Cherryonthecake!

  Staring out of the window of the plane in these new times of flying, I wonder the difference one virus has made in all our lives. Be it any industry but we are all affected in some way or another. I just visited Goa this season and realised how the place has changed. The state claiming to be the best place for any individual at any point of the year is now seeing a lack of tourists visiting it. The Hotels and Lodges are now much calmer and quieter than before. The airport isn't as busy as it used to be. The number of two-wheelers on the streets has reduced significantly but the Vibe of the place is still the same. This year during my visit, I vowed to explore a different side of Goa, a more native & Portuguese side of it. Taking a tour across town was probably the best idea I ever had and started the tour with the oldest Portuguese Bakery in town. The 31 de Janerio Confetario located in a small alley of Panaji. In the small alley of Fortinhas, the Bakery still uses wood-fir...

"IKIGAI"... this is the new book that I have come across on various book-shelves at homes and bookstores. It was hard to just ignore and I decided to give it a shot. It was time to read something interesting on self-development & self dwelling. But here is the thing, for me, the Japanese way of life also includes the Food of Japan. The cuisine is extremely versatile across courses that play with the mind of the person who eats it.  They believe in the 5th taste of food that is defined as Umami. It was discovered in the 1900s in dashi which was the astonishing factor for the person who tasted it. It was different than the four basic tastes. It was then identified that the umami flavour is concentrated in Seaweed which is used in Sushi and is liked by people all over the world. So, bottom line, Japanese are definitely going right with everything... including the longevity of their life. Trying to be a part of the Japenese Food Culture, I thought it was time to make a Japane...

 After a long day at work, or just in front of a laptop I think the way to relax is to just unwind and have a glass of Chardonnay along with a nice Rom-Com on the screen. Some might say that maybe a better way would be to catch up on that book that one hasn't finished and is just wanting to read it all up. Whatever the way, but unwinding at the end of the day on a Sunday is a must right before the next week begins and the previous one comes to an end.  Its the last day of the week, when you want to just relax and maybe eat that 12:30 Am snack. As healthy as you might be, you still want that Midnight snack to be scrumptious, gooey and delicious with sugary goodness in it that satisfies the MIDNIGHT CRAVINGS! Recently I came across a recipe of a chocolate cake and boy! was it worth every bite I put in my mouth. Dark and indulgent chocolate cake warmed up for just 30 secs with a beautiful soft - sugary icing and it was heaven in my mouth at 2:30 AM in the night. People say 3am is...

    I recently made a dish with carrots. Saw a pack of baby carrots on the shelf of my market guy and I couldn't resist myself than to buy it and make something amazing. I pondered  and realized how versatile this vegetable is. Using it in cakes, Main courses, salads or as it is, raw, it seems to be so delicious and adds a different texture every time its there. And did I mention the varieties it comes in, orange, red, black and yellow and maybe many many more that probably we haven't even discovered yet. I saw the image of the first carrot that was ever sowed by homo-sapiens and it was mentioned to be bitter and barely edible.  Over the years, thanks to the revolution and science we see carrot as to what is today scrumptious, enchanting and textural. Using it with different techniques changes its molecular structure and then its combination with the flavours around it. By charring it on the grill gives it a nice sweet crunchy delicious flavour with a sprinkle of sal...

All of us have read about the story of Jack & the bean stalk, and might I add that it was one of the best stories I have read. It showed how a humble bean, changed the life for Jack. Somewhere, it has changed my view on savory food as well. A humble bean just fitting in every cuisine and every dish... be it Indian, be it Mexican or even Japanese but a red kidney bean is just a humble ingredient. But hang on its not just one type of bean, its some 100 million types. And using it in so many ways is just innovative and creative. A beautiful ingredient, so versatile and beautifully textural. The way Philipinoes use it in a Bipinka and the way my mom uses it to make Rajma Chawal, I am beginning to experiment with it in Mediterranean cuisine... something with maybe an Aubergine or maybe with some zing of Za'atar, or even with the tangy taste of Sumac. Isn't it exactly how life is... being versatile and fitting in every situation. Humble being, a friend that I have met... a pe...

A drink at the end of the Week, or even a sip with my meals daily. A glass of wine has its own textures and its own variations. Its one of the most versatile additive that has been used since the very many years of cooking... the versatility of this element has opened the doors to the world to experiment with it on every front. I scrutinized with it my own style because after all, the proof is in the Desserts!!  Its what reminds me of how different my poached pears taste when I poach them in red wine or white wine. Love how this element just plays on the minds when we start to consume it at any time of the day at different temperatures. Be it at the normal temperature, or I deglaze something with it, adding it to even a sauce makes a difference to the dish. Just reinstates the fact, why the greatest poets and writers have mentioned wines in their work. It brought out the nature of how it flows in a seamless fashion from one aspect to another, from one texture to another. Coming fr...

Hi to anyone who's reading this, This is after a long time that I am blogging but I could not resist it any longer. I have been experimenting with the 80% dark chocolate and while I am an absolute fan of the bitterness, not many people I know are. The chocolate melts in the mouth and tastes of nothing but sheer and pure cocoa, which somehow makes a human brain feel a hormone of sheer bliss. The dark chocolate maybe bitter but sometimes it is the best one to have, the cocoa flavour that stays and lingers in the mind and the mouth. A hint of sweetness just perfect enough to make you want to have another piece. A perfect sinful dessert which is low on cals and guilt. Many of us, come across this even in our lives... but guess what, its this piece of Bitterness that seems to make us stronger and feel better later. The bitterness of the situation or of an incidence may feel bad and horrible at first, but just the way the chocolate melts and we get a hint of the sugar coming through, ...

To all of you out there who love to bake cakes, you know exactly what i mean when i say a cake spring is what we need to confirm, that the time, efforts and patience put into making that cake batter  has finally paid off. Baking is an art not everyone can muster,  and only the true heroes are able to understand the reactions between every ingredient with each other. Only a few can give so much of love, attention and care to those ingredients and only then do we get a perfect cake spring. The art comes from life, but unlike humans and emotions its easier to understand a Millard Reaction, or an M- Fall of a Cake. Why the Gluten doesn't react the way it did earlier? why did the melted butter make so much of a difference in the texture of the cake? Now, i understand why Chefs have their personal lives so hectic, cz if i were there i would rather spend my time nurturing the yeast and knowing that it would not disappoint me rather than having to place my bets on a human and be...

As the world progresses towards social media and interaction virtually more than face to face... the foods are moving into another dynamic environment. The Food world is as volatile as the Stock Market and maybe much more innovative. I say that since it is the only industry that has the innovation of the Tech happening in Silicon Valley, the trends of a Stock Market and the addiction in an alcohol industry.  That's what I exactly aim to do, combine the alcohol and desserts which people and the millennials are trending with. This is what its trending to, and this is the addiction we aim at.  A tiramisu isn't a real tiramisu without the rum and the Coffee Kahlua. The sensual sense arousing when the Rum and Kahlua along with the mascaporne goes down the tongue. When the Rum and mascaporne burn in the throat yet you want to go for more and just one more bite to finish it all off. That is food. That is the true sense of food and love for food. The foods are getting mo...

Often we come across the ever so sinful part of a meal, The Dessert! The sugar cravings at the end of the meal, that have been developed by our ancestors and age old traditions give us a run for our money. The desserts end being the last course of a meal but the taste of the dessert is what lingers on. And hence I chose to pursue the same... the taste of desserts lingering for minutes and enticing all the 5 senses is what I call a perfect dessert.  Keep following this space for some real scoop on some delicious and mouth watering desserts!!!

Its that time of the year, when I return home to my folks. From living a lonely, depressing life in a hostel far far away, this seemed to be the only respite. Whatever one eats in whichever part of the world, but the food, which comes out of a mother’s kitchen that truly brings a smile to your face and takes you down the memory lane.  Coming home after a few months feels like heaven. The stresses of life disappear as soon as the first bite of the mother’s dish enters my mouth. Her white dhokla’s with particular chutney that she serves it with. The whiff of the cooked dhokla’s made me forget all my worries. Thats when I realized this were just the beginning and how much I had missed this. My home was the only constant in my ever so volatile life. The time when I needed to come back to the roots and realize how I liked myself. It was the place to forget all my worries and be myself again. I missed being with my mom. One hour in the kitchen with her, while she whipped up some delic...

It happens ever so often that the love of any dish blinds our judgement. All we do is crave for it all the time. Wine?! Beer?! Cake?! Cheesecake?! Lychees?! Anything at all.. The first sight of its beauty, the taste of it on the tip of the tongue, the smoothness of it when it slips from the back of tongue down to the throat. It all portrays a beautiful image that we all crave to have or already experience in our favourite foods... But is it right??? Eating too much of anything is bad, as my mother puts it... But isn't passion for something important?? Be it for a passion fruit??! I know today, that to find the right dish is never the problem... Its the quantity that we gulp down our throats that causes indigestion... Eating a good dish with the right people by you, with a perfect ambience in the perfect quantity depicts joy and utmost happiness!! Its a match made in heaven! Coming to think about it, there is a multi billion dollar industry just dedicated to eating good food with...

The bitter Dark Chocolate! A marvel in itself. Good for health but the bitterness of it can't seem to get through the tongue. The constant taste lingering in the mouth of the bitterness of the dark chocolate stays for sometime. Still it is my first preference when I want to eat a Chocolate. This maybe due to the amount of antioxidants I know it has.  Have you ever had the juice of a  bitter-gourd, it seems like a punishment to have a single glass of juice of it, but the goodness of the juice is what makes the effort of gulping it down the throat worthwhile. The richness in nutrients, the luscious green colour, representing good health... it indeed is good, for health.  In life taking some decisions are equivalent to gulping down a glass of bitter gourd juice, or eating the darkest of chocolates. Its tough and bitter yet those decisions become important. They become necessary and the only option to change the current course of action. Its when we test how strong o...

As my mother says, "if its not worth the calories its not worth stuffing down ones throat". I tend to adhere to that belief to the end. Its not entirely wrong if one believes in good food and not just filling their stomach with any morsel of grain. I may tend to seem snobbish but hey, if one is paying for the meal why not get the best!? I have come across so many various dishes which seem to be non appealing by the look of it but its worth every calorie you put on. For instance, try an Avocado Shake, it sounds and looks unappealing and probably repulsive but the flavour is divine and worth every little ounce of calorie that you put on. Just like taking risks in life, if its not worth it then why bother taking risk. In finance we are taught, HIGHER THE RISK, GREATER IS THE PROFIT. But its not everyones cup of tea to be a risk seeker. If taking a risk seems to be putting a lot at stake then why bother. Jump From a cliff for the thrill, but be sure that the thrill is not enda...

Does the value of a person truly diminish after sometime? Its strange how the claim of loving someone tends to diminish over a period of time. Its said, that love is stronger than anything in the world, but its also true that only happens in fairy tales. Any relation in life between two people seems to go through the "waxing and waning period"(quoted by a friend). Its not difficult to keep the person you love always happy by being close but by not allowing them to breathe when they require space just tends to ruin everything one has worked for. Some people just be together no matter what be the situation just like the two flavours of chocolate and strawberry.... a relationship made in heaven. But lets not forget that this combination also works only when the chocolate is of the right sweetness and the strawberry is perfectly ripe or else its a disaster. Working hard to get any two flavours together is as difficult as maintaining any kind of relationship in life. By showing y...

Its strange how one flavour of any dish is so well appreciated by our minds that to change it becomes difficult. For instance, the flavour of a certain pizza  at Pizza Express for a friend has set the benchmark for good pizzas, the pani puri of chowpatty has become the symbol for the worlds best pani puri, the Pav Bhaji at Juhu Beach makes ones mouth water. These are the benchmarks of flavours set by us after seeing how our tongues tickle at their very names. Just as the flavour of life, being so comfortable in ones zone that to get out of it takes energy and effort. It takes an extra push to move out of our comfort zone and acclimatise ourselves to a new environment or a routine. But its the new routine that sets us apart from others. The new flavour tried may taste bad at the beginning but may develop into us in no time. Like the first time I tried wine, it seemed weird and bitter, but today I seem to enjoy the bitterness and the texture of the drink. Its texture of the new thi...

It was just another day when I was busy whiling my time away in hopelessness and sheer boredom when I received the mail of getting selected in a Post Graduate university. I was taken aback momentarily and soon overcame with joy. There was finally a direction in my life. A journey i wanted to embark upon. The joys of life tend to double when one shares them with the near and dear ones. I started to prepare for the new phase of life that was going to begin soon. As much as I was sad to leave my parents and my close friends behind in Dubai, I was overjoyed with the enthusiasm of meeting new people and having new experiences.  The fact that I had my best friends support and skills in packing my stuff I knew I would be fine. It was a new change... and it was here to stay for a while. 

Hi everyone out there, According to the Theory of life the most important need to live is Food, but somehow, what a person eats, drinks, savours tells a lot about him or her. my blog is inspired by the same, people get inspired by food and become chefs, i became a blogger. I hope you enjoy my interesting take on Food and how it all Seems so simple yet can be perceived in a whole other angle. So Keep Reading!! and Post your comments!!