मावशी मान डोलवून , गळ्यातलं चाचपडून, टीव्ही क्यामेरा कडे बघून "अगोबाय !" हसू पडे … अंजलीचा हात लागताच "इश्श, मी येतच होते…" म्हणत स्वतःला त्यात झोकून देणारी वांगी , स्वादात डुंबत आतुरतेने चिंब कोळीमची वाट बघणारे सगळे , कोळी मसाल्याच्या होडीच्या तवा वापसीचा अपूर्व जल्लोष; आणि मग कोवळ्या पण जबाबदार हिरव्या कान्दापातीचे आगमन , आणि त्यांचे बोट धरून हट्टाने टीव्ही वर आलेले कोकम . सर्वांवरी एक झाकण , आसमंतात मावशीनचा फुललेला चेहरा, एक दणदणीत वाफ झाके मावशीनचा चष्मा. गोड तांदुळाचे वडे वाट बघती कोळीमची, परवानगीसाठी बघती अन्जलीकडे . आणि कोळी बांधवांचे अदरातिथ्य बघूंन अन्जलीचे कौतुक करून ब्रार भारावून जातो, आणि देवा  खंडोबा समाधानाने सागराकडे एक दूर कटाक्ष टाकत म्हणतात , "मी अनेकदा टीव्ही वर आलो रे , पण सर्वाना घेउन अंजली आली ,फार छान वाटलं !"

White onion slivers glistening in hot oil, with a tinge of  pale polished  gold, like the Pearly nosering adorning Mavshee's nose;   Item number mirchis rushing in all cut up and  doing their stuff, causing a Brar to cough, and a Mavshee to nod and crack up, quickly adjust her necklace, and surprise the camera with a heartfelt "Agobaya!".... And the brinjals, falling on to the tawa at the slightest Anjolian nudge, waiting and sizzling for the tiny shrimp,  inebriated with water. The celebrated Tawa Wapasi of the Koli Masala, spicing and saffronizing it all, and they agitate and stir as streaks and cuts  of green onion, lugging some Kokam  enter the scene.  A great cooking  behind closed lids, steaming and tearing, and the shrimp are done amidst a  clouding  of the specs of a Mavshi  checking it out  and waiting for it all... A thrilling welcome from Sweet Rice Wadas impatient to hold close the shrimp masala. And as the Brar sits, biting into  the wada and the shrimp, overcome  with the Koli Hospitality, the resplendent Khandoba watching it all, looks at a shining sea in the distance, and says, " You know what, I've been on TV many times, but this one with Anjali and friends is special indeed !".....

I am so happy about the rave response the episode has received from the audience.Would love to hear what you think about it.

 Have fun!

A Protein Rich Golden Toast

When a new student of Hotel Management asks you for an innovative recipe, you just jump at it. So here you go Gautami a step by step recipe just for you.

Ingredients

1 cup soaked and ground chana Dal or moong dal

1 medium onion diced fine.

2-3 green chilies chopped fine

1/4 cup corn kernels

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt to taste

4 slices of bread or two brun paos like I used.

1/2 tablespoons oil

First mix in a medium bowl the soaked and ground chana Dal or moong dal with finely diced onions, fine chopped green chilies, chopped cilantro, corn kernels and salt.

Apply it on the slices or cut side of the brun.

Put them on a seasoned non stick pan facedown and shallow fry with little oil till golden.

Turn over and toast up the other side of the bread like this.










Remove on a plate and serve with ketchup.

  Then don't wait, just take a bite into a warm wonderfully savoury  Protein Rich Golden Toast ! 

These are so filling that after 2 each of those we skipped lunch !

Ganpati 2015

  

The morning pooja, abhishek with Atharvashirshya chanting

While we were away in Bangalore for 7years I would miss the family Ganpati. So my father started this new tradition on my request of doing a pooja on Ganesh Chaturthi. We have a pancha dhatu Ganpati idol that we offer Pooja only on this day and then it goes back to its mantle after the uttar pooja in the evening. I follow many family traditions but this one is truly my own.

Here is all the food that happened along with the poojan ...

Half day, fasting feasting begins with chopped apple with condensed milk, after the pooja.

 Microwave Sabudana khichadi, Batata Kees, Kokum coconut chutney and curd for the late afternoon meal.

 The evening pooja, uttar pooja

Naivedya in the evening, Modak - mango pulp in the cover and regular jaggery coconut filling inside, Top left Keshar pista Shrikhanda, Left bottom Goad shev, Top right Motichoor ladoo (bought out) and bottom right Alepaak pohe.
There was varan bhaat toop and green coconut coriander chutney too, see pic above. 

Watch me on The Great Indian Rasoi 2, Mumbai Episode on LIVING FOODZ Channel

Date and Time of broadcast : 16th Sep 2015, Wednesday at 9.30 pm

With : Chef Ranveer Brar

Presented Recipe: Sukka Kolim, Vanga ani Ool / Shrimps with brinjal and spring onions

Story: Chef Ranveer is a traveler exploring different cuisines across India. He meets me at the Khandoba temple at Colaba. I take him into the temple to partake in the Pooja. He is curious to know the unusual deity and the history of the temple. Then we cook together a breakfast of Sukka Kolim Vanga ani Ool and serve it with Goad ghari. After cooking we share the meal with the community.

Shooting Experience:

It all began on 1 Dec when Rubeena from Zee Khana Khazana now LIVING FOODZ messaged me to send my co-ordinates, after a brief discussion on phone the next thing I knew was the following Sunday we were doing the recce of Colaba Koliwada together. We checked out many a kitchen but were unsatisfied with them. All of them were modern ones and the traditional Koli kitchen was lost to time in Colaba Koliwada. Rubeena took a lot of pictures to show to her team and we agreed on an open air kitchen setup as an alternative.

A rough plan was up on what we would want to showcase in the episode. I was told the shoot was on the 13th, a Saturday just 2 days ahead. This was not the most suitable day as there was an engagement in the community and the entire community was expected to go for it in bus-fulls outside Colaba, leaving it deserted. Inspite of it I took courage and talked to a lot of the community members. They were not really happy with the date as they were not going to change their plans of attending the engagement for this shoot. I had jitter bugs.

On Friday, a day prior to the shoot I decided to camp at Colaba to set up things. I ordered the veggies in the Colaba Market and collected ingredients required for the shoot. Gajanan Godkhav an old friend of my family stood by me. We spent that entire evening convincing the Bhagat or Koli pujari to stay back from the engagement and be available for the shoot. I am extremely thankful to Devendra Koli for the wonderful support he provided. He proclaimed, "I am there with you. We will try our best to make it a success!" Since none of the young women were going to be around I had given up hope on any dance sequence to be include in the story.

That night, at 1.30 am, mid December there was a rain storm, completely un-seasonal in Mumbai. Nature had gone wild and the breeze was roaring through trembling trees. I was at Sudarshan Dheer Kaka's home that faces the sea, we both woke up and stared outside. We were shaken to the bones. I wondered how the shooting would be possible the next day. Dheer kaka calmed me down saying the storm will subside by morning. He said it will go away the way it had come. After an hour the storm did calm down and we fell back in bed to catch a few winks before the next day dawned.

Then in the morning Rubeena called to tell they had started from Andheri, that assured me, they were a determined lot and the shooting was to happen as planned.

They reached the Khandoba temple which was our chosen location for the shoot and asked me to reach there too. I went to pick up the green veggies for the shoot and broke my chappal in the market. Fortunately there was a cobbler who did a swell job that morning. The Zee Khana Khazana (now LIVING FOODZ) team had set themselves up. I was a little late, Chef Ranveer saw me and received me with the warmest hug. After exchanging our greetings, He clicked and tweeted this picture of us just before we started our day.

I was only slightly nervous. I wanted to know if they had a script and asked Ranveer about it. Tusshar the creative director gave me the brief of the storyline. Ranveer insisted that we should not discuss further as he wanted to keep the spontaneity intact and enjoy my responses to his curious questions too!  

I was already beginning to like Ranveer, down-to-earth and lovable. He smiled through the entire shoot of 4 hrs and that put me to ease. Whenever the team asked for a retake, Ranveer lead me appropriately to make it easy for me and so that it did not look like a clip off. He nudged me to look straight at him and not bother about the camera.

The funniest moment: 

Was when we added green chilies to the oil, the pungent odor got straight up my nostrils while the tall and handsome chef kept stirring it with elan. We had all the people surrounding us, who were watching the shoot coughing out and followed by ripples of laughter. The cameras were happy capturing it!

The charged moment:

After the pooja when the group called out Jai Malhar! Sadananda cha Yelkot!!

The magical moment:

When Devendra started playing the dhol and the Aajis and Maushis who were sitting on the OTi of the Darbar started singing songs spontaneously. The atmosphere was like a wedding and I coaxed the women to do the ritual dance. The Aajis threw their walking sticks away and began to move gracefully in circles. I danced for the first time in my life to Koli songs and beat of the dhol. Ranveer joined them and the whole environment was filled with high energy. Personally this was the magical moment for me. It was a feeling of becoming one with your roots, a heady feeling.

The moment of calm:

Later when we sat down to eat with the community Ranveer asked me the meaning of AnnaParabrahma which is Food is Supreme. I explained how, the sanskar we give to food is what the food makes us irrespective of whether it is veg or non veg food. At this point, Ranveer was calm and almost meditative. That moment I discovered the real Ranveer and understood why he is this much loved and respected Chef Ranveer Brar!

Ranveer's comments on the recipe: 

Ahaan! I am not telling here you must watch it on TV :)

Devendra said, "Kolim tagda banlay!"

Overall a fun experience with a very easy going team that is Zee Khana Khazana now LIVING FOODZ, Rubeena, Tusshar, Ambika, Jatin, George and everyone who was part of the shoot.

The certificate of appreciation and an autograph by Chef Ranveer Brar

Why you must watch the show:

1. To know the history of the Kolis
2. What their busy and risk filled lifestyle is like.
3. To see me dance for the first time in my life to Koli songs and dhol beats with all the Aajis and Maushis.
4. To watch how Malhari Martand or Khandoba is worshiped in this Darbar. 

If that is not enough...
5. To watch me cook and present the recipe with Chef Ranveer Brar!

Post script:

Good I did not know about Ranveer's achievements before the shoot. I had chanced on his blog, The food fables while I was trying to learn about him a few days before the shoot which I loved a lot for his deep thinking on the technicalities of food. What came across to me and touched me most is his spiritual outlook towards food and life. After the shoot I started browsing through his official site, www.ranveerbrar.com and it gave me goosebumps when it dawned on me that I have cooked with Chef Ranveer Brar who has a huge body of work and prestigious recognition and awards behind him.

That is the secret of his greatness, he is a young achiever but carries it lightly and is rooted to the ground. My wishes are with him however it is his giving nature that will bring him a lot of success and fame. God bless!

Saee's Mejwani Thali

First things first, the Mejwani Thali is available only till 15th Sep at FourPoints Vashi at their Asian Kitchen restaurant on the 2nd floor. That's just 3 nights more, to get a taste RUSH NOW!

Saee, my blogger buddy has evolved over the years into a Food writer and Consultant. She bears a passion of taking the Maharashtriya regional cuisine to the commercial kitchens of a restaraunt and executes it to perfection. That said I have already set the expectation high for you even before I talk about the Thalis I tried out.

 

The special decor sets the mood for the Mejwani

We walked into the restaurant and met Saee and Pooja of #PRestaurants who's initiative this event is. What followed was total excitement after all my blogger buddy was slashing down one challenge after another. As they sat me and my father down, Saee took charge. She ordered the refreshing Kokum soda. A sip and I was cozy in my seat or rather harnessed for the roller coaster experience of tasting Saee's cooking again. She makes sure we friends get a taste of her gourmet jams and fun things coming out of her kitchen (read further) when whenever we meet. I had tasted her Ambil at an event we did together but I was set to taste a full Thali here and that too on two consecutive days. The first one a Konkanastha menu and the second a Deshastha menu so you can only imagine my excitement.

Kokanastha Thali : Clockwise: Puri, Mix veg bhajji, The cabbage moog dal Koshimbir is hidden under the puri, Green Coconut chutney, lime, salt, sukki batata bhaji, tomato saar, alu chi patal bhaaji, Vala cha birda, Gavhlyanchi kheer, curd. Tondli masale bhaat in the center. Poha mirgund and kurdai in the top left steel bowl. Refreshing Kokum soda in the copper tumbler. Closed by a simple Paan Vida and sweet raj awala.

I started this thali with the whole wheat puri and sukki batata bhaaji. Such a homey morsel. We Marathi cannot do without it in our celebratory meals. Perfect seasoning. The birda is made differently in different communities we Kolis use onion and coconut masala to thicken the Vaal curry. Saee pointed out that since this is the month of Shravan and as typical to the Konkanastha Brahmin (KoBra) cuisine she had skipped Onion and garlic in the curries. This made the Vaal curry slightly thinner than our Koli version. I was happy with the birda as this dish can become a crumbled mess easily, here it was perfect each bean held well in the curry. The Aluchi patal bhaaji she had kept it slightly less sweet than we are used to in a KoBra meal to make the appeal more universal. Having been smitten by her Tomato saar video imagine a move from the virtual to real life experience, one could only wish it to be instant and not like this long wait to taste it. The crowning glory was the Gavhlyanchi kheer, made with Orzo like pasta only thing it is traditional Maharashtriya. Italians take a step back you are not the only pasta Kings. The kheer was sublime to say the least and Saee shared an inside story of  how a Gadhwali cooks it with love reducing the milk and stirring the kheer lovingly to the desired consistency. I must say she trained the hotel staff well in such a short time. This Konkanastha meal closed with a simple Paan vida of fennel and coconut and sweet sundried raj awala on the side. The meal was memorable and the conversations sparkling in her company.

That's Saee and Me looking all goofy due to the excitement of she waiting for me to start the meal while it was served piping hot. See the glee on my face waiting to dig in. While Dad acts like he photo-bombed when I pulled him in the frame as he was silenced by every morsel he relished. We both did. Pooja thank you for the click.

Before I left I enquired with Saee about the next day's Deshastha menu and was already looking forward to another night of indulgence.

Deshastha Thali : Clockwise: Puri, Cabbage carrot moog dal koshimbir, green chilli pickle, Kairi chutney, mini sabudana vadas, a wedge of lime, salt, sukki batata bhaaji, bharli vangi, Masoor usal, Drumstick aamti.*Ratalyache kaap* and curd. You have a better view of the mirgund and kurdai bowls in this pic. There was saffron cardamom lemonade in the copper tumbler with this Thali. They table was set beautifully.

Since I am from the Konkan all of the dishes in the Konkanastha Thali were known to me however my Deshastha food exposure is from Shree Brahmachaitanya Maharaj's Gondavale Sansthan at Satara so I was curious to see Saee's take on it. Infact I was being unfair to her by putting her up against a benchmark like Gondavale's food I thought but She excelled with flying colors!
 

Lets look at the commons in the two thalis first. The puri and batata bhaaji which was meant to be. The masale bhaat in this thali was with peas.The koshimbir was a variant of the Konkanastha with Cabbage carrot moong dal. The chili pickle, the sabudana vadas did not impress me. The Kairi chutney was familiar yet tad different than what Saee had gifted me once but equally lipsmacking and wonderful for the 'ruchi palat tondi lavana' by that I mean it worked well to allow me to experience each distinct dish and flavor by acting like a taste changer. The Bharli Vangi tasted delightful in the coconut peanut masala more towards coconut than peanut. I have something to say about the vangi but at the end.The masoor usal was absolutely delightful every grain of pulse cooked perferctly and balanced with spices. The aamti hearty sweet and sour, the drumstick such fun to suck on and then place the fibres on a side plate. Saee has really been careful in sourcing all the produce and proof was the tender drumsticks and the perfectly green alu chi patal bhaaji in the Konkanastha Thali. The finishing act was the outstanding *Ratalyache kaap* much like a mesmerizing crescendo in a Sangeet Natak. (Well this is inspired by Suranga Date's ode to Saee's Mejwani ).

 My Favorites top left Ratalyache kaap, bottom left Masoor usal, top right bharli vangi and drumstick aamti

In both the thalis there was a bowl of curd which is very traditional of Brahmin cuisine to tone down the effect of spice and aid digestion as a final course in a set meal. Concluding the meal with the paan vida and sweet raj awala.

These two days of the Mejwani were memorable for many reasons, for the food and for the new challenges Saee takes up. Every single dish was distinct. Stock sauces were avoided. Everything was fresh and good quality ingredients used. I am satiated by the fact that there is a gutsy lady who has taken OUR cuisine to the restaurants and done so well. 

Before I close this post I must point out few things for continuous improvement and to delight the customer that any business seeks incase this Mejwani is repeated again or made a permanent feature by Four Points Vashi.

1. I missed the sada bhaat in the Mejwani. When you have patal bhaaji, saar, birda and aamti on the menu the craving is for some plain rice to be mixed with these. A person who knows their food misses it. A small mood (molded serving) of saada bhaat should be included.

2. The Masale bhaat was lacking flavour and technique on both days. One could tell that it was a commercial hand that was used to making pulaos had made it. The tondli tasted like they were boiled. Even the Matar masale bhaat lacked the happiness of eating a soft slight moist good masale bhaat that we Maharashtriya are used too.

3. There were two vangi in my serving, one was undercooked. Cooking Vangi is an art and it has to be done skillfully to avoid undercooking or mushiness.

4. My co-diners on the second day a group of 7 were refused a replenishment of the Kairi chutney. In a thali the little things can be easily topped by a restaurant without hurting the pricing of the thali. You would have had a delighted customer with just a spoonful of extra chutney or koshimbir.

Having said that the portions in the thali were generous for all other dishes. The pricing of the Thali at Rs. 375 plus taxes was affordable. Thank you for offering a refill of my glass of Saffron cardamon lemonade.

On the whole this was a brilliant experience and felt like I was at Saee's table at her home. 

__________________________________________________________________________________

P.S : I missed the chef's table as I was traveling so lost the opportunity of catching up with all the Foodie Blogger friends. But then I had Saee to myself later when I visited, good thing! 

Here is what others are talking about the Mejwani Thali

Kalyan @ Finelychopped.com

Sudha @ My Favorite Things

A closing with mukhashudhi : Paan vida and sweet sundried awala

Note : We were invited by Saee, #PRestaurants and Four Points for the first day and the second day we went back to show our support to the wonderful initiative and paid for our Thalis.

Get crabby in your kitchen! Bombay Times Aug 13, 2015 edition

Koli-style Chimbori/Crabs in coconut masala

My recipe featured in Bombay Times Aug 13, 2015 print edition in an article titled 'Get crabby in your kitchen!' by Ismat Tahseen.

Here is the link for an online read.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food/recipes/Get-crabby-in-your-kitchen/articleshow/48467427.cms 

Quoted in Man's World Magazine : Seafood Adventures

Kalyan Karmakar of  Finelychopped.net quotes me in his article on Seafood Adventures in the Man's World magazine.

I am talking about octopuses and deep sea fishing on Page 60, August 20015 edition. I am off to get my copy now!

Call It Nougatine, Praline Or Chikki

To us Indians, nuts coated in sticky jaggery is Chikki, to the French it is Nougatine or Praline Yeah but if its French suddenly everything becomes a little superior eh?

Traditionally if you go by Larousse Gastronomique both Nougatine and Praline are made the same way. That is caramelizing sugar and then adding nuts to it and then rolling out sheets while hot. Yet there is a slight difference. Nougatine uses ground almonds and the sugar to almonds ratio is 2:1 whereas In Praline blanched and then toasted whole almonds are used and the sugar to almonds ratio is 1:1. Cakes made with Nougatine or Praline are known by these names where traditionally buttercream is flavored with it and then used for filling and frosting the cake. You saw my version of Nougatine and Custard Filled Cake in the last post on this blog.

I told you that you will be surprised at the Indian connection. So here we are making Indian Chikki or Nougatine or Praline. Yes both these French versions have gone beyond the almonds and are made with other nuts of choice and the Indian chikki has expanded its variety by using sugar.

The process is simple but handling caramel is tricky. Be warned that this recipe requires complete focus do not multitask when working on it. This warning is especially for women as we are big time multi-taskers.

Ingredients

200 gms sugar

200 gms coarsely chopped mixed nuts (I used cashew, almonds and pistachio)

1 teaspoon salted butter

In a wide pan measure out the sugar. Put it on medium heat and let the sugar start melting.

Meanwhile prepare the surface of the counter by lightly spreading butter on it.

Add the rest of the butter to the sugar to give it a hint of salt and smoothness. As the sugar melts completely keep stirring as it will foam up evenly. Let the sugar get a nice golden hue while you are stirring.

At this point add the coarsely chopped almonds, cashews and pistachios. Switch off the heat. Mix to evenly coat the nuts with the hot caramel. While this mix is still hot remove from heat and pour on the counter. Press down the mass. Oil a rolling pin and use it to thin out the Nougatine into a sheet.


Let it cool for a few minutes. Then cut up the sheet into pieces, cool completely.

The cut up pieces can be served as Chikki /candy. It is a fantastic energy booster post workout or when traveling to carry along in your handbag.

If you are planning to use it to flavor a Nougatine or Praline cake like I did here then you need to crush the pieces. These crushed pieces can be used as sprinkles on icecreams and other desserts.

Have fun making this candy treat and spread some sweetness around you by distributing some to friends.

Nougatine and Custard Filled Cake

Months before my birthday we were discussing cakes, my foodie partner and I. There was a lot of drool-worthy description of a cake with a crunch that made me zero in on this cake that I wanted to bake for my birthday and as a special treat for the other.

I started looking around on the internet for a recipe but as I always do, my own take on it. Then just as I was confused about nougatine and praline my Larousse Gastronomique came to the rescue! As I was flipping the pages I read the sign off on it that said "India Food Network". I smiled at the timming. This encyclopedia of gastronomy was gifted at the IFBM2014 last year to all the participants. Mine was lying untouched until this reviewing of my collection of culinary books. Like I said it was perfect timming indeed, one never knows how connections are formed and life surprises us. I am now writting for IFN and here is my first post on How to eat like a Koli.

 

Sorry for digressing and lets get back to the recipe. I followed the recipes of Nougatine and Chocolate Genoese sponge from the Larousse Gastronomique yet made an eggless adaptation.  I decided to fill the cake with custard since a Parsi enjoys his custard and this cake if not a success wishing would atleast pass the finicky gourmand's test.

Well it did get a thumbs up from everyone who ate it. Infact it got the silence it deserves when one eats something so good. So here is the recipe. Be warned this is quite an labour intensive recipe and each component can be made as per convenience over days then assembled and chilled a day prior to the celebration you are planning.

Ingredients

For a single sponge

65gms butter

75 gms sugar

75 gms dark chocolate

160 ml whole milk

125 gms all purpose flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

For the Custard 

30gms of custard powder

500 ml milk 

50 gms sugar

For the Fresh Cream Frosting
2 packs of 200ml Amul fresh cream
1/2 cup sugar

1 lime, juiced 

For the Nougatine

Recipe to follow

Making the sponge

You need to bake two sponges with the given recipe as we are making a layered cake. Else you could double the quantities and make a single sponge and slice it horizontally. I am not perfect at the slicing so I made two sponges.

Preheat oven at 200 deg celcius. We are preheating at higher temperature to make the sponge rise quickly as soon as it goes into the oven.

Melt the butter. Grease a 9 inch cake tin with a little butter. 

In a heat proof bowl mix the sugar, dark chocolate, molten butter and whole milk. Put this bowl over a pan of hot but not boiling water and whisk till the dark chocolate it completely molten. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Whisk again to aerate it.

Then in another big dry bowl whisk together the all purpose flour and baking powder. 

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Tap the cake tin on the counter to level the batter.

Bake at 180  deg celcius for 20 mins.

If you are making one single sponge increase the baking time by 5 mins. I also realised that using a 9 inch tin gave me a less thicker layer than I would have liked. It worked for this cake though since it is layered and has 2 layers of sponge.

Making the custard

In a bowl mix the custard powder with 50 ml milk to make a paste. Boil the rest of the 450 ml milk. Once sugar is melted add the custard powder paste to the boiling milk and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add 50gms sugar at the end and cook for 2-3 mins. Let it cool to room temperature. 

Making Fresh Cream Frosting

The most important thing to do even before you start making the frosting is to chill the cream, freeze the bowl used for whisking and the whisks too. It is also good idea to freeze the sugar. 

Drain the chilled cream. To do this, wet a large handkerchief wring out the excess water. Place it over a sieve. Pour the chilled cream over it. Let is rest in the fridge for 30 mins. You will have nice thick cream.

Now in the freezed bowl add the thick cream and sugar and whisk for 5 mins. Then add the lime juice to the frosting and whip till stiff peaks are formed. The lime juice helps the cream to stay stiff and the citrusy flavour is just a slight trace almost unnoticeable. Keep this bowl of cream chilled till use.

Making the Nougatine 

It is very easy to make nougatine and there is an interesting thing that will surprise you if you are Indian. The process is tricky and therefore it requires a separate post. Watch out for it!

Chop or pound the Nougatine into small pieces. Don't worry if some is powdered, use it all.

Assembly and Decoration

Start by placing one sponge layer on the turn table to form a base. Then pour the prepared custard over the base. Spread it evenly. Sprinkle the nougatine generously over the custard. Place the second layer of sponge over the custard nougatine layer. 

Now add the whipped fresh cream frosting and spread it on the cake top and sides to give it a nice finish. Sprinkle the nougatine and some more very large heartedly on the top as this is the star component of this cake. 

Once assembled move it into a large platter or on to the cake stand for the final presentation. Chill in the fridge till you bring out the cake for the cutting.

I celebrated this birthday with AC and my cousin Akshay amidst some really cheerful singing the night prior. Since we were just three people I had a simple menu. We started off with potato waffers, salted cashews, Kaju katli and gauva nectar and after an hour dinner of Chana dal, Veg pulao, sweet lime juice and this cake.

After which we just talked and talked into the dawn...

Sunken Cherry Almond Muffins

The plate is a precious inheritance!  

It has become a habit of sorts now to make something special when I am visiting someone. A homemade gift always gets me the biggest smiles whether its the kids or the adults. Why would I not work hard for it then? But you know what psst... these muffins are really a breeze to make if you have ready made almond meal but even if you don't an additional 5 mins to just whiz the almonds in the grinder is not a big deal.

I love how the cherries sink in the muffins and the stalks are a telltale of the hidden sweetness also warning you not to bite at the stone in the fruit lest you break your teeth. The cherries are perfect fruit for baking and do not make the muffins jammy inside unlike other softer fruits but still hold a bite.

These muffins are wonderfully fragrant with almonds without using any essence or spice. Plus the almond meal fortifies the muffins with the protein while lending it a beautiful grainy texture. Brain food for the kids I hear you say.

These muffins turned out so good that C had two in go and also suggested that I sell confections thru the Eshop. I would love to do that but what I have observed is that most people are looking for a big bite in a small spend. There are very few people who really look at the quality of the things they buy and are willing to spend more. Some bloggers/ bakers are very conscious about what ingredients they use and also go all out to educate about the good stuff. However when it comes to making such products commercially viable is the real challenge!

It is strange that people will go to a mall and eat a dried out muffin with just one blueberry at a Coffee shop but haggle with home bakers that use good quality ingredients and are generous in their use too. On top of it delay in payments or even cutting the price after the product has been consumed. Just yesterday a baker friend was venting about this experience. I would like to appeal to people to support good products and honest businesses. You need them as much as they need you.

While I don't mean to step into Gourmet bakery products immediately I am all happy to make them for my family. Would you like to bake these gourmet muffins too? Follow the recipe without cutting corners.

Ingredients

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup almond meal

3/4 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup molten ghee
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 dozen cherries

Preheat oven for 10 mins at 200 degrees Celsius.

In a large bowl sieve the all purpose flour and baking powder together. Mix in the almond meal. Keep aside.

In another bowl cream the ghee, salt and powder sugar together. Add the dry ingredients which we kept ready, at this point. Add milk to it and whisk till light. The batter should fall in folds.

Keep the muffin cups ready. For these muffins if using liners you do not need to prepare the tin there is enough fat in the muffins to allow the liners to peel off easily after baking. You will need 2 dozen muffin cups or tray with 24 pockets and 24 liners. I used these pleated cups which don't require a muffin tray and go into the oven directly. They hold well and I don't have to worry about a square muffin tray bringing the turntable to a halt while baking.

Fill the lined cups with a table spoon of batter and place 2 cherries in each cup. 

Bake the muffins at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 mins on till you get a golden top and the skewer poked into the muffin comes out clean.

Cool on the rack for atleast 15 mins. They are ready to eat or can be stored in a ziploc bag in the fridge for a week. Warm up while eating. The muffins are a lovely treat with the evening cuppa.

Bake some for your favorite people and bring sweetness to their life. 

Contest 1 : Winners of Cookbooks and Food books

Thank you everyone of you who played along! This Contest 1 : Cookbooks and Food books was fun wasn't it?

It is so wonderful to see you all again on the blog even if I see you regularly on FB. A comment on the blog just makes us bloggers so happy and from the dwindling comments to see so many of you commenting here is truly rejuvenating this blog and me.

So before I announce the winners I am sure you are curious to know what's on display in the last post and the story of each of that book or booklet starting from the top left.

1. Desi Health Bites ebook that includes two recipes contributed by me for Fortune Foods Blogger program.

2. The many recipe booklets that came with appliances and recipe cards collected from random sources.

3. The Tupperware recipe booklet that came with the gift from IFBM. ( Many thought it was a catalogue)

4. Annapoorna by Mangala Barve, a gift by Shalini Pise. The yellowness and tatters tells I started cooking from it at a very early age. It is my go to cookbook.

5. Cooking on the Run by Boria Majumdar, it recommends cooking as a survival skill for single men, written in a humorous style and a lot of cricket analogies.

6. Healthy Delights the only recipe videos on a CD I have! gift from Fortune Foods.

7. New Concise Larousse Gastronomique that I managed to fly free while returning from IFBM.

8. Ruchira 1 & 2 by Kamalabai Ogale which I won as a prize for a contest in support of Anti-plagiarism.

9. The Gore family cookbook by Saee Koranne Khandekar is a gift from the author herself and my blogger buddy of years.

10. OM Cooking is a gift by The Marathe family. It consists of vegetarian recipes that are fun to cook. Its a publication from Chinmaya Mission.

11. A Pinch of This, A Handful of That by our most successful blogger buddy Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal. I received it as a gift from her at the Maharashtrian Mejwani.

12. The Taj Magazine 2010 edition which has the Chef's favorites. I love cooking some fancy dishes from it.

13. Jamva Chaloji 1 &2 by Katy Dalal

14. Sea food fiesta by Katy Dalal

15.Vitality by Katy Dalal. All the four books are my favorite books for Parsi cuisine. It helps to have Kurush and Rhea as friends who carry Katy's legacy. They are ever available to answer question on Parsi cuisine when I need help.

16. Morrison's Magazine is gifted by Reva Hart. I love it for all the summer fruit recipes in this edition.

So this list does not have Following Fish and it is the odd one out ofcourse! It is a foodbook and not a cookbook. It is a compilation of essays by Samanth Subramanian narrating his fascinating trips covering the coast of India, the importance of fish as food, medicine and the culture along the vast Indian peninsula.

Those of you who got that right. Congratulations! The top three winners are:

Manasi of A Cook @ Heart

She gets a Taster pack of Masalas as she did not mention her pick we think she will like a bit of all our masalas.

 

 

Nikita of A real housewife

She receives a pack of Gondavale Goda Masala which is her fave pick as she loves all types of Goda masalas and we think she will love our aromatic blend.

Kavita Shewale

She receives one large jar of Orange Marmalade made from the best Kinnow oranges with its very citrusy slightly bitter aftertaste from the thinly sliced skin.

Pl. mail the shipping address to annaparabrahmaATgmailDOTcom. We will promptly send your prizes so you can enjoy them.

I enjoyed reading each and every comment. Some of you are old  friends and some of you have delurked here to participate in this effort of bringing back the conversations on to the blog and so you deserve a special thank you!

Veena thank you for the wonderful insight on the various cookbooks and foodbooks and I am glad this post compelled you to comment here. It would be fantastic to meet you over a cup of Chai and talk about food, food and just food. Watch your inbox!

See you for now and there is the next Contest coming up, guess what is the topic?