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

Foodology

This place has got to get the award for being the first of its kind in Chennai. Introducing Foodology to all,its the place to be,to learn to cook at your very own stations,with beautiful interiors and a wonderful chef to teach you through all the way.Well that's just the gist of it,so do allow me to walk you through what Foodology is all about.
The brainchild of an IT professional who still moonlights at her job,Foodology was started by Shree Periakarrupan for the sheer joy of cooking,teaching and food.A complete floor of an old home,has been converted into a full fledged 12 station kitchen.This is a place where you come to learn how to cook,enjoy the whole process and get to eat the fruits of your labour. There are 12 stations complete with induction stoves,pots and pans of every kind.The prep table is fully equipped with functional cutlery,boards,knives etc.You have an attentive staff ready to help you clear up your stations as well.

A bunch of us were invited to try our hand out at cooking up a meal closely instructed,supervised and monitored by Shree. We were taught Thai cuisine and Shree made the whole experience so delightful.We started with a delicious Green Colada drink,refreshing and crisp moved on to a spicy chicken galangal coconut soup.

The main course item taught was the Thai Green Curry Chicken,simple and an absolute delight to make.
For Dessert we had the Thai fried pineapple,another treasure from Shrees plethora of recipes.I must mention that Shree was the perfect instructor,guiding us at every step and leaving us with many important snippets along the way.

Post cooking,it was the time to enjoy the fruits of our labour. We had a long beautiful table all to ourselves and amidst laughter and cheer,we had a good meal.

For those of you who want to learn cooking and enjoy the process,do head over to Foodology. They are located at a convenient location at Adyar Chennai.They conduct cookery classes for Children,adults and couples as well.
For more information on their classes do check out their page.foodology.in

Some of the pictures are taken by my friend Karan,do check out his page as well.
facebook.com/KaysLT
Also a dear friend has written a post on foodology,you can check that out here.
http://aromasofkitchens.blogspot.in/2014/05/foodology-chennai.html

Moon and Sixpence

Located between two well recognised  hotels from the city of Chennai,( The Le Meridian and the relatively new ITC Grand Chola) rises The Hablis like a proverbial phoenix, right in the midst of the hustling and bustling GST road.

The Hablis is a new hotel to blossom on the ever-growing hospitality segment, what with the burgeoning population of the IT crowd. This important section of society has prompted the need for more and more hotels and has eventually led to the expansion of Chennai.

Invited for a Chennai Food Guide showcase to be held at the hotel premises and to check out the new Irish pub, Moon and sixpence (named after the novel of the same name by the famous British author Somerset Maugham) a group of bloggers/photographers and avid food connoisseurs, descended on the place with as much gusto and cheer as a cheering squad.

Well having never visited Ireland or ever had Irish coffee, and with a clichéd notion of all Irishmen and women are red heads with green eyes, I wondered how my evening would turn out. For one, my notion was corrected when we met a few Irish people who cleared my doubts, that it’s a myth and not as above. To say that the pub was right out of novels and books that I have read during my college days would be clearly an understatement. Wooden flooring, the deep smell of rich coffee, the old Irish sayings hanging on the wall, kind of transports you to another space and another time.

The pub is located on the first floor of the hotel. The lift leads you right into the passage lined with portraits of old Ireland and old Irish sayings. Further on it leads to a comfortable lounge with plush sofas, bar stools and a fully stacked bar. The bar,I was informed was very well equipped with all kinds of alcohol suited for any occasion or palette. Strangely enough,I was informed that children were allowed entry to the pub.

Further in there is a larger seating area, some cordoned off into cubicles with a DJ station and a make shift dance floor.A clear demarcated space is available for smokers at the far end of the pub.The pub,I was told can seat and hold close to 240 at any given time.Well,I must say, that's a big pub. 

The ambiance is by far what would draw crowds to this place, its subdued lighting, quaint tables and chairs and the softened music (probably for us I guess) is just brilliant.

As it was a CFG showcase and what was close to us as a group is food, let me begin by saying I have never had Irish food or for that matter been to an Irish pub,as such would be the last one to judge its food. However I know good food from bad and this food was excellent, well plated, fresh and absolutely delicious. The food started in sequence from the soups, starters to the main course and desserts; it was an endless sampling of just good food.Priced at an average of 450-500 per dish,each ones as spectacular as the next one. Don't just go there for a pub experience,but go as well for the quality of food and the visual splendor that the club is. 

The Moon and Sixpence, to my knowledge is going to be the next new revolution in the pub scenario. It has huge success written all over it and could be just the change Chennai has been waiting for.

So those of you, wanting a change in the pub atmosphere, do head over to The Moon and Sixpence, I am most certain you will enjoy your time there.

The pictures are courtesy good friend Roshan Kuruvilla Thomas...thanks Rosh.

Thanks to Karan as well.

http://chennaifoodguide.in/

 http://www.hablis.com/dining.html

Data Udipi Hotel

Data Udipi Hotel.

An age old hotel started in the mid 1980,was the target of our Chennai Food Guide showcase for the month of July.To a Chennaite the name is not too unfamiliar,as mentioned earlier, this place has been around for a long time.Over shadowed by the Woodlands Hotels chain of hotel groups and now most recently by the Sangeethas and the Saravanas,this hotel has stood its ground for as many years as them.The one on Kodambakkam it seems was the first to appear,followed by West Mambalam,MGR Nagar,Saidapet and now Valasarawakkam.

Placed on the hustling and bustling Arcot/ Kodambakkam Road,this hotel can be totally missed if you were not searching for it.Though I must mention that those whom we asked directions to, were quick to point us on our way .

We were warmly welcomed by Mr Vasu Dev, second generation owner and a very friendly staff.
Two floors to the hotel,the ground is for the drifting,  no fuss, quick food kind of crowd.The first floor has a number of comfortable cubicled seaters and is air conditioned.
The second floor can host approximately 100 people.Ample space with a stage for hosting small functions,this was the place we were ushered into to have our brunch.

The food they served had a wide spread of typical South Indian specialities.I must mention that the varieties of dosas(which I think can be their signature dishes) were utterly delicious,be it the plain ghee roast ones to the corn(jowar) dosas or the various millet dosas,each one of them had a rustic flavour to it.

Another one of my favourites was the Mangalore Buns,its actually a poori with a slight hint of sweetness (was it mango ?)again fabulous in taste and visually appealing too.

The sambar was typically udipi with a sour/sweet taste to it,went well with the vadas and the idlis.The food was extensive and frankly speaking one would need a huge appetite to even try each individual dish.Every item seemed good,though in my opinion found the pongal a bit runny and some dishes had a generous(overdose) helping of ghee. 

This place is a must try for its breakfast specially their rustic dosas.Those hungry and need good food, do head out to Data Udipi Hotel,they are spread throughout the city.

Some of the photos are from my fellow foodie/photographer/bloggers page https://www.facebook.com/Eatwitheyes
Do check out his page.

LPG- Liquified Petroleum Gas the holocaust within our home ?

I had a life changing moment a couple of days ago, it has kind of opened my eyes to a lot of things we take for granted. I have since decided to pen down my experience in order to help others to learn from my mistakes, and be aware of certain issues when it comes to maintaining their gas stoves and pipes.

Around mid morning,as my sister in law and I were busy preparing lunch,me on the kitchen chair and she by the lit stove,we suddenly heard a hiss,and saw a flash of flames emanating from behind the gas stove.The pipe through which the gas is supplied to the stove had slid out of its place and the gas had caught fire from the stove. The pipe behind was like a blow torch,burning everything in its path,luckily for us there was hardly a few days to an empty cylinder.Amidst shrieks and screams and between us we managed to shut of the stove and finally shut the gas cylinder as well.

There are so many points that I would like to share with you,and I'm listing them in random order and not by importance since I feel all of them are  equally importance.

1. Please ensure that your gas cylinder is placed close at hand, and the regulator is facing you so that you can shut the valve easily and quickly when you hear the hiss or smell gas.

2.Do not keep anything or have an obstruction in front or around the cylinder,this is in case you are faced with a similar emergency like I did.It took me a while to reach the cylinder as there was a cutting table blocking my path.

3. Do not and I can't stress this point enough,leave it to your house help to clean or check the valves and pipe. My hiatus from the kitchen(for an important reason) cost me dearly.Two months of not cleaning the kitchen myself,was a disaster waiting to happen.
Clean the kitchen space/counter yourselves.I clean mine with Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner,often spraying on the pipe and valve and giving it a good wipe.

4.Do not place your gas cylinder out of your sight,simple reason being(I have seen some people having their gas cylinders outside their homes) that in the situation that I was in,it would have taken me a longer time to switch off the gas regulator.Till then the fire from the pipe could have played havoc with all flammable material(oils) that is often kept on counter tops.

5.Don't panic,very important...Stay calm and focus on shutting of the valve/regulator as soon as possible.That should be your primary concern,do not get distracted by your surroundings or the concern in peoples voices.

Most of the points I have stated are i'm sure are already imbibed within us,but it doesn't hurt to know them again.

Please be careful and do not take your cooking spaces for granted,clean them well and check often for faulty pipes and valves.

I have since changed to a hose clip on the pipe so as to secure it more firmly.The damage caused would have been much more had the cylinder been a full one.The pressure of the gas from the pipe would have been higher and the force would have been greater.

Someone up there was obviously looking out for me or I would not have been able to pen this.Do take care and remain alert at all times when your cooking.

Please do share this,as it may be of help to someone somewhere....

Pondicherry trip -day 1

This is what "Cause Momentum" means,a trip organised by Chennai Food Guide for its members had a group of around 25 of us, travelling from Chennai on to Pondicherry.
Pondicherry aka Puducherry which means New Town,is a Union Territory state of India.Located close to Tamil Nadu,its a quaint little town retaining most of its ancient French architecture and culture.Well, we being foodies,we headed off on a fairly warm saturday morning from Chennai,not to check out the architecture but what else, just food.After meeting and waiting ( yes people please learn the importance of time)taking digs at Juggy aka Jagadeesh, for dressing up in safari gear(you're such a sport) we headed off to Pondy.

For safety purpose,CFG group had chosen the NH 45 route,which though seemed longer was a better route to take(yes i got to pluck raw tamarind off a tree on the highway,my driver- hero Raja climbed on to a tree).

Continuing on our journey with Jagadeesh and Priya and a non stop chatter by Raja,we stopped on the way for breakfast,just beside a beautiful lake teeming  with lotus blooms and white egrets flapping their wings.You don't get to see a more beautiful sight in our hustling,bustling cities anymore,sad to see that this place was just a few kilometers away from Chennai.

Well,we got to stretch our legs a bit,and the amazing Ramki showed us that its not always about pizzas.Within a matter of 28 mts(someone had actually timed him)he had pongal,convenio chapati, poori,and chutney ready.Now how on earth is this guy a bachelor still, is beyond my understanding,he should have been on every girls wish list.  Thank you Ramki for the lovely breakfast,ate enough to what I thought would fill me up for the rest of the journey,but surprise,surprise I was hungry as hell by the time we reached Pondy.

Entering Pondy we were welcomed by Mani Prabhu and Veeren Koneru our hosts for the entire holiday,we reached Tantos,a shacky kind of restaurant and were seated at a mile long table.They had the days special on boards,strategically placed at the entrance itself.We each chose what we wanted and chit chatted till the food arrived.They served good iced teas in big glass bottles,delicious and so refreshing on a hot summers day.

Its the first time that I was meeting so many members from CFG,after being virtual friends,it felt good to connect with them in person.Sathya Narayana Lalitha and Vidhya were the only three whom I hadn't interacted or met earlier and I must say they were a delight to be with.Sathya was the funny guy of the trip( PG you better beware)and kept us laughing throughout the time we spent in Pondy.

On to food,it was,warm and absolutely fresh,but what with the French around,it was bland and saltless.My guess is that they consciously make it that way to cater to the French crowd.Post lunch we dropped into the Auroville Bakery,and were  greeted by near empty stall,such is the popularity of this place,that I believe everything gets sold out as soon as its placed on the shelves.I would agree (had them at home) its products were fine and tasty.

Reached Hotel Jothimani to relax and chill out for a few hours.We were asked to be ready by 6 pm to visit the beach and follow on to dinner at L'Orient.
Arrived at the beach,tried their sundal,nothing close to what we get at our Marina beach though.Moved on from there to L'Orient a beautiful french style restaurant,they had our seats ready but it was out in the open and none of us were in the mood to sit in the sweltering heat.Moved inside to a slightly cramped space and again to bland saltless food.A bit of quick thinking by Abhijeet and Chesta,we chose a spicy dish from the menu and voila,it was so good.
So far food wise,the whole group was a tad disappointed,but the company just made up for it...
We had Sathya with his guitar and Chinna on the piano entertaining us with music.Had so much fun singing off key and showing off our vocal chords.Oh God just didn't want the day to end,but end it had too,not before we stopped at Naturals to have their amazing 100% natural ice creams.Most importantly why haven't they come into Chennai as yet ?

You guys all take a bow,for making us ladies feel so secure and looked after...Mani Prabhu,Veeren,Nishanth,Karunakaran,Jagadeesh,Chinna,Ramki,Abhijeet,the oh so sweet Sreeram and our very own comic relief Sir Sathya Narayana....You guys broke all boundaries of hospitality and friendship.....

Picture abhi bakhi hai dost...this is just day one...to be continued.......