Adoniya 3 tiered wedding cake workshop.

My first 3 tiered wedding cake workshop 

I didn't want to miss the opportunity of making my first ever wedding cake under the able guidance of one of Chennai's most sort after and prolific bakers(Maaria Kulsum of Adoniya fame,a self taught hard working baker,whom I have known personally for the past couple of years)The class was well organised,few students,which surprised me,but understood along the way as we were given undivided attention and guidance through out the class.The class was held for two days,on the first day we were taught how to make gum paste flowers and peony.For me a it was a wonderful moment as I got to create flowers so beautiful and bright.The following day we learnt to torte,crumb coat and decorate our cakes.Two harrowing days of back to back hard work and Miss Maaria pushing us till we got everything right.The final product had me gasping for breath,not only at its sheer beauty,but that I could have made this as well.

To be honest,I had injured myself a couple of days before the class was to begin, and was wondering if I would ever make it through.Well I did attend and came back with one major observation which completely blew my mind and changed my views on baking.

Like most chefs/cooks,I would think that baking like cooking would literally be a cake walk,but was in for a rude shock at the amount of time it takes to make and decorate just one wedding cake.Miss Maaria(I love to call her that) was there to guide,coax,cajole and just get the best out of us.(Well I had her even yell at me)..

 I came back from the class with a new found respect for all bakers throughout the world.You guys are the best...the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into the final product which just starts off as flour,eggs and butter is just  overwhelming.Nothing you can do or say will ever diminish my respect for all bakers.

So to those who are reading this,my sincere request to you is please DON'T argue,haggle or bargain at the price you are asked to pay.I have personally observed that it takes a long time, hard work and dedication to create your beautiful cake.You can bake a cake anytime but to turn it into a masterpiece takes a lot of creativity and a sense of beauty.Do keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and is not meant to be offensive or argumentative to people who think otherwise...

I have many other bakers as my friends too,please do accept my respect for all the good work you do...Keep baking you lovely people and may your clan grow forever and ever !!!

https://www.facebook.com/Adoniyachennai

Namma Veetu Sappadu

From my home to yours !!!

There is such a wonderful community feel about the food you receive from the relatively newly opened "food takeaway restaurant" Namma Veetu Sappadu,that its hard to forget even after so many days.

Part of  Chennai Food Guide showcase,we were invited to sample a complete sea food meal.The online take away restaurant has many dishes to offer.A combo meal veg/non veg options- innumerable.But just to give you a bit of info on the food we received that day-hearty,warming and oh so delicious.We were offered an entire sea food platter,starting with a tantalising whole fish head curry,a pretty large head which I got to share with a friend who loves this as much as I do.I always feel that the head and the tail of any fish holds the maximum flavour...well its my personal choice but I know a few who balk at the idea.
Since it was a total viral fish display,we had it fried as well,good flavouring of Indian spices and fried to perfection,what I mean is that it wasn't over fried at all,but just right.

We had a masala fried prawns along with a prawn cutlet which was sneakily stuffed into a,what I presume is a fish patty.Both delicious and full of flavours. The prawns I personally felt could have been less cooked,as it tends to get hard with prolonged cooking.

Well I must mention that the food was delicious,full of flavours and gives you the feeling of home cooked food sans the `restauranty`flavour.I was so glad to have dishes that were not over burdened with spices,ever so often when its south Indian specialties,I find restaurants go overboard with their spices and liberally dose with a smacking of chillie and oil.You wont find that here..the food seemed like it was being cooked by a responsible chef who cared enough to make the food seem like it was cooked for the family.
Did I forget to mention the podimas or the smashed fish fry,this one was one of my favourites. Extremely tasty and a must try for all sea food lovers !!
My overall experince with Namma Vettu Sappadu was that the food was prepared with a lot of care and thought,delicious (yes I know i`ve used this word pretty often) and fresh as can be.I was told that the freshness is one of their key aspects as they prepare dishes only after the orders are placed.
It takes a lot of hard work and patience to prepare this kind of food,I wish NVM the best and hope they keep up with their quality.

Check out their page :https://www.facebook.com/nammaveetusaapadu