tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69514535416530927742024-03-05T23:09:46.304+05:30Food and all....Suda suda blogging ~ description courtesy SDeepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-72854254780575201042013-06-28T19:24:00.001+05:302013-06-28T19:24:46.920+05:30Microwave CookieThe moment I made the emergency brownie so well in the microwave, I was curious to see if I can do anything else the same way. I googled and found that there were plenty of recipes. So what see here today is the cookie (<i>single portion</i>) made in my Samsung microwave.<br />
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I've always loved cookies and when Cookieman opened a store in Madras, I used to buy them by the tins (<i>not to mention the tins were keepers :D</i>)<br />
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Of course the microwave cookie is not going to be as crusty as the oven baked cookie, but this will do. To make just one piece, to satisfy my temporary craving, this one minute cookie is just about enough.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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Butter - 1 tbsp<br />
Sugar - 2.5 tsp (<i>The original recipe used 1 tsp brown sugar + 1.5 tsp regular sugar</i>)<br />
All purpose flour - 2 tbsp<br />
Salt - 1 pinch<br />
Baking powder - 1 pinch<br />
Choc chips<br />
Egg - 1 tsp<br />
Vanilla essence - just a drop<br />
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Recipe:<br />
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Soften the butter and mix the sugar in the cup, until light & fluffy. Add the drop of vanilla essence and mix well. Next add the egg. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and mix well. Finally add the chocolate chips. Dollop this to the center of the plate and microwave on high for 40 seconds. Increase by 5 secs if you feel it's not done. :-)<br />
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<i>Recipe adapted from prudentbaby.com</i><br />
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And with the remaining egg, I added salt, some herbs and pepper, poured it into a microwave dish and made a quick omelette :-)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXKgzXJ4l6aT3vxZLk3N-3f5p6Y0HkVWA9rMl7Xz3qULFuaEu73w02XcZVh_FK6thqyId9Fxxk64hjdmdSy8urgAjNM_cakSJBlzwnb7uwSuPSklR4S8gkT4OeGB6Zr19V_h4kpaxVssl/s1024/2013-06-28+18.34.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXKgzXJ4l6aT3vxZLk3N-3f5p6Y0HkVWA9rMl7Xz3qULFuaEu73w02XcZVh_FK6thqyId9Fxxk64hjdmdSy8urgAjNM_cakSJBlzwnb7uwSuPSklR4S8gkT4OeGB6Zr19V_h4kpaxVssl/s400/2013-06-28+18.34.21.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Coming up... more microwave recipes</i></div>
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-26965315719596385942013-06-21T20:34:00.000+05:302013-06-21T21:51:20.778+05:30Toss up - Ramapuram, ChennaiFor those of us having our workplaces / residences on the Bangalore highway, er.. almost, Toss up is definitely a decent place to spend those afternoons when you want decent meal outside of the crappy cafeterias and overcrowded food courts.<br />
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The place is neatly done and boasts of a turquoise / teal (<i>my favorite color</i>) atmosphere. It can seat about 20 pax and when we entered at 1245 this hot June afternoon, the place was crowded with a team celebrating a birthday. The waiters were bustling around and we were directed to our seats.<br />
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We immediately decided on the combo meals - 2 non veg and 1 veg (<i>yes that's me</i>). They are priced at INR 199 for the non veg and INR 169 for the veg (<i>taxes extra</i>). The choice is plenty.<br />
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My veg combo today had a rich creamy tomato soup, 2 pieces of taro nest, a medium sized bowl of Singapore noodles and a triple chocolate mousse. The non veg combo had chicken soup, one spring roll, a portion of phuket fish, pasta alfredo, aachi kari stroganoff, vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and the triple chocolate mousse.<br />
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The soup was rich and creamy; I'd have preferred it slightly spicy but that was just a preference. The soup was hot and tasted delicious. The taro nest was nothing like a nest, instead was fried completely and topped with mayo. The Singapore noodles had plenty vegetables and was filling. The only downside was that it was terribly oily. I wish they'd go a little easy on the oil. The desserts weren't anything to rave about. They were okayish.<br />
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My non vegetarian friends' feedback - The pasta alfredo was great, says B; the aachi kari stroganoff didn't make G happy; The soup was super spicy and the phuket fish was good too says G.<br />
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We went there not expecting much and were reasonably happy with our meal.<br />
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Price: Reasonable<br />
Service: Prompt<br />
Will I go there again: Yes (<i>especially to try Chennai Chillin' which is their beverages and cold stone ice cream joint right next to Toss up</i>)<br />
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<i>Toss up is on Mount Poonamallee Road, Opp DLF IT Park, Ramapuram. </i><br />
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<i>*All pics shot with B's new<strike> HTC One</strike> HTC One X</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwoTcORMrxudoeF1w6W6wnwUOF4H6czZe-UpFlqUnUWaLpWo8uA6PoR_S0rSzKkl8j-d1qsoj3SuYUioDurAxm_NZqroZ1jckeKLCqGjAGgIjcySv35WgbTYv_h8yI2lJ2EjclvO9MjJP/s1600/1-IMAG0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwoTcORMrxudoeF1w6W6wnwUOF4H6czZe-UpFlqUnUWaLpWo8uA6PoR_S0rSzKkl8j-d1qsoj3SuYUioDurAxm_NZqroZ1jckeKLCqGjAGgIjcySv35WgbTYv_h8yI2lJ2EjclvO9MjJP/s640/1-IMAG0048.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato Soup</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaZ5vWRb75Ofb5o8bUPluToZ7xxbiPqyz-47C46X1WUFinPSzhOWYMvb-AWdiPMy5DSIyspoWPVexqNzmAYDt6TpRrh18vU-LfTALYG0gcPn313pSPhUs1W9snY7fAx4vgPwB_aa8oYx3/s1600/2-IMAG0049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaZ5vWRb75Ofb5o8bUPluToZ7xxbiPqyz-47C46X1WUFinPSzhOWYMvb-AWdiPMy5DSIyspoWPVexqNzmAYDt6TpRrh18vU-LfTALYG0gcPn313pSPhUs1W9snY7fAx4vgPwB_aa8oYx3/s640/2-IMAG0049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken soup</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXK8jop9HLbq2GQPe4IlWcJbQcWOWrVmPoaYSuoZzP4DXMJlcr-pBuCA5zLOYZci873_9iXXAU262HU6Y48Pm6wdtkN-sfm6r-P4W7qsQFbu4eG-0R7MgYv0290deuzENq6clqKeAIBKh/s1600/3-IMAG0050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXK8jop9HLbq2GQPe4IlWcJbQcWOWrVmPoaYSuoZzP4DXMJlcr-pBuCA5zLOYZci873_9iXXAU262HU6Y48Pm6wdtkN-sfm6r-P4W7qsQFbu4eG-0R7MgYv0290deuzENq6clqKeAIBKh/s640/3-IMAG0050.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singapore Noodles - Veg</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF37s0IuGODVBkRBF76wnuQ18ZrXYib4wuW82P_Gd-YlsfEWliBGR4foo_ti8fqEc5majpvIht_OsN8t1VIMLg34ZtJS_OowD7gtmLSvH-CrcGlzqiG7UrIoll8ADWPgg2YvCifiCEg66q/s1600/4-IMAG0051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF37s0IuGODVBkRBF76wnuQ18ZrXYib4wuW82P_Gd-YlsfEWliBGR4foo_ti8fqEc5majpvIht_OsN8t1VIMLg34ZtJS_OowD7gtmLSvH-CrcGlzqiG7UrIoll8ADWPgg2YvCifiCEg66q/s640/4-IMAG0051.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taro Nest - Veg</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7nkI_pofJx8RlNN-o7vL_Qmk3CMA1TEIHr0ckJEsbpX2U1Y8wYpPrlhIhV_YuMS5zRrjK-9HDMu6qcshuzxfnsNL_YWvkzPGRQbopm33S1ZucsQG2ddSVY9x2MjEKYyex26OaiRKCEdF/s1600/5-IMAG0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ7nkI_pofJx8RlNN-o7vL_Qmk3CMA1TEIHr0ckJEsbpX2U1Y8wYpPrlhIhV_YuMS5zRrjK-9HDMu6qcshuzxfnsNL_YWvkzPGRQbopm33S1ZucsQG2ddSVY9x2MjEKYyex26OaiRKCEdF/s640/5-IMAG0052.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pasta Alfredo and Spring roll</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIqwxjIgrRoQLllKMG0W95BKf1b-cV-yFWxs9TZAtaCg0iXKV0bw1-Tua_o2tUGWwdKBi_YBcqivlQK9LzPkiZTKUh85zwXek2QvAzoRDhsHuSbOAgQWovbGWJiZo066Ga__jyJxI3OsX/s1600/6-IMAG0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIqwxjIgrRoQLllKMG0W95BKf1b-cV-yFWxs9TZAtaCg0iXKV0bw1-Tua_o2tUGWwdKBi_YBcqivlQK9LzPkiZTKUh85zwXek2QvAzoRDhsHuSbOAgQWovbGWJiZo066Ga__jyJxI3OsX/s640/6-IMAG0053.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phuket Fish and Aachi kari Stroganoff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvwMD73IApheVeIXIghJHhG73xEBf565aDTO_zuxx3aS_d2nVJV1z_hQlFQNgP5xd10stvCgncXjCGzALG-W-8c-t8ZA9xdr2RnaGhthwlmZZbH1jHf69hNmmbY2yjOCoX1cZpadkbJ4C/s1600/7-IMAG0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvwMD73IApheVeIXIghJHhG73xEBf565aDTO_zuxx3aS_d2nVJV1z_hQlFQNgP5xd10stvCgncXjCGzALG-W-8c-t8ZA9xdr2RnaGhthwlmZZbH1jHf69hNmmbY2yjOCoX1cZpadkbJ4C/s640/7-IMAG0054.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple chocolate mousse</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7FsdViV34Fh3JnSqj5a6iUxggyydwHvHTvEmZ0WbHoa1IIygngXzxOGCjN51s0_qTOZ2Z0U9pyR6BiN3Nve7Gh6eB8WifbOV8LrAzljMoXbB5CPtBh2UPtEu7-_NXIzr1DEsoKnVtLqM/s1600/8-IMAG0057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7FsdViV34Fh3JnSqj5a6iUxggyydwHvHTvEmZ0WbHoa1IIygngXzxOGCjN51s0_qTOZ2Z0U9pyR6BiN3Nve7Gh6eB8WifbOV8LrAzljMoXbB5CPtBh2UPtEu7-_NXIzr1DEsoKnVtLqM/s640/8-IMAG0057.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla ice-cream</td></tr>
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-39235988655948253662013-06-18T21:57:00.000+05:302013-06-18T21:57:16.189+05:30Brownie in a cup - MicrowavedI realized I've not been fully utilizing the microwave. I've so far used it for just re-heating dishes and steaming vegetables and at times, making pulao. I always thought I needed an OTG to make / bake certain dishes. I am not a pro baker and my portions are going to be mostly for two. There are fundamental differences in the way a microwave and an OTG operates. If we understand this, then perhaps we can work wonders (<i>on a smaller scale, of course</i>. <i>And I will also refrain from the heated debate - is the microwave good or bad</i>)<br />
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I've been trying to lose weight and have been moderately successful. To celebrate a milestone I made this microwave brownie (recipe adapted from Cheryl Rajkumar's <a href="http://kitchenkemistry.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/emergency-chocolate-brownies-in-less-than-5-minutes/" target="_blank">Kitchen Kemistry</a>).<br />
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The recipe itself is fairly simple and calls for ingredients that we can normally find in our kitchen - Flour, Butter, Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Chocolate syrup. What I didn't have was chocolate chips. Instead, I used about 2 squares of grated Bourneville (dark). I also reduced the amount of sugar(<i>and hoped it'd alleviate some of the sin.</i>). The original recipe called for 11/2 minutes but mine cooked in a minute. The cooking time varies with each microwave, so it's recommended to start with a minute and increase as required.<br />
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I brought the cup and fork to my bed, sat down to message Cheryl and even before I could hit Send, I'd finished eating the brownie. It was delicious and a perfect dessert for that late night craving without having to spend too much time cleaning up.<br />
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The experiments with the microwave have begun!<br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-779657739989242752013-06-16T10:43:00.003+05:302013-06-16T13:08:40.342+05:30The Baker Showcase - League of the Legends - Anniversary SpecialA year since the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/homebakersguild/" target="_blank">Home Bakers Guild</a> started; A year since my knowledge in cakes, cookies, frosting, fondants and all those terminologies expanded; A year since I made some good friends and a year since I started experimenting with small bakes.<br />
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Most of all, a year that saw oodles of talent, tremendous perseverance, some great knowledge sharing, instant brownies to elaborate wedding cakes, bouquets to theme cakes, appreciation, encouragement, record breaking likes and comments - the Guild saw it all. It's now that time of the year, the Anniversary Showcase special - The League of the Legends.<br />
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10 talented and experienced bakers come together for the largest bake sale ever. For those of you who have already been part of these events, I need say no more. For the rest, don't fret that you've missed the earlier editions. Be there on the 22nd, at Sandy's, Ganapathy Colony, Off Cenotaph Road, Chennai at 4 pm. The venue is one of my favorite places in the city - great food and a fantastic property.<br />
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I'm super proud to have been associated with this event as a blogger and volunteer ever since it all began. KP Balakumar - Thank you for the opportunity and here's wishing you the best! You've been doing a grand job and we know the amount of crazy background work it takes to set up the event and run the guild. You deserve all the success.<br />
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Here's a quick look at some of the bakers that are going to whip up a storm<br />
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<i>Maaria Kulsum Tanveer - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Adoniyachennai" target="_blank">Adoniya</a></i><br />
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<i>Does this lady need an introduction! An expert in theme cakes, Maaria is mighty thrilled to be part of this showcase. She has been part of many other bake sales but this is her first time with HBG and she claims she's in jitters (like we all believe that). </i><br />
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<i>Cup cakes, Ferrero Rocher cake and my favorite Espresso Cheesecake brownies and Red "Velvet" cakes are also part of this showcase. </i><br />
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<i>Karthika Shravanthi - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BakemanBegins" target="_blank">Bakeman Begins</a> </i><br />
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<i>The IT Pro turned future Le Cordon Bleu Pastry Chef is all set to wow us at this showcase before she heads off to learn the nuances of pastry making. </i><br />
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<i>Her last showcase was a sell out. And she plans to add healthy and gluten free bakes to her menu this time. Says Karthika "I've worked on all the feedback from the last showcase; so hopefully this one is going to be much better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed". </i><br />
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<i>Well, so are we. Good luck for the showcase and we hope to see you soon in a different avtar.</i><br />
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<i>Rose Anne George - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Oven180" target="_blank">Oven 180 degrees</a> </i><br />
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<i>The ever-smiling soft spoken Rose is famous for her French macarons. I've had the chance (the advantages of living close by) to taste her Dulce de leche cheese cake and May I say I was hooked. </i><br />
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<i>She's bringing some summer fruit flavors this time, eggless and otherwise, cheese cake platters, tarts and a lavender cake among others.</i><br />
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<i>All the best Rose. I look forward to grabbing those blue macarons :-)</i><br />
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<i>Divya Ninan-Eapen - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TangerinesKitchen" target="_blank">Tangerine's Kitchen </a></i><br />
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<i>This gorgeous baker is bringing a whole load of twisted / braided / stuffed breads, not to mention the hot favorites - the choco chip cake and cream cheese cake. The vanilla bean pound cake, which I am eagerly looking forward to, is going to be on the menu. </i><br />
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<i>Mini quiches, mini cheesecakes and a little kiddie counter are going to be her specialties this time. </i><br />
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<i>Divya has her home-studio where she paints on sarees, stoles, tee shirts and the likes. You can check it out here - </i><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Rachel.HandpaintedFibreArt">https://www.facebook.com/Rachel.HandpaintedFibreArt</a></i><br />
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<i>Can't wait, Divya. All the best and see you soon</i><br />
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<i>Neha and Sapna - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thesweetestthingchennai" target="_blank">The sweetest thing</a></i><br />
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<i>Sisters in arms, Neha and Sapna are participating in their first showcase. This maiden venture is going to see them bring an assortment of "sweetest" things, with the specialties being chai cup cakes and bread and butter pudding. </i><br />
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<i>They say that "the sweetest thing" is to make their customers happy! :-)</i><br />
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<i>All the best girls. Bring it on.</i><br />
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<i>Watch this space for the post event pictures and articles on the 22nd of this month. If you don't make it to the venue, all you can do is drool at the pictures :-)</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-26365964885087219362013-06-15T14:21:00.001+05:302013-06-15T16:13:55.257+05:30Home Delivered - SarvSriA few days ago I was scouting for home cooks / home delivery for my friend's parents. It was then that I stumbled upon <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarvsri?fref=ts" target="_blank">SarvSri</a>. I was impressed by what they were doing as also by the fact that they were close by. And this morning, I was too exhausted to cook. I'd just gotten back from Tirupathi at midnight and had no energy whatsoever. And, I made a call to SarvSri at 10 am.<br />
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Savita Gupta picked my call and I explained what I needed and if it would be possible for them to delivery a single meal for lunch. She said she'd have to check and shortly, a gentleman named Yogesh Gupta called me. I told him I needed just 1 lunch and inquired the delivery charges. He said I do not come under the delivery area and I had to explain I live right about 3 km from where they are and only my area name is different. (T<i>his conversation, incidentally, reminded me of what I was told yesterday - there's this 100 m stretch near Kanakkama Chathram, enroute Tirupathi. The left hand side of this stretch is Andhra and the right hand side is TN. You can see all wine shops on the left hand side of the road and are open past 11 pm. Weird but true</i>). Yogesh promised he'd do his best. </div>
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At 1230 I received a text saying the food has been dispatched. At 1245, I received the neatly packed food with a bill for 112.50. (<i>The cost of the meal is INR 100, plus 12.5% VAT and there were no delivery charges</i>)</div>
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The menu today was sambar, rasam, potato fry, kurma, rice, pickle, fryums, payasam, and curd rice. There was even a pack of <i>pass pass </i>mouth freshener. </div>
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The sambar was good, and the extra pack of sambar is unused, sitting in the fridge. The rasam was super spicy (<i>with lots of pepper and a bit of garlic</i>) - totally loved it. The potato was well cooked, seasoned and spiced well. I just wondered what a kurma was doing in place of kootu (<i>perhaps a mix up or perhaps that's how it was meant to be?</i>) - was tasty nonetheless. I was totally bowled over by the well-seasoned smooth thachi mummu (<i>curd rice</i>). The payasam was a little too sweet for my liking but was good. Overall a very good Saturday meal and I am happy.</div>
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I'd just finished the hearty meal & burped when Yogesh called to check if the food was delivered on time and inquired on the taste.</div>
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Price point: Reasonable</div>
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Service: Prompt</div>
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Taste: Very good</div>
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Packing: Neat (<i>the carton can be re-used for something else later on</i>)</div>
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Will I order again: Most Definitely.</div>
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<i>Sarvsri is on OMR, opp Lifeline hospital. You can call them on +919840014449 or also order via <a href="http://gograb.in/">gograb.in</a>. Their menu card is available on their facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarvsri/">https://www.facebook.com/sarvsri/</a></i></div>
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Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-81960173844166852512013-06-08T21:46:00.001+05:302013-06-08T21:46:47.841+05:30Maami's Mess - MylaporeI've been a big fan of this place ever since my dad introduced this to me way back when. I love the kozhakattais on Fridays and Sundal on Sundays.<br />
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I was in no mood to cook today; I'd opted to eat out yet didn't want to blow a bomb.<br />
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(<i>This was drafted last Friday</i>)<br />
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Within 5 minutes of making the decision, I reached this small place situated in the corner of Pitchu Pillai Street, Off East Mada Street, Mylapore - Mami Tiffin Stall. The place is not so crowded, it being quite hot at 12 pm. The boys are busy making the outer shells for the kozhakattais, while some others are manning the counter for take-aways. There are a few who are hogging on the delicious food, standing at the self service counters.<br />
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My order for a full meals is priced at INR 45 (for takeaway; If you eat there, it is INR 40). The meals are already packed and ready. All you need to do is pick up a bag, pay and walk out. I was in and out of the place in under a minute.<br />
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The menu today was rice, sambar, rasam, vethakozhambu, kootu, brinjal poriyal, buttermilk, peanut coconut chutney & citron pickle. At today's vegetable prices, I assume tomato was the cheapest, because it was tomato all the way. Tomato sambar, Tomato rasam, Tomato kootu and tomato vethakozhambu (<i>And I dislike tomatoes :-( </i>). With that being the only drawback, the food was tasty, simple and just enough for 1.<br />
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Value for money - Check<br />
Delicious - Check<br />
Quick Service - Check<br />
Clean - Check<br />
Repeat audience - Absolutely<br />
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And again, yesterday, I opted to eat from here. The prices have gone up - it is now INR 50 for a take away. Food delicious as usual. Less tomatoes and missing buttermilk. But hey, who's complaining! The quantity of rice was huge today and I had to save a big cup for later use.<br />
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<i>Watch out for a contrasting post - Taj Clubhouse - coming soon!</i><br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-82241472455692687372013-04-29T13:47:00.001+05:302013-04-29T18:38:10.645+05:30Southern Spice - Taj CoromandelWhen you are invited by the Taj for a hosted dinner (<i>as part of CFG Bloggers Showcase</i>), there's this feeling of exhilaration, a feeling of royalty. True to that, we were treated to the maharaja virundhu. (<i>or maharani in my case ;-) </i>) As we waited in the lobby for someone to escort us to the private dining area of Southern Spice, we observed that security had been beefed up. As we wondered which VIP was staying there, we saw a line of Sun Risers Hyderabad players walking across the lobby towards the elevators. Waqar Younis, Ishanth Sharma and Dale Steyn (<3) were those that I could see :-)<br />
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As we all seated around the table and made ourselves comfortable, fresh wet turkish towels placed in front of us to freshen up. This was followed by a little explanation of what was special about this meal. A glass of ginger punch marked the beginning of this elaborate dinner. A plate of munchies with 4 types of chutneys were available.<br />
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The first dish on the plate was a mini idli, an idli so adorably tiny. This was followed by a banana dosa of sorts, slightly sweet and tasted excellent with the chutneys smeared on top. For the salad, the kosmalli (<i>Injipuli koshambri</i>), a mixture of grated carrot, coriander and urad dal wrapped in lettuce leaves made a lovely crunch.<br />
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A tiny shot glass in white was placed to the right side of the plate and was filled with the most aromatic and tangy mysore rasam. The teeny bit of jaggery in this rasam tasted well on the palate and was not overpowering at all. The final dish of the starter course was the molagu adai.<br />
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It's now time for the main course. The group indulged in a friendly banter and conversation ranged from various types of fish and from where each fish is imported to retaining the freshness of the gravies. Chef Anand stopped by to find out if we were happy.<br />
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The gold plated plate was set with little bowls decorating the top portion of the plate. Edomame Kurma (<i>Pookose urlai kurma</i>), Asparagus Paruppu usili, Zucchini thenga curry (<i>Zucchini kaara poriyal</i>), vegetable stew (<i>Pachakari ishtew</i>) and Channa gravy (<i>Kadala gassi</i>) constituted the vegetarian sides of this menu. A south Indian touch to international vegetables - the Japanese Edomame, the Mediterranean Asparagus and the Italian Zucchini truly makes one wonder if this is how food can unite the world! The mains included a parotta, idiyappam (string hoppers) and the fluffy aappam.<br />
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<i>In between all this, my concentration was on the brilliant yet unobtrusive veena instrumental music curated specially for Southern Spice. I was lost in some of the brilliant renditions, especially Chinnan Chiru Kiliye. The ambiance calls for a special mention - compelling paintings of the kings whose kingdoms' kitchens were instrumental in what is part of the maharaja virundhu this evening. </i><br />
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We were beginning to get stuffed. And then they announce that there's going to be more. Rice with the quintessential paruppu podi with gheeeee (<i>er..</i>), small onion sambar (<i>Arachivitta Sambhar - a recipe from Chef Anand's home</i>) and more of the mysore rasam - were delightful. And no meal is complete without the thachi mummu (<i>the one and only curd rice</i>). This was served with a little manathakkali vethakozhambu - <i>totally droolworthy</i> and if you were like me, you wouldn't mind licking your fingers even at the Taj. This food is meant to be eaten with the hands and was sure finger lickin' good.<br />
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How can I forget the curry leaf juice spiked with vodka - ha! *sheepish grin* This was one of the best desi cocktail concoctions I've ever had.<br />
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Now for the dessert - the<i> elaneer payasam</i> - a hand-me-down recipe from the Mammens of the MRF family was absolutely a perfect way to end the meal. Also were served a Godhi-bella ice cream (banana jaggery ice cream) and belgian chocolate mousse cake filled with lentil, jaggery and coconut (<i>Chocolate purnam mousse</i>). Yum's the word for the chocolate mousse cake.<br />
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<i>At the end of it all, if you want me to summarize this dinner, I can only say - Wah Taj boliye! </i><br />
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<i>* This meal is priced INR 5000 + tax. If you'd like to pair this with an Indian wine, it's priced at 8000 + tax and upwards for international wines. If you want a simple thali, it's priced at 2000 + tax.</i><br />
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<i>* This was a hosted dinner. This is part of the CFG Showcase</i><br />
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<i>* Southern Spice is part of Taj Coromandel, Nungambakkam High Road, Chennai. </i><br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-87727519993560513492013-03-28T23:52:00.002+05:302013-03-29T12:03:04.114+05:30Spoonbill - Exotic Street Food2 months later, after having managed to inch closer to my weight loss target, I decided to go ahead with one of the CFG Showcases at Spoonbill, Alwarpet.<br />
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It was great to meet the bunch of naughty fellows from CFG and that was something I truly missed.<br />
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Without further ado, let me present to you Spoonbill.<br />
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Charlie owns and runs Spoonbill. It's a resto-cafe and is open from 11 am - 11 pm. A few more branches will be opened in Chennai, before Charlie ventures into other cities.<br />
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As Charlie explained the menu, the gang was super hungry and waited impatiently for the food to arrive. Afterwards, it was literally "digging in". The crepes were torn apart, the burritos butchered and the desserts were squeezed within an inch of their lives.<br />
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I cover the veg menu here. Overall I loved all the dishes (<i>or items as Faz called them</i>), except that it was a general opinion that the fillings were a tad salty. Perhaps we are used to less salt in our household?<br />
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The first to arrive on the table was the Piadina (OTC & Cheese), followed by mushroom crepes, corn and spinach crepes. We then moved on to the Indian menu - hara bhara kebab and palak paneer kebab. The mexican burritos had a lot of beans and not enough salsa to compensate, so the flavor was lacking. The mozarella + jalapeno empanada from the Portuguese menu was piping hot but again a tad salty.<br />
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We then dug into the Turkish falafel salad. The bread (<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Brötchen</span>) that was served with the non vegetarian dishes was to die for. Slightly hard on the outside but super soft on the inside, it was THE accompaniment.<br />
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The nutella and ice cream crepes made the perfect end to the meal.<br />
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The dishes are priced Rs 110 upwards on the vegetarian front. The desserts are priced at Rs 180 upwards.<br />
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<i>*This post is part of the CFG Showcase. </i><br />
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<i>** Spoonbill is located in TTK Road, Alwarpet, opp Samsung Showroom.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-4543837237807549932013-03-20T11:38:00.001+05:302013-03-20T11:38:25.570+05:30Wordless Wednesday - Aam Sutra<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-align: start;">This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Thirsty Thursday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.</i></div>
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-26662803786851702972013-03-14T20:03:00.001+05:302013-03-14T20:03:49.086+05:30Karadayan NombuA celebration of a wife's devotion and love, a remembrance of times when the husband-wife relationship was beyond sacred - the Karadayan nombu is celebrated when the masi masam ends and panguni begins (typically Mid-March). This nombu remembers the day when Savitri fought with Lord Yama to win her husband's life. As he blessed her with "dheerga sumangali bhava", he was trapped by his own words!<br />
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The married women fast on this day, and make a delicacy of black eyed peas, rice flour and jaggery (<i>the ingredients that one would normally get when living an ascetic life</i>). They pray to the Almighty to bless their husbands with a good life. The unmarried women undertake this fast so they are blessed with good husbands.<br />
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For those who believe in it, you fast the whole day and break the fast at the time the panguni month begins. For those who don't, enjoy the adai!<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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Black eyed peas (karamani) - soaked overnight and boiled.<br />
Rice flour - 1 cup + 1 cup<br />
Jaggery - 1 cup<br />
Salt - To taste<br />
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To season:<br />
Mustard seeds<br />
Oil<br />
Channa dal<br />
Urad dal<br />
Curry Leaves<br />
Green chilli - sliced finely<br />
Asafoetida (hing / perungayam)<br />
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Recipe:<br />
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Roast the rice flour until the aroma is released. Make sure it doesn't turn black. Set aside.<br />
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Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add hing, channa dal, urad dal and saute until a nice golden brown. Add chilli, curry leaves. Add 1.5 cups of water, salt and let it come to a boil. To that add 1 cup rice flour and let it cook, until it makes a nice ball and doesn't stick to the utensil. Add the black eyed pea and mix well.<br />
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Make patties out of this dough, steam in a idli cooker for 7 - 10 minutes (or more if your patty is a little thick). </div>
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Sweet adai:</div>
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Clean the jaggery in hot water and bring it to a boil. Add the roasted rice flour and black eyed peas. Mix well and bring it to a dough like consistency (like the one for the salted variety). Make patties and steam in idli cooker for 7 - 10 minutes. </div>
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Serve with butter! </div>
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-84020683476753051322013-03-07T20:37:00.000+05:302013-03-07T20:41:12.994+05:30Tea or Coffee - Thirsty Thursday<i>This post is part of The Chennai Bloggers Club's Thirsty Thursday series initiated to keep the spirit of blogging alive and challenging.</i><br />
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Filter kaapi is of paramount importance in any tambrahm family. Even mentioning the word tea is sacrilege. Until my early teens, my fluid intake was Maltova and on rare occasions the quintessential filter kaapi. The rich aroma of fresh brew would always make me beg my mom for at least 1 sip of the kaapi served in a tumbler and dabara.<br />
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And then, a family vacation to Cunnoor happened. And that's where tea happened. What better place to taste tea than a tea estate itself! We'd been to my aunt's friend's house - I still remember her name - Padma. It was a mini bungalow of sorts and she had us seated near the dining table and served tea in cups. Perhaps my first experience with cups as well as tea. I gingerly sipped the tea, for I knew not what tea would taste like, until then. I can still taste that tea after all these years, as if it was a few hours ago. I do not know what brand it was or how she made it. But all I know is I liked tea. And, I have never been able to reproduce that flavor till date.<br />
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From then on, it's been a journey to unravel quite a few mysteries of the humble tea. I even attended a <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/i-am-little-tea-pot.html" target="_blank">workshop on tea tasting</a> a few months ago. I prefer the kadak chai made with milk and I do not like the chai masala.<br />
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A few years ago, I discovered green tea and its benefits. And a few weeks ago, I discovered fruit infused tea. I was at a friend's place for lunch and she served mango cinnamon orange flavored tea. I was hooked and smitten. Twinings and Typhoo have such varied flavors but I couldn't find the aforementioned one anywhere here in Chennai.<br />
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The last couple of weeks, my mornings and evenings are spent with green tea (with orange infusion) and a cranberry orange infused fruit tea!<br />
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Bottomline: I love my tea but my loyalties always lie with the filter kaapi! (<i>in fact my ring tone is the famous leo kaapi tune </i><i>composed by ARR and the advert </i><i>starring Arvind Swamy *drool*</i>)<br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-73980725668503238502013-03-05T17:20:00.000+05:302013-03-05T17:20:21.831+05:30A culinary journey - Shazia KhanI am a big fan of Masterchef (<i>particularly the Australian edition</i>), as I am sure most of you are. My ex-boss knew better than to call me between 9 and 10 pm when Masterchef Australia used to be aired on Star world. I love George, Gary, Matt (<i>Moran and Preston</i>). I've enjoyed the show and more importantly, the masterclasses. I have a dream - to some day be on the sets of this epic show, in Australia, and cover it on this blog.<br />
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But the closest I'll come to all of this, will be this weekend - to interact with and learn from the Masterchef India Season 2 Finalist and Runner up - Shazia Khan. I've been part of various culinary workshops and have learnt from every one of them - be it a recipe from scratch or some new tip; so I definitely look forward to this one.<br />
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This event - Make me a Masterchef - is conceptualized by my baker friend Maaria Kulsum Tanveer of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Adoniyachennai" target="_blank">Adoniya</a> and managed and executed by one of my dearest friends Tasneem Akbari of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Konceptz.Galore" target="_blank">Konceptz Galore</a>.<br />
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A young homemaker and mother of two dreamed a dream. And that dream morphed into a beautiful reality. Shazia Khan is now a known face in Indian households, thanks to Masterchef India. Cooking is the biggest stress buster, says Shazia. I concur. Her greatest inspiration is her late father, her biggest motivation are her two sons and her strength is her husband. Shazia learnt cooking from her mother-in-law who was more than a mentor and guide to her.<br />
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Shazia is a member of the board of management, at Delhi Public School Bangalore North. She is part of the family business that runs many educational institutes in Bangalore. Her school also has a wing called ‘Anubhava Shiksha Kendra’ for underprivileged students where Shazia spends valuable time teaching the kids.<br />
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One day, she says, she wants to produce a travel + cookery show that'd enable her travel to the ends of the world.<br />
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And if you are in Chennai, you sure don't want to miss this workshop, on the 9th of March 2013, at the Radisson Blu, Egmore. It is a day long event, split into 3 parts - Veg - Lunch - Non Veg. For more details check the event page - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/608229172526020/">https://www.facebook.com/events/608229172526020/</a><br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-76817625801438807742013-02-23T10:40:00.002+05:302013-02-23T10:40:56.192+05:30Bellaria Ice creamsWhen you have an insanely stressful week and more so because of some phone calls and 3 hours at the bank, what you need are some great stress busters in the form of ice creams or cakes. Both my girls - Yalini and Avanthi offered to help beat my stress. Avanthi runs a cute little ice cream store called Bellaria and Yalini runs The Sweet' 'Art.<br />
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I was in the vicinity of Bellaria and made a spur of the moment decision to take up Avanthi on her offer. Avanthi is certified in ice-cream making. Bellaria's menu is highly customizable, right from the milk and sugar to the flavors and toppings and are made right in front of your eyes. The ice cream machines are imported and you can see how a simple blended liquid transforms into lip-smacking scoops.<br />
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As I waited for her to arrive, a family of 4 including a little girl were ordering their ice creams. And she was so enthralled that she carried the bowl with her to the car and was licking away to glory. It was a cute sight to see her face smeared with chocolate. (I<i>t was funny when one member of this family ordered a sugar free gulab jamun ice cream! :P </i>)<br />
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I ordered a regular white chocolate ice-cream and Avanthi suggested a small modification. She added 2 spoons of orange juice while making the white chocolate to tone down the milky flavor of white chocolate. I asked for chocolate sauce over it but then she suggested I try it first before the topping. Boy, how right she was. The ice-cream had a mild undertone of orange and left me wanting for more. I just topped it with some dark choc chips and almond slivers. I paid INR 136 for this bowl of 3 scoops + toppings<br />
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Avanthi is also introducing some vegetable flavored ice-creams and I had the privilege of trying one. Carrots cooked in orange juice and then made into ice-creams. Loved the texture and the taste. It almost felt like gajar halwa except this is much more healthier. Avanthi is toying with various other vegetables and if you have suggestions, do post it as a comment here or on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mybellaria" target="_blank">Bellaria'</a>s page.<br />
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It's no coincidence that stressed spelt backwards leads to desserts and that's the tag line of Bellaria.<br />
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<i>Next stop - The Sweet' 'Art</i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-37585386699638465762013-02-21T23:20:00.001+05:302013-02-21T23:20:49.061+05:30Aromas of ChinaIt'd been an insanely bad week and I was really looking forward to this dinner. Sometimes, you learn the hard way, to not expect.<br />
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Located in the heart of the food junction of Chennai, Aromas Of China boasts some really cool neighbors. The usual CFG gang landed at this place and by 730 we started dinner. The menu was sent well in advance.<br />
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Well lit ambiance, white crockery and stylish cutlery are just some positive aspects of this place. The seats weren't that great, especially the sofas and some even compared it to a share auto.<br />
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I quite didn't like the jasmine flavored tea that was served.<br />
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The eight treasure soup lacked flavor. I couldn't find one treasure in the soup, leave alone 8. The soup was too corny, er, I mean, too much corn flour in the base. (<i>Aarti - your effect is rubbing off ;-) </i>)<br />
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The crispy chilli corn pepper was crisp. A decent starter. The vegetable konjeenaro dry was terribly dry, tasteless and crisp. If we were able to manage spoonfuls of any of the above, it was largely due to the chilli sauce. It tasted yum and we almost finished 3 - 4 cups of this sauce.<br />
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A veg momo appeared on the plate and I really don't have much to say about this.<br />
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As we waited for the main course, we almost lost patience and considered stepping off to Haagen Dazs for some desserts. The chilli butter noodles was decent on the palate while the dumplings in soya chilli sauce and mix veg sichuan chilli sauce left a lot to be desired.<br />
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Given that the meal so far was a complete let down, we were hoping the desserts would save the evening and save they did. Hot chocolate rolls, Almond flaked Darshan.. er.. darsaan (<i>Jenny - couldn't help it :D</i> ) and vanilla ice cream were good. The vanilla ice cream though, didn't seem to have any vanilla in it.<br />
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Unless I'd lost my olfactory senses this morning, I could neither sense any aroma nor was there any China (<i>except of course the mandarined lanterns and the fact that they were trying to celebrate Chinese New Year of the Snake ;-) </i>) in this place. And surprisingly, it was full for a Thursday evening.<br />
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For the first time, I am going with a rating mechanism here<br />
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Food: 1/5<br />
Ambiance: 3/5<br />
Service: 2/5 (<i>I am tempted to say 1, but there were moments when the service was okay</i>)<br />
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<i>* This is part of CFG Showcase. Food is subjective and your taste buds are different from mine. </i><br />
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<i>* A meal for two would cost around INR 1500+ - each dish is priced at 300 upwards</i><br />
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<i>*Aromas of China is on KNK Road, opp Kryptos By Willi.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-22114639436098378682013-02-12T23:07:00.004+05:302013-02-12T23:55:46.519+05:30Tadka Talk - A vegetarian's delightA 2nd visit, in over a month - a perfect time frame to decide if the quality of food has been maintained! The first time was for the food tasting & trials when Shafee had called some of us from Chennai Food Guide. I was impressed, to say the least - the food, ambience, pricing and most of all, the proximity to home.<br />
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And when a CFG showcase happened here, I had to be present! Shafee, Chef Jugesh Arora and Chef Deepa Arora welcomed us and we were shown to our seats.<br />
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The ambience is simple and clean. There are no distractions. An open kitchen to your left, and the seating to the right. There's also a spacious private 15-seater. The service apartments upstairs are clean and well maintained, mostly taken up by corporates.<br />
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The showcase menu was the Chef's Tasting Menu, a sit-down buffet priced at <b>INR 385+tax</b>. 1 soup, 1 starter platter, unlimited main course and 1 dessert is what you get and this is much more than the money's worth. The service is quick and efficient but they let you eat your meal in peace :)<br />
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Punjabi home style food (<i>ghar ka khaana</i>) is the USP of this restaurant.<br />
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We began with a welcome drink - spiced kiwi and mango. I love the sour taste of the mango and it's an amazing palate cleanser. This was followed by the medium spicy black channa soup (<i>choliya di rassa</i>) - a perfect beginning to the meal.Oh, Raghavander can't eat mango, so the welcome drink was replaced with a kesar badam lassi. This had just 2 reactions - a big yes and a tentative no. I belong to the big yes group. The tang of the yoghurt with the subtle flavor of the kesar is a winner.<br />
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Then arrived the starter platter - Paneer Amritsari, Tandoori Phul and Lahori Seekh Paneer Cholia Te Khumbwali. These are best eaten with the mango chutney. Each dish is perfectly cooked, the paneer with a slight tinge of ajwain.<br />
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The plates were cleared. The papad, raita, onions and pickle were arranged. The foodies that we were, we quickly made a dish out of this and crunched into the papad, strewn with some onions on a bed of raita and a small dot of pickle ;-)<br />
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As we waited for the main course, Ila and Chinna joined us. The rest of us couldn't wait for them to catch up ;-) We dug into some super soft butter naan and the roti. The breads were complemented by Kadhai Paneer, Aloo Gobi and Rajma. I loved the dal from the tasting and hoped it would be there but the rajma was a good replacement.<br />
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The rice dish, lahori sabzi biriyani, was a perfect blend of spices and vegetables. And no, this is not the spicy tomato ricey kind of biriyani that is served in the name of biriyani!<br />
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As I licked my plate (<i>and my fingers</i>) clean, the finger bowls arrived. The water was warm and the lemon a decent sized wedge. The bowl was big enough to dip my fingers and clean them, (<i>There, I've reviewed the finger bowls too.. Happy? :-P</i>)<br />
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And now for the grand finale. I had an amazing dessert for tasting - some gulab jamun on a bed of gajar halwa and a slice of kulfi and I was hoping the chef would serve the same this time around too! I did get 2 desserts but plated separately. Rasmalai and warm gulab jamun. The rasmalai had an extra bit of rose (<i>gulab</i>) flavor and the chef feels that his halwai might have been thinking about his valentine! The gulab jamun was warm and delicious with the right amount of sweet.<br />
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As I wind up, I can only hope they maintain this quality for a long time to come! Three cheers to Tadka Talk!<br />
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<i>*This is part of the CFG Showcase.</i><br />
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<i>* Tadka Talk is on Ramgiri Nagar, Opp TCS, Taramani Velachery Link Road (Behind Sony Center)</i><br />
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<i>**Someone please ask Fazil why he was blushing so much.</i><br />
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<i>* 5 month old Arnav, the youngest CFG member, was the apple of everyone's eye here. Sreehari & Aparna's son delighted us by being a very good boy! :) </i><br />
<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-58929952338273789572013-02-02T20:43:00.000+05:302013-02-04T12:27:04.165+05:30The Great Baker Showcase - Season 3 - Chennai - Grand FinaleThe day was here, the day that we were all eagerly awaiting to lay our hands on the amazing goodies that we hitherto only drooled over at the pictures the bakers posted on the showcase page on Facebook.<br />
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The venue was a fine choice - the huge auditorium at the Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School, Anderson Road, Egmore. The event oganized by The Home Bakers Guild, co-sponsored by Crimson Chakra, Gormei Market and Passionate Baking not to mention the Asan Memorial College of Arts and Science, was a huge hit once again.<br />
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14 talented bakers played to their key strengths and displayed an array of cakes and savories and the customers were spoilt for choice. Keeping up with the tradition, the first baker sold out in an hour. Karthika Shravanti of Bakeman Begins was the first one to sell out and she had plenty time to go around the stalls and indulge. Slowly the rest of the bakers were also selling out. The biriyani and fish pickle brought by Tasneem Aunty sold out in under 15 minutes. And Sara and Girija Menon were not to be left behind. The citrus drizzle cake and the other items from the Soul Food Sisters vanished in no time. I was pure lucky to get my hands on the choicest pieces!<br />
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Ayeesha and Divya Ninan followed suit and sold out. Gazeenasulu also cleared her table along with Meghana Karthik and Veena Sakthi. Priya, Nanditha, Yalini and Suzie had hardly a few pieces remaining.<br />
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Bakers - Take a bow - You surpass yourselves every time and set a new standard!!<br />
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The venue would have seen over a 1000 people drop by to fill their bags :)<br />
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This event was a total sell out and part of proceeds go to charity. And I am extremely proud to have been associated with this event right from day 1.<br />
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I also had the opportunity to meet and interact with Zenobia Currimbhoy and Dr. Richa Agrawal - Asst Professor - Marketing, IIT Madras. As I went around, I met Rashmee, Anusha, Linu, Sangeetha, Ayesha (Ma Baker) and a load of other bakers who have now become good friends!<br />
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This event would not have been successful without the effort of all the volunteers - who put up posters all over town, who helped the bakers set up the table and running around asking if anyone needed help and help pack the bags. There's one special volunteer that I would like to mention here - 8 year old Nayonika. She's Rashmi Ramakrishnan's daughter, the ever-smiling and ever-helpful little darling. Nayonika blogs at <a href="http://kidscenter.wordpress.com/">http://kidscenter.wordpress.com/</a> - Do check out her blog and her amazing photographs!<br />
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KP Balakumar - Do take a bow - you have done it again! Look forward to the next one.:)<br />
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Please look up my Facebook Page - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall">https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall</a> for the rest of the pics!<br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-43087661429476969852013-01-31T23:55:00.000+05:302013-01-31T23:56:51.573+05:30Meet the Bakers - Ayeesha RiazAs the Showcase nears, here's a post from the pearl city, Tuticorin!<br />
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A little tête-à-tête with Ayeesha:<br />
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<i>D: Pearl CDC?</i><br />
A: Yeah, I hail from Tuticorin. Hence the name <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PearlCdc" target="_blank">Pearl and CDC</a> denotes cakes, desserts and cookies :)<br />
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<i>D: So how did baking happen?</i><br />
A: I got married right after graduation (<i>BE EEE</i>) and moved to UK. That's where the culinary journey began. Along with the basic cooking like rice and curries, I also had some interest towards baking. I always enjoyed the cooking shows in UK, watching Celebrity Chef's, the way they cook, mix, using different kitchen gadgets, their techniques just wowed me. That's how my interest towards baking started. As long as I lived in UK I didn't try to make that a business, it was always for friends and family. I have also baked for charity.<br />
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<i>D: There are some amazing photographs on your blog!</i><br />
A: <a href="http://tasteofpearlcity.blogspot.in/" target="_blank">Taste Of Pearl City</a> is my own blog in which I blog about food, food, food so it's about food only. I started that blog only for my passion for cooking, which opened up so many new windows for me like food photography and now this home baking too.<br />
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<i>D: What is your favorite when it comes to cakes?</i><br />
A: If there is any special occasion, Chocolate fudge cake is a must there, it's nothing but moist chocolate cake layered with rich chocolate cream and topped with ganache. With tea, it's always been carrot cake. My husband's favourite would be Cappuccino Slices. Something which I liked the most from my baked goodies would be Japanese Cotton Cheesecake and I always love the smell of freshly baked bread especially when it has garlic and cinnamon. Oh My! That aroma is magical.<br />
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<i>D: Your thoughts on HBG?</i><br />
A: I have to say it's a great platform for bakers with a wealth of thoughts and ideas. I always enjoyed the discussion in HBG, like the doubts they get in baking or how to deal with the customers. Simple conversations like these would help beginners in home baking. HBG has created a space and a recognition for home bakers. I'm glad to be part of this lovely group.<br />
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<i>Watch out for Ayeesha's specials only at the Baker Showcase!</i></div>
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-20879203342402031192013-01-31T23:27:00.000+05:302013-01-31T23:36:51.485+05:30Darios - Cook with Love!A vegetarian's delight - and when I say that, I mean a vegetarian who wouldn't even touch egg! To start with, none of their dishes have egg - not the pasta, not the desserts. And, they can customize your dishes to not include garlic.<br />
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This 130-seater restaurant located in one of the poshest localities of Chennai, boasts of a Sicilian cuisine and already has 2 outlets in Pune.<br />
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We were seated outside and surprisingly there were no mosquitoes.<br />
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The menu that Suresh, CEO, Darios, had put up for this showcase was quite extensive. I was the first one from the group to reach the place, and got a quick view of the rooms and the open kitchen. Suresh promised a kitchen tour but I guess we were too busy eating :-)<br />
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While at this, I must say that the Moroccan Mint tea was absolutely stunning. This simple clear hot liquid not only cleansed the palate but also soothed the stomach. Please make this your must order when you visit this place! Highly recommended.<br />
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I go on to mention the dishes, in no particular order (<i>as at this point, I don't quite remember in which order they came</i>)<br />
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<b>Starters:</b><br />
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Funghi Darios: Whole Roasted Mushrooms with lemon, garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. This one was brilliant, but I really couldn't quite catch the citrus flavor as the garlic overpowered everything.<br />
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Polpette Di Spinaci E Formaggio: Spinach and fresh cheese balls served with a spinach cheese dip. If you love spinach and if you love cheese, go for this one! However the oil smelt a little funny today. (<i>May be just a one off?</i>)<br />
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Antipasto Siciliano: Sicilian platter with cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, pickled onions, roasted aubergines and home made bread. The chilli stuffed olives are a spice lovers delight. The gorgonzola cheese (<i>an acquired taste perhaps</i>) was a tad salty but hey, it was just too good to be eaten on its own! The bread was soft and fresh, and made for a perfect accompaniment.<br />
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Assorted bruschetta: My pick was the goat cheese and roasted zucchini. The sun dried tomato pate was a tad strong and spicy for my liking.<br />
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<b>Salad:</b><br />
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Aranciazola: Mixed salad leaves, fresh orange, gorgonzola, olives and herbs - A fresh salad with a hint of citrus from the orange but what makes this a killer salad is the gorgonzola.<br />
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Verdure Grigalate: Warm mixed vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions and carrots) - This was yum on its own but again, a hint of gorgonzola and it just elevated the flavor of the vegetables.<br />
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<b>Pizza:</b><br />
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Carduni: Mozarella, artichokes, mushrooms, garlic, olives, broccoli and sun dried tomatoes.I absolutely loved it, more for the fact that it had a good amount of those bright green broccoli pieces :D<br />
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Stromboli: Mozarella, red chilli, spinach and tomatoes: What I really loved about these thin crust pizzas were that they didn't stoop or sag or become soggy. They held their head high and were crunchy till the last bite.<br />
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<b>Risotto and Pasta: </b><br />
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Risottoragli Asparagi: Asparagus, cream and cheese - By far the best risotto I've eaten. It was slightly high on garlic but if you love a good risotto, then this is the one!<br />
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Risotto Siciliana: Tomato sauce based risotto with aubergines, red chilli, oregano, capers and cheese - Not my favorite!<br />
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Risotto Al Funghi Porcini: Mushrooms & garlic cream cheese - If you love a good mushroom, this is one to pick!<br />
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Ravioli Kamarina: Home made ravioli stuffed with spinach & cheese, served with tomatoes, chickpeas, rosemary, smashed peas and cream. By this time, we were stuffed and could only take spoonfuls to taste.<br />
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The other dishes in this category included Fussili Vitale (Fresh tomato, garlic, sun dried tomato and mushrooms), Tortellini formaggi and funghi (pasta parcels stuffed with mushrooms and cheese), crespelle al funghi (baked pancakes with mushrooms, garlic, tomatoes, cheese and peas). The baked pancakes were good but attempting to taste the sauce alone didn't do too much good. It has to be eaten along with the pancake.<br />
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And finally, it was time for dessert. How much ever you eat, there's always space for dessert and I mean always!<br />
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<b>Desserts</b><br />
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Eggless tiramisu - very low on alcohol and coffee - not exactly a tiramisu but let's say a decent variation of the actual!<br />
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Pannacotta - Typical :) The crunchy slices of apple on the side added a nice texture to the dish!<br />
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Lemon cheese cake: My pick of the lot - The mild tang of the lemon and the soft cheese cake, when eaten along with the lemon rind - is a different experience altogether.<br />
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Erupting chocolate and chocolate brownie served with chocolate ice cream - Now I thought that would be a chocolate overdose but surprisingly it was quite pleasing on the palate!<br />
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As we stood up, completing a wonderful meal, I sure gained a few pounds! The love in their cooking certainly shows :)<br />
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<i>** This meal is part of CFG Showcase. </i><br />
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<i>** A meal for two would cost you around INR 1200.</i><br />
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<i>** Darios is off Kasturi Ranga Road, Near Aswini Soundra Nursing Home, Poes Garden. - <a href="http://www.darios.in/">http://www.darios.in</a></i><br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-77878401176930126892013-01-28T19:06:00.001+05:302013-01-28T19:06:44.052+05:30Meet the Bakers - Girija MenonA mother of 2 wonderful daughters, one a star baker herself (<i><a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/meet-bakers-part-2.html" target="_blank">Nanditha Sashidharan</a></i>), I am very pleased to introduce to you all - the lady that completes the trio of The Soul Food Sisters - Girija Menon.<br />
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Before we read on, a quick note on The Soul Food Sisters - <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/meet-bakers-tasneem-ayub.html" target="_blank">Tasneem Ayub</a>, <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/meet-bakers-sara-koshy.html" target="_blank">Sara Koshy</a> and Girija Menon comprise this trio of <i>Hot Mommas</i> (<i>Oh that was the initial name</i>). They are also called <i>KP's Angels</i> ;-) But my favorite name for these three talented bakers / chefs is the name put forth by Sandesh Reddy - <i>Bake Maamis</i>. Why, Oh Why, isn't this name the official one! *<i>grins devilishly</i>*<br />
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In conversation with Girija Menon:<br />
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<i>D: A star baker for a daughter :-)</i><br />
G: Quite happy to rest on her laurels. Yes, this time it is more of a challenge as I cannot piggyback onto Sugar Hut :D<br />
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<i>D: So, what are you bringing to the showcase?</i><br />
G: Quiches, both the classic and a mushroom one, date cream cheese pie, apple strudel muffins, a Mediterranean roasted vegetable lasagna, etc.<br />
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<i>D: So, how did baking come into being?</i><br />
G: After I got married I moved to Ras Al Khaimah, a sleepy emirate (UAE). It was history repeating itself as there were no proper restaurants or bakeries.So, following family tradition I decided to make my own cakes as the ones that were available constituted a gateau of sorts with the famous 'Dream Whip' and some tinned fruit. So, began my tryst with baking. My girls used to come up with these impossible demands -castle, train, Disney land, farm , etc. I remember Nanditha crying to me as her friend said that the Dennis the Menace cake didn't look like him. Haha! Planning birthday parties for over 50 people was quite a challenge and since I had to do it all by myself, I had to have a complete schedule. I have to say it was enjoyable as it gave me a chance to try out different things. After the girls stopped having birthday parties , it was more of tarts, pies, etc. But I loved trying crazy things like make my own sun dried (oven) tomatoes, harvested from my garden and making pesto. My idea of unwinding on a weekend was to try different kinds of cuisines, Italian being my most favourite. The taste of olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, basil.... has my senses reeling. <br />
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<i>D: So, other than baking what do you do?</i><br />
G: Gardening, reading, amateur dramatics, tennis, and my latest one is dabbling in aromatherapy.<br />
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<i>That's the pretty momma with her prettier daughters. Can you believe Girija Menon, in her first attempt at baking, forgot to add baking powder to the cake mix? :) And, she loves watching movies - top of her list being The King's Speech and Barfi!</i></div>
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Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-36726405809865060412013-01-26T20:41:00.000+05:302013-01-26T20:43:12.493+05:30Meet the Bakers - Sara KoshyI should perhaps title this post - Meet the Expert (or MasterChef) :-). I've been part of a couple of her cooking classes (<a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/masterclass-with-sara-koshy-desserts.html" target="_blank">Desserts Delight</a> and a <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/masterclass-with-sarah-koshy.html" target="_blank">trial class</a>) and she made some of the complicated desserts seemingly very simple.<br />
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So I shot her some questions and here they are!<br />
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<i>D: A little bit about your family?</i><br />
S: Engineer husband but he now works in an university. My son is in the hospitality industry but no, not cooking. They are not just my guinea pigs but also my harshest critics.<br />
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<i>D: Cooking / Baking - The how and why?</i><br />
S: It was the cookery classes in school that got me interested, my mother is a fabulous cook and I learnt a lot from her. The interest in baking was because of a young man with magic in his fingers who taught me the basics and got me interested in chocolate work. I learnt cake decorating from Shyamala Sivaraman and also did a few courses in Singapore.<br />
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<i>D: Do you remember the first class you conducted?</i><br />
S: Yes I do and was so nervous, that I was relieved when it was over!<br />
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<i>D: What's your favorite dessert?</i><br />
S: I love mousse cakes and pralet. And I love to conduct dimsum and Chinese classes.<br />
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<i>D: Hobbies (and no, not cooking / baking)?</i><br />
S: In my past life, I was an English teacher and then a copy editor. Mindless, unlimited TV viewing if I could. I used to be a voracious reader but not anymore. I'm one of those people who can't put down a book until I've finished reading it. Not good for business so now it's only the newspapers.<br />
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<i>D: What's your advice for budding bakers?</i><br />
S: Follow recipes, use the best ingredients and always keep your workspace and kitchen clean.<br />
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<i>D: Your shot glass classes are quite famous! </i><br />
S: Yes, it took me a year to come up with that class. I needed recipes that could be made round the year. So much trial and error went into this one course. And the tasting- ugh- all that sugar! But I guess the result was sweet.<br />
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<i>D: A few words on HBG?</i><br />
S: One day I found that my nephew had signed me on. My day now begins and ends with HBG. It's resource-centric and absolutely amazing to see the wealth of talent on it.<br />
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<i>If you want your wish to come true, don't miss Sara's Christmas Bake classes. One of the recipes, the Christmas pudding, requires everyone in the house to stir the pudding and make a wish. Few months later, two of them called Sara to tell her that their wish had come true! Incredible, isn't it? :)</i><br />
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<i>Sara's blog is at <a href="http://www.baketales.com/">http://www.baketales.com/</a>.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i><i>To keep yourself updated, please follow the Food and All - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall">https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall</a> page on Facebook.</i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-50976272644983353352013-01-25T20:38:00.000+05:302013-01-25T21:00:29.074+05:30Meet the Bakers - Divya Ninan-EapenTonight's episode features another favorite baker of mine - the pretty-eyed ever-smiling Divya Ninan-Eapen of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TangerinesKitchen" target="_blank">Tangerine's Kitchen</a><br />
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In conversation with Divya<br />
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<i>DI: Tangerine - a name that I really love! Why did you pick out this name?</i><br />
DN: I have had a food blog since 2007 that goes by the name Tangerine's Kitchen. That was my space where I had all the freedom to express my views regarding recipes handed to me, recipes from books and the web that have been tried and tested in my kitchen. I have also done book reviews which publishers have sent me. Along came baking on a commercial scale and I stuck on with the name. Tangerine because I love the colour.<br />
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<i>DI: Your daughter also helps you in the kitchen?</i><br />
DN: Yes, she is my little helper when I bake. She helps me with lining my cupcake trays when I get these bulk orders,counting the numbers and the little jobs that come with baking commercially.<br />
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DI: I've seen some of the sarees you've painted. Is that a hobby?<br />
DN: Oh no! That's full time. I have a studio called "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Rachel.HandpaintedFibreArt" target="_blank">Rachel</a>", based at my home. We design Indian textiles. Handpainting on sarees and dupattas is just one of the many work that we do on textiles. Ever since I got done with my Masters in Fine Arts, I have been a Textile Designer freelancing for handloom companies.<br />
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<i>DI: Wow! So when does baking happen?</i><br />
DN: I find time for baking amidst my work. Baking keeps my work stress at bay. I knead bread to vent out all the frustrations that come with work.<br />
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<i>DI: I met you first at the "<a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/bake-for-sandys-season-1.html" target="_blank">Bake for Sandys</a>" event. You stole our hearts & palates. :)</i><br />
DN: Ah yes! It was an event that I read on the guild. It was a should I or shouldn't I thing considering the number of talented home bakers we have in Chennai. A dear person in my life told me, opportunity seldom knocks twice! But even when I reached Sandys the cakes that the other bakers had brought - all frosted and dressed well gave me the assurance I had no hope. But I won. Two of my bakes, Lemon blueberry yoghurt cake and the Lamingtons of the three I took were chosen and the rest is history.<br />
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<i>DI: How has HBG inspired you in creating new recipes?</i><br />
DN: A lot. Rather than recipes, I would say a source of inspiration for ideas and help. I always twist a recipe to suit my palate. Because I know that recipes you find in books and on the web always have that secret ingredient that is not revealed.<br />
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<i>DI: What do you specialize in?</i><br />
DN: Homemade bread, quiches, pies, cookies and cakes or to sum it up, simple homely comfort food! Dips, sauces and preserves too.<br />
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<i>Divya wants to someday have a store that resmebles the British cottages something like those at her hometown - Nilgiris. A store for her textiles with a dainty little cafe for her homebaked goodness.</i><br />
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<i>Psst: she still gets calls asking if this is Tangerine restaurant! Wonder how she handles them with all the patience in the world! :)</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-38624369326625602922013-01-24T23:42:00.005+05:302013-01-30T10:36:51.933+05:30Meet the Bakers - Tasneem AyubWasn't I waiting for this opportunity! To write about one of my favorite people, an amazing cook, a very warm and humble person, eager to learn even at this age, a wonderful human being who has no airs despite what she has achieved; I've been one of the fortunate recipients of her love and affection (<i>and chiding too at times</i>), not to mention the yummy food each time I dropped by announced / unannounced.<br />
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Oh! did I mention her amazing sense of fashion? You have to see her closet to believe it!<br />
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In conversation with Tasneem Aunty (<i>as she's fondly called</i>)<br />
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<i>D: A little bit about your family, Aunty?</i><br />
T: My father was a businessman and my mother was the HOD (Eng Literature) and later the principal of Ethiraj College. I am the youngest of 7 :)<br />
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<i>D: So when did your initiation into cooking happen?</i><br />
T: I perhaps learnt to hold a ladle even before I learnt to read / write :). The 11 am meal used to be my favorite; I used to cook up a storm making lamb chops in a mud pot and all this was made on firewood.<br />
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<i>D: Your inspiration?</i><br />
T: My mother, most definitely; She would ensure that we always ate healthy with the choicest fresh ingredients; She'd sometimes source the products herself and prepare the best food for us. Then, my brother who was a big foodie and a great cook himself, was a big influence on my cooking. My brothers and sisters who always used to bully me around and make me do all the work ;-) . And of course, my husband and son who are the guinea pigs for all my recipe trials. Not to mention, Sandhesh Reddy, Chef and entrepreneur!<br />
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<i>D: Wow! That's some inspiration. So what are your passions other than cooking?</i><br />
T: I love gardening and love to potter around. (<i>Psst: She's crazy about collecting some lovely cutlery and crockery. The collection is so huge that you could almost display them in a museum</i>)<br />
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<i>D: Your husband - Ayub uncle and your son Feroze are racers, national champions! What's the dinner table conversation like?</i><br />
T: Ha ha! Do you even need to ask! Of course, it's CARS. <br />
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<i>D: Oh! But I remember uncle said in an interview on Star Sports, that you always talk about food at the dinner table! </i><br />
T: Haha! It's always cars and it annoys me to no end! My yelling falls on deaf ears :-(<br />
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<i>D: What's your forte as far as cooking is concerned?</i><br />
T: My forte has been biriyanis and the typical muslim sweets / desserts. This Ramzan I'd made 12 different varieties!<br />
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<i>D: How has HBG inspired you?</i><br />
T: If not for KP who nudged me into this, this would have never happened! :)<br />
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<i>Tasneem Aunty is also a big fan of organic food and AMC cookware. She'd applied for catering college, but the conservative family background made her mother hide the acceptance form! ;-) </i><br />
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<i>She also blogs at </i><i>http://ammeeskitchen.blogspot.in and http://theeffervescentcook.blogspot.in</i><br />
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<i>To taste the amazing badam sweet and khajur made by Tasneem Aunty, please come to the Baker Showcase on Feb 2nd.</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-58496425652629568872013-01-23T21:55:00.000+05:302013-01-23T21:57:32.651+05:30Meet the Bakers - Cheshta MalikThe next episode of Meet the Bakers features Choco-lately yours - Cheshta Malik. Well, that's how she signs off her emails :) I had the opportunity to meet this warm and vivacious baker over a <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/adyar-tiruvanmiyur-food-walk-epic.html" target="_blank">food walk</a> last weekend!<br />
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In conversation with Cheshta Malik<br />
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<i>D: Sweet Story?</i><br />
C: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheSweetStory" target="_blank">The Sweet Story</a> was born out of our passion n love for food by the bonfire on a holiday. We started in December 2012.. So we're fairly young. Travel follows closely behind food in our list of passions in life. On our journeys we love to experiment with food and get our hands on exotic ingredients. To be able to use these ingredients and present our versions of various foods to the world was also one of the pushes for the sweet story's birth! ;)<br />
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<i>D: What do you specialize in?</i><br />
C: We specialize in hand crafted customized gourmet chocolates,flavored and filled. Themed chocolates with toppers is our USP! Our menu also includes desserts, cupcakes n a few savory goodies. We love to dabble in untried waters, hence you'll find some quirky but nonetheless delicious combinations on our menu.<br />
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<i>D: You did a soft launch at <a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/pizza-republic-thumbs-up.html" target="_blank">Pizza Republic</a> sometime last month.</i><br />
C: Oh yes! The launch itself was a great opportunity where we got amazing response from CFGians and PR walk-in customers. Orders started coming in n we had our hands full over Christmas.<br />
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<i>D: You went on air with RJ Sano. How was the experience?</i><br />
C: Though I was a little concerned since there was no briefing about the show, it actually turned about to be exciting and a lot of fun as it allowed me to speak naturally and just enjoy the whole experience.<br />
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<i>D: How has HBG and the showcase helped you with the sweet story?</i><br />
C: HBG has been absolutely great - an inspiration, a place to learn and connect with others in the trade. It totally rocks!<br />
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<i>D: A hotelier for a husband. What does it feel like, especially with your baking? ;-) </i>(<i>Abhijit works with Hilton and I had the opportunity to meet him as well! </i>)<br />
C: He is my full-time taster, my sound board, my motivation and my strength. :-)<br />
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<i>D: And how about the little one? How do you manage the baking?</i><br />
C: My son is now two years old and the hardest part about the job is to keep his hands off the goodies! Though it sometimes is a challenge to work, but I manage to find my way around, working when he's sleeping or keeping him occupied otherwise when I'm busy.<br />
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Am ex-banker, a MBA in HR and Marketing, Cheshta also writes about food and travel for travel magazines. She enjoys cooking, eating, painting and loves anything creative. </div>
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Come and be a part of the sweet story, at the baker showcase, on Feb 2, 2013. See below for a small sample on what you can expect at the showcase!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fuRQOpLkdUhkPmJ0jh8dQlimjPZLdho32exLo3u9idxIPFl43NHnECF4Bgh3MAt84EjgTyP8nLALNNGSyRZMfM7xiI6ok1_cnlAlPfpdjr4krzeUTl98w3PaUv8HqXgjhcL8pguEuAeJ/s1600/mycollage+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fuRQOpLkdUhkPmJ0jh8dQlimjPZLdho32exLo3u9idxIPFl43NHnECF4Bgh3MAt84EjgTyP8nLALNNGSyRZMfM7xiI6ok1_cnlAlPfpdjr4krzeUTl98w3PaUv8HqXgjhcL8pguEuAeJ/s640/mycollage+(2).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>To keep yourself updated, please follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall" target="_blank">Food and all</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall">https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall</a>, on Facebook</i></div>
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Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-66201225959176755102013-01-21T18:54:00.000+05:302013-01-21T18:54:40.454+05:30Meet the Bakers - Karthika ShravanthiAs we move into the next season of the Baker Showcase, we bring you a scoop on each of the most talented and creative bakers who are taking part in this showcase. We continue the tradition and today's blog post will feature perhaps the youngest baker in this showcase - <i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BakemanBegins" target="_blank">Bakeman </a></i>aka<i> Karthika Shravanthi</i>.<br />
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In conversation with Karthika, who graduated last year from SSN College of Engineering<br />
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<i>D: Bakeman - A big batman fan? :)</i><br />
K: I started learning baking during the time when The Dark Knight Rises movie released! Plus I am a Nolan fan :D When I posted the pictures on FB , I named the album Bakeman Begins , which eventually became the name of my home baked goodies :)<br />
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<i>D: You are open only on weekends and Mondays. What's the funda?</i><br />
K: I work as a Software Engineer in Bangalore. I travel to Chennai every weekend. More like a weekend entrepreneur. So Bakeman Begins is my weekend work :) Like most of them, I am also a midnight baker. I make use of that 48 hrs(weekend) to the fullest ! I start baking as early as 4 30 am just after reaching Chennai from Bangalore :P<br />
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<i>D: How has Home Bakers Guild and this showcase helped you in your baking / promoting your business?</i><br />
K: Home Bakers Guild is all the reason I am on Facebook. I always say, I log in to FB to check out HBG more than my profile :D. HBG is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Tons of thanks to KP for that. Because of HBG , my learning curve that taken a steep rise. It is such an inspiration.<br />
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I am also extremely thankful to 2 people at this point. Marina Charles (My first Baking Instructor ) and Joonie Tan for making me who I am today.<br />
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<i>D: A bit about your dancing?</i><br />
K: I started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of 9. I did my Arangetram when I was 13. Regular performer in Natyanjali Dance festival ,Chidambaram till I graduated. I was expecting to have a career in dance, but later my focus shifted to work in Bangalore.<br />
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<i>D: And your first commercial order would be?</i><br />
K: This Diwali was the first time when I decided I would put up a menu and take bulk orders from friends, family & colleagues. Trust me I had no idea how much effort it required single-handedly finishing up all the promised orders. I applied for a couple of days off from work and traveled to Chennai (carrying all the necessary ingredients) that I usually buy from Bangalore. When I consolidated all the orders, I realized that except for 2-3 orders all of them were for my colleagues in Bangalore. I burnt my midnight oil and managed to whip up about 80 muffins, 50 cake pops , a hundred cookies, tartlets and kilos of sponges. I still cant believe I brought them all to Bangalore all by myself. Many thanks to the SRM bus driver who helped me with it ! :)<br />
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A huge Dexter and Nolan fan, from my alma mater, I am super happy to know that Karthika and I have quite a bit in common :)<br />
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Look foward to your yummilicious goodies very soon - at The Baker Showcase!<br />
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And if you want to grab some of those mouth watering delicacies, please drop in to Asan Memorial School on Feb 2nd between 2 and 6 pm!<br />
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<i>Stay tuned to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">Food and All</a> - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall">https://www.facebook.com/Foodandall</a> - for more updates.</i></div>
<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6951453541653092774.post-32480072870721361182013-01-20T09:39:00.000+05:302013-01-20T09:41:38.190+05:30The Baker Showcase Chennai - Season 3The Baker Showcase is back - in a bigger and better avatar. 14 bakers, some who have wowed us already and some who'll make us swoon this time will be part of 2013's first showcase.<br />
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This is the 3rd showcase in Chennai, and 4th overall. For details please check out the following posts<br />
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<a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/meet-bakers-chennai-chapter-grand.html" target="_blank">Chennai Season 1</a><br />
<a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-baker-showcase-bangalore-chapter.html" target="_blank">Bangalore Season 1</a><br />
<a href="http://notjustanothercookeryblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-baker-showcase-chennai-grand-finale.html" target="_blank">Chennai Season 2</a><br />
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The showcase is on the 2nd of Feb 2013, at Asan Memorial School Grounds, Egmore. Don't miss it!<br />
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The event page is here - https://www.facebook.com/events/387203381372565/?fref=ts<br />
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And directions to the venue here<br />
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And keep watching this space for the Meet the Baker series!<br />
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<br />Deepa Iyerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05798361845125638686noreply@blogger.com0