My APB-TFI Culinary Education Program batch of 2017 'graduated’

If you have watched the work that I do, I am sure you have come across my work with TFI. 

Today a beautiful inspiring journey of love, learning and sharing concluded for me. My APB-TFI Culinary Education Program batch of 2017 'graduated’ at an intimate little felicitation ceremony at their school in Dharavi.


The objective of this event was to showcase what the kids have done in their time with us to their classmates, parents, teachers. The ceremony was graced by Chef Varun Inamdar and Chef Saransh Goila who kindly braved the heat and traffic in Mumbai to come and inspire my kids. Our message was a simple one, that we could be anything we wanted to, regardless of where we came from. Blogger friends, past members of APB staff and trainee programs also joined us. Thank you to Manasi and Debashish of TFI for working with us to make this happen. And than you Saransh, Geeta, Sucheta, Roshan and Sidharth for taking time out and joining us!

At its conclusion, Nausheen, one of my students, gave a touching, eloquently written and lucidly delivered speech. Tearing up at the point where she shared that she could not imagine not coming to APB anymore. And I did too, because I realized I could not imagine not seeing these kids. Other new batches are already coming to us. And hopefully many, many more children will colour our spaces with their bright eyes, happy chatter and willingness to learn, but this lot will always be special, because they were the first. We learned together and while Apb Cook Studio aims to ‘Inspire to Cook’ I think it is us at Team APB, our families and our friends that were the ones to benefit!

This journey began about 2 years ago. My studio was to turn 3 and I had plans to throw a big party. I told myself I wanted to share our happiness, but if I am honest, more than that I wanted to show the world, well wishers and nay sayers alike, that I had survived! As the birthday approached, however, everything fell apart. I was extremely disappointed. Around that time I happened to meet Srini Swaminathan, a friend I connected with via twitter through a mutual friend Anaggh. (Srini is someone who has dedicated himself to voluntary education and has always been an inspiration). Srini had been a Teach For India Fellow and was still connected to the class he mentored. When he saw the studio he expressed a wish that his kids could come over. And just like that the idea was born! 

I decided to skip the big blow-out party and give back the good wishes and love we had received by using the savings I had to adopt a batch of kids for a culinary program. Over the next few months, the idea was fleshed out, we met with the then fellows – Paridhi, Komal and Debashish who were teaching Srini’s class and laid out a plan. We adopted a group of 16 kids that were most culinary inclined that would come to us each month. And I created a food based curriculum that would tie in to the core curriculum they were studying in school. It was all new, and so very exciting! 

We began with an orientation in which they got an introduction to careers in the food industry through a presentation. Over the next year we taught nutrition with a life size real food pyramid. Measurement, Volume, Ratio and Proportion through a session on Bread taught by Shekhar. Geography through chocolate with Chef Varun Inamdar (in which my son, Aman also taught the kids origami boxes to carry their chocolates home). Chef Shrishti taught them Chemistry through baking and Chef Prabjyot taught them History through Briyani, Dr. Kurush Dalal who has been a huge support to me always taught them about the food our ancestors ate beginning from stone aged man to British era. The children then made kebabs, to replicate how early man would have cooked meat. Our first assessment came around and Ranveer Brar was kind enough to support me with his time and vast Masterchef judging experience (wink, wink). My kids did me and Apb Cook Studio proud by performing fantastically on every parameter. The entire APB team and Ranveer were showered with flowers, cards and gifts by the children.

We had them come back to us the following year. With their basic foundation in place, this year I took them on a gourmet safari of the world. We used ingredients available to them to teach them North and South Indian cuisine, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese cuisines, street food and more. We hope to do a little restaurant Pop up with them soon.

And in all of this, we watched them all grow. In learning confidence and experience. Their spunk, enthusiasm and unhindered love has left me humbled and full of emotions I am only now assimilating,

And as I wrote this post, I could not help thinking. There were two ways I could have reacted two years ago. Negatively or positively. Too often we focus on the negative. Rail at what does not happen, circumstances, not realising that it is that choice, negative or positive, that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thankfully I chose to channelize the negative energy positively. And it was an actio that keeps giving back. Because positivity begets positivity. Something I have seen in everyone I have asked to help me with this project. Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to support, help and encourage, this endeavour of mine, Varun, Kurush and Ranveer, to my entire family, to all my industry and blogger friends. And most imortantly Team APB who made each day happen!

GYAAN and Links
Read more about our activities on the Teach for India Blog. 
Read Chef Ranveer's experience in his own words on his blog. 
Watch this video made by Teach For India on our sessions 

Of Blind Tasting Cheese and meeting a Cheese Monger!

Francois Robin Food bloggers with organizers. 

One of my favourite aspects of food is Cheese. The art and science of cheese making fascinates me. I've been fortunate to travel all over the world. I have tried fresh cheeses from Italy and stone hard smelly cheeses from the high Andes. I have met fantastic cheese makers and purveyors. And I have found that the more I explore, with cheese, the more there is to explore. 

I take every opportunity that comes my way to learn more about cheese so when I was invited to a European Cheese tasting I accepted with pleasure. The tasting was and initiative by the European Union and CNIEL, to promote appreciation of European and French Cheeses and was conducted by French Cheese Monger François Robin at the Artisan restaurant at Sofitel Mumbai BKC. 

I arrived at Artisan, to a room buzzing with chatter, as bloggers friends met, caught up and comparied notes on the current food scene around the city. I love getting out for food events because it gives me a chance to catch up with food friends! I got myself a coffee and found a seat.  

I settled in and looked down to see... a blindfold and a strange pincer like contraption in front of me! Ok Cheese mein kuch kala tha! Just as I was patting myself on the back for that clever (NOT) joke Francois Robin took the podium.

Post a very entertaining introduction to himself, cheese, and particularly French Cheese, he revealed that we would be blind tasting cheese! In fact, not only would we be blindfolded we would also have our noses blocked! Within minutes all of us were blindfolding and nose blocked and a plate of cheeses was placed in front of us. Francois then got us to taste each of 4 cheese on the plate. 

Cheese 1 at 12 o clock:  A soft creamy shapeless mass. I pinched off a litttle bit and put it in my mouth. From the texture on my hands I already knew it was a cream cheese. On my tongue it was salty with a hint of milky sweetness and a distinct tang - It had to be a Chevre. Only a goats cheese can have that addictive tangyness. Strike 1 for the cheese lover! 

Cheese 2 at 3 o clock: As soon as I touched it, I knew what it was. An easy guess because of the wedge shape it was cut in, it had to be a Brie or Camambert. But beyond that without my eyes to tell me if it was white or yellowish and my nose to help I could not distinguish which one exactly. So I just savoured the textures of the moldy skin that gave way to the silky insides and waited. It was Camembert - a favourite. Strike 1/4 (for loving cheese enough to not let trivial matters like WHICH CHEESE get in the way of savouring it!)

We removed the nose pinch at this point. 

Cheese 3 at 6 o clock: This one was  hard to guess. My fingers told me it was a semi soft cheese - chedder like - and I know all Cheese making countries have their equivalent of a semi hard cheese but I could not remember the French one. I remembered tasting it in my early days as consultant to Natures Basket, when they were building the cheese tasting concept but I just could not put a name to it! Creamy, with a pleasing saltiness it was a Comte. Much loved in France. Rarely found in India. Strike 0 I am afraid!

Cheese 4 at 9 o clock: The last one. Formless and creamy, this one, again was a no brainer! It was a blue, and French Roquefort is stellar as far as blue cheeses go. I find blues with blue mold singularly strong. Random trivia the Roquefort has green veins not blue. IMHO this makes it more nuanced. 

Strike 1! 

Total marks 2 1/4. Not as good as I would have liked. I made a resolution to change that. Must get to know French Cheese better! 

Blindfold on, Nose blocked. It was surreal to taste without seeing what I was putting in my mouth. Not smell... But I have to share, the blind tasting was a brilliant idea, distinguishing from usual tastings. Though blocking the nose was a new one. When we taste food, the eyes and nose play a huge part in how we taste although its the mouth that is in focus. So with sight and smell blocked my experience that day depended on my fingers, and solely on my taste buds. I was able to distinguish with my hands, able to taste sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami and on my tongue and my palate was able to feel textures like creamy and grainy, but visual and nasal ques were unavailable! I realised what asignificant contribution they make to foods high on aroma, like cheese. I was intrigued. I also found it educative to observe reactions from fellow participants. It brought home to me the fact that we all have our own taste memories and food references that made us react differently to each cheese!

Once our collective excitement ebbed, Francois invited us over to a cooking station where he would showcase some recipes. Confessing it was his first time in India, he shared that he had worked with the chefs at Artisan to create some recipes that mixed cheese with a touch of Indian inspired flavours. I was skeptical, fusion can be hit or miss at the best of times, more so when one is not acquainted with ingredients. My fears were pleasantly dispelled as he showcased four simple ideas. 

Chevre Dip - He mixed creamy Chevre with finely chopped fresh coriander, spooned it into dip bowls and sprinkled over toasted black sesame seeds. The result was lovely, crunchy, earthy sesame that gave way to creamy tangy chevre that had a herby zing from the coriander.

Comte Bites - Next he took the Comte, removed the rind and cut it into bite sized chunks. Sticking toothpicks in them, he dipped each chunk - just the surface - in balsamic vinegar reduction. He then dredged the balsamic coated bottom in toasted white sesame. The result was a hit of crunchy sesame, sweet sour balsamic and nutty beautiful cheese. 

Apricot, Camembert 'Sandwiches' - In this one, Francois, combined Mascarpone with finely chopped apricots, pistachios and a little bit of gin. He then slliced a wheel of Camembert in half, piped the Mascarpone mixture into a layer and sandwiched the two haves together. It was chilled and served up in little wedges. 

Cashew Baked Camembert - Wheels of Camambert were dusted with curry powder and sprinkled with cashew. The whole was baked until the cashew was toasted and the cheese soft, runny and aromatic. I was most skeptical about this one but fell in love once I tasted it! 

The recipes Francois shared were really good! I stood corrected. He wisely played with just 3-4 ingredients, mixing singular flavours and textures allowing the cheeses to shine through. The ideas were unpretentious, fuss free, quick and easy. Also lovely to look at! (And I do not say this easily. I pride myself on my cheese platters). But I'd never have thought of combining Comte, balsamic and sesame? And that Apricot Camembert idea! WOW! With the sort of inspiration these have given me, cheese platters are  going a notch higher around these parts! Thank you, Francois! 

I've attended many, many cheese events and many, French food events, this was by far one of the funkiest ones. 

First of all, meeting Francois was exciting! I've met cheese makers, sellers and more but this was my first encounter with a Cheese Sommelier/Monger. (Imagine a job eating cheese ALL DAY!) And François Robin is one of the best of his ilk, an awardee of 'Best Cheese Monger of France'. Not only is he passionate about his subject, but like every expert that loves what they do, he makes the tasting of cheese entertaining and educative, but most importantly pretention free. Its ok to not know, or not like. As a curator of food events, I know what it takes and Francois hit the perfect notes with his curation of the tasting session! 

Here is a Here is a Video Interview of Cheese Monger Francois Robin and here is a video of the the recipes he showcased 

Then the Blind Tasting! As concepts go, the blind tasting was riveting for me on a personal level too. It takes so much trust! Of the people putting food in front of you at that moment. Of being vulnerable. Expect to see more experiments with blind tasting on these pages. 

And the Demonstration - A cooking demonstration is only as successful as what the participants take away from it. I took away a lot! 

We have a fair selection of cheeses from around the world coming into India (though cold chain woes and government import regulations hamper the category a fair amount). But if you find European and French cheeses, indulge! Some of the best artisnal cheese in the world comes from Europe where -unlike many other parts of the world where cheese production is commercialized, cheese making is a tradition, that has evolved over centuries, with knowledge passed down through generations. And the production is still at a hands-on, small farm level, where the farmer knows his cows by name. This results in great products. 

I am really glad, that entities like the European Union, CNIEL and Atout France are bringing us interesting people and food from the European and French food Industry. Because French cuisine is worth exploring and we do not have enough of it in this country!  Look forward to more! 

{Announcement} #WorldMacaronDay 2017 collaboration with La Folie

Remember the #MirchiKairi Macaron I made with Sanjana for World Macaron Day last year? 

Well #WorldMacaronDay is back! And I am doing a whole bunch of flavours this year! Yes, Sanjana has allowed me to go completely crazy in her kitchen this year to create a set of signature #APerfectBite @Lafolie Macarons in true Rushina style! (Err.. which USUALLY involves breaking some rules.....). With summer here, I have curated a selection of flavours inspired by memories of an Indian childhood Think tangy Kairi dipped in chilli salt, chilled cumin scented Chaach or fresh Malta squash, now imagine these pops of intrinsically Indian flavours in Macarons! 

Here are the details on the specials, I will update with pictures soon!

#APerfectBite by Rushina @Lafolie Box 

#MirchiKairi Think of a hot summer day, the kachi kairiwalla at the gate of school, scrambling for a few coins, mouth drooling already as you recieve the damp newspaper bundle of green mango doused with salt, eating it on the way home, mouth and lips burning as the sourness make you pucker! That's my Mirch Kairi flavour.

#JeeraChaach is inspired by the chilled cumin scented yogurt beverage flecked with chillies, my grandmothers made me drink in the summer. 

#KadipattaTadka is inspired by my Rascalla Masala, the aromatic flavours of South India, and the fragrance of a hot tadka spluttering on cold coconut chutney.

#MethiChonka is inspired by the pumpkin subzi my chachi makes in Garhwal, sweet pumpkin offset beutifully by the earthy notes of fenugreek and dried red chilli! 

#HaldiDoodh - in memory of all those "Turmeric Lattes" or Haldi Doodh my grandmothers made me drink! I hated the milk part of them so this is a most appealing way to get my haldi dose! 

#BadiyaSantra - Orange Candy on a stick and those chuski's and golas made of orange squash! I still love orange in all forms, but I've given them a slightly more adult twist with a sprinkling of Star Anise and chilli, one of my favourite combos tocook with! 

And because no childhood is complete without it, we have #MasalaMaggi - this one you need to try! 

And that's not all.  There are a whole lot of flavours being curated by amazing food people like Chef Saransh Goila (Thandai) Food Bloggers Karishma Sakhrani (Mango with Coconut Vanilla Bean Cream) Shivesh Bhatia (Yuzu Cream and Hazelnut) Nida Khan (Cookies and Cream) Ankiet Gulabani 9Miso Butterscotch Caramel)  and Alok Verma (Butter Pumpkin Spice). 

All of these special flavours will be availabke at @lafolielab and @lafoliepatisserie on March 20 and 21.  Proceeds from this collaboration will go to iContribute. Don't miss this chance to indulge yourselves and give back at the same time! 

Here are the details - 

Where: La Folie Patisserie in Kala Ghoda and La Folie Lab in Bandra

When: Monday and Tuesday, 20th and 21st March, 2017

Time: La Folie Patisserie - 12 noon to 10.30 pm

          La Folie Lab – 8.30 am to 11 pm

Contact: La Folie Patisserie - +91 9167722181, 022 22672686, 

               La Folie Lab +91 9167937019

South Indian Filter Coffee for a #KaapiBreak

Filter Kaapi - Picture by Mrigaank Sharma for A Pinch of This, A Handful of That

In India, one's daily 'Cuppa' is an intensely personal choice, because there are as many preferences as there are people in India. And nowhere is this more underscored than in Mumbai, the city of millions. As universal as Chai is in India, Coffee is popular in the South. And while Mumbai is fueled by copious amounts of Chai peddled at every corner by Chaiwallahs, one finds the best South Indian style Filter Coffee in the bastions of South Indian Cuisine - Manglorean and Udipi restaurants in Mumbai. 

I have sate on the fence between tea and Coffee all my life! While Tea was the beverage at home, I switched loyalty to instant coffee in boarding school. Much later I discovered that while it seemed cool, I had no idea of what real coffee was! 

My parent's office was right next door to a coffee shop - that sold fresh ground coffee. And required me to pass by the heady aroma of freshly roasted coffee every single day after school! But it was much later in my teens that I discovered this magic that was South Indian Filter coffee. I spent school holidays, making myself useful at the office. What this meant was that I would wake up, get dressed and travel with one of the parents to the office. Initially, like every new trainee, I would be given some mindless job to do, but that slowly changed to more serious work. Lunch was often "Idli Sambhar dubo ke" from Lalit restaurant, the Udipi establishment that did brisk business, just opposite. We asked for our idlis to come dunked in sambhar because we figured out we got more sambhar that way. We ate it with coconut chutney and washed it down with Filter Coffee - hot enough to sting after the spice from the meal. 

The Filter Coffee would be delivered in a special pair of utensils. THe waiter would ritually pour the coffee back and forth through the two utensils. There would be a tumbler accompanied by a dabarah or 'davarah', a wide metal saucer with lipped walls. Traditionally to pour the coffee back and forth with arc-like motions of the hand to cool (its gained major swag as metre coffee now!) But that stuff was for experts! Novices like me settled for merely spinning the coffee around in the davarah to cool it. Which got one cool coffee, but without the thick layer of froth that formed on top from pouring it back and forth.

South Indian Coffee 

South Indian Coffee also known as Madras Filter Coffee or Kaapi, is a sweet milky coffee popular in the southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. I learnt to make my filter coffee from my friend Mita's husband Venkat. It is also from them I learnt that South Indian food does not begin and end with Idli and Dosa. But that is for another post. The first time I made this coffee at home I had to wait an hour for 1 cup of coffee and have since learnt that this whole exercise is better done at night so you can wake up to your morning cuppa. Since 6-8 tablespoons of coffee powder can take the decoction upto 6-8 hours to collect in the lower receptacle, I also usually do some extra and keep it in the fridge. Also to make South Indian Filter Coffee, you will need a South Indian Coffee Filter (a tinned brass filter is best but a stainless steel one will also do in a pinch). This traditional percolator is a metal device made of four parts, two cylindrical cups, the top one with a pierced bottom that nests into the top of the lower "tumbler" cup. The upper cup has two removable parts that go into it: a pierced pressing disc with a central stem handle and a covering lid. Rinse the coffee-making device and other utensils thoroughly in hot water before use and dry.

Time: Overnight + 10 Minutes; Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients (for 2 cups)
4-6 tbsp/ 60-90 g dark roasted Coffee Beans (70%-80%) ground with Chicory (20%-30%) Store bought coffee powder can be substituted (not instant coffee though!)

300 ml boiling hot Water for percolation + more if required for dilution

100 ml Milk or to taste

2 tsp /10 g Sugar or to taste

Method

Ensure your water is on a rolling boil before you begin making your coffee. To use your coffee filter, uncover, remove the umbrella and fill to capacity- never less than three-fourths (2-3 heaped tablespoons of coffee powder per cup ideally). Press down with a spoon to pack it in. Replace the umbrella and gently pour in boiling hot water. Cover with the lid. The water will slowly percolate down depending on the quantity of powder used. If you OD on the coffee powder, there would be less water percolating through, resulting in a concentrated but lesser quantity of the 'decoction'. In this case once the decoction collects below, add more boiling water to the top and collect the concentrate 2-3 times (although first decoction is best). Keep in fridge and use as required. 

To make coffee - Always add freshly boiled water to coffee - not vice versa, for optimum taste. The ratio of coffee powder to water is usually 1:15. Pour out coffee from lower part of filter into cups. Serve with milk and sugar to taste, separately. Use milk in a ratio of 1:3 to coffee and NEVER, EVER use over-boiled milk- it ruins the flavour.