From the Editor

Our recent themed issues have been a success and we will continue with them. Here is a preview to get your creative juices flowing: September will be 'Peace and Harmony in the World' as September 21 is the UN International Day of Peace. October will be 'Growing Old Gracefully and Healthy Aging' because October 1 is the UN International Day of Older Persons. November will feature the lead up to Christmas and hol iday preparat ions and December's theme will be Christmas. We hope that you will be inspired to submit a 600 word article on any of our themes. We also invite you to send messages not exceeding 300 words for the Christmas issue.

Oliver and his fellow orphans sang, 'Food, glorious food!' in the musical 'Oliver!' We repeat that rousing refrain in this, our August issue. Our articles are about food and we hope you have a mouth-watering time reading them and trying them out. We proudly feature the stories of two women who have made a success in the male dominated hotel and restaurant industry: Sumera Bhatt and Nicole Illa. Sumera became an Executive Chef before reaching the age of 30. She now owns her own restaurants. Nicole is currently the Executive Pastry Chef for the Grand Hyatt in Goa. Sumera's article is titled, 'The Ascent of the Home Chef' and she shares her granny's Akuri recipe with us. Nicole's article is called 'The Baker's Soul' and she includes her mother's Rhubarb Crumble Tart. My signature recipe for Cinnamon Buns was enhanced by my lessons in advanced pastry and cake decorating with Orna, Nairobi's most famous pastry maker (google 'Orna's Kitchen'). Pat Faulkner contributes a warming recipe for 'Comfort Soup' and Dr. Jaya Earnest helps us make a healthy and colourful salad. Pamela Gonsalves contributes her never fail 'Lemon Drizzle Cake' and Bella Comelo shares an unusual recipe for Cassava Bibingka. It is easier to make than the traditional Goan recipe and considerably lower in cholesterol. It is also popular in the Philippines.

Bon Appetit!

(for the Editorial Team)

THE ASCENT OF THE HOME CHEF

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Issue 17 | August 2013 | 4 Pages | For free circulation only

Women have been the center of their households from time immemorial. They have made fantastic meals for their families and their children grew up strong and healthy with fresh foods. As boys became men they would always think and talk about the wonderful meals they had in their youth cooked with love and passion by their mums. That was the time when the woman's role in the kitchen was taken for granted. In today's day and age chefs have now come into the limelight and it is not just hotel chefs - the home chef is now the celebrated focal point. The advent of the various cooking serials on television has encouraged more and more women to talk about their household culinary powers with immense pride.

I have loved cooking since I can remember. I loved learning from my mom and grand mom but in those days becoming a chef was never considered a great option. If you liked to cook then go ahead and be a housewife. Don't think of it as a profession. And as a woman - definitely not! Luckily I stuck my head out and went ahead and pushed aside the medical, engineering, and dental college prospects. Hardly a month into the three year course I knew that this was my calling. I knew could do this every day of my life and work would not be a drudgery. Cooking was always a pleasure.

There is a vast difference in

the job roles of a home chef and a hotel chef; however the basic foundations stay the same. Cook with good fresh ingredients, cook with passion and serve food piping hot and looking great. The end result is the same - a satisfied guest or family member. Cooking is one of the most therapeutic jobs. It is a great profession and both genders excel in it.

The following is a very simple recipe of eggs which I learned from my grand mom. This

w a s a S u n d a y breakfast special with piles of hot buttered toast to go along with it. The secret is a slow flame while cooking t h e egg s wh i c h results in a beautiful creamy texture like velvet.

1 onion, finely chopped½ tomato finely chopped1 chili finely choppedVery tiny bit finely grated gingerChopped corianderChilli powder, haldi (turmeric) powder, salt3 eggs1 tablespoon oil

Heat a kadhai/frying pan, add oil, gently sauté the onion and green chilli, add the ginger, then a bit of haldi (turmeric), chilli powder and salt. Allow it to cook off and add the coriander and tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are completely pulpy and take it off the flame. Add the three well beaten eggs and return to a low flame. Cook gently stirring continuously until the eggs are creamy and velvety. Serve hot with lots and lots of buttered toast. Yummy!

Granny's Akuri

by Sumera Bhalla (Goa)

Sumera Bhalla is a passionate chef and owner of restaurants in Goa. She started her culinary escapades at the prestigious Dadar Institute of Hotel Management, followed by the Oberois and after four years set sail overseas with the Royal Caribbean. After reaching her goal of becoming an Executive Chef before the age of 30, she then quit to try her entrepreneurial skills by opening restaurants in Goa. She has been happily settled in Goa for 8 years and is following her dream of working with food and balancing a quality lifestyle by running restaurants with her spouse who is also a chef.

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degrees for 10 minutes.

Combine eggs, sugar, butter and salt in a bowl. Add the grated cassava and coconut milk. Transfer to a baking pan.

Put the baking pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 45 minutes till almost done. (Insert a knife to see if it comes out clean). Take the pan out and sprinkle grated cheese on top and let it bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and set.

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Issue 17 | Page 2

For Chef Nicole Illa, Grand Hyatt Goa's Executive Pastry Chef, there was nothing more that she looked forward to than the wa lk home f rom school. With her nose pressed up against the window and eyes twinkling with delight, the pastry shop was Nicole's sanctuary as a little girl. Even today as she talks about that little shop in her hometown you will see that sparkle in her eye and a resemblance of that little girl. “I a l w a y s e n j o y e d visiting the pastry shop in my home town where my parents live and baking with my mum at home. Whether it was cookies for Christmas or cakes for birthday parties I enjoyed baking and I was lucky to get a chance to spend a lot of time in this pastry shop during the school break. Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to bake for a living,” asserts Nicole.

The support of her family and her infatuation with sweet or baked treats was all she needed to take that first step towards honing her superior baking skills. “I got the chance to start my career in one of the oldest and most renowned pastry shops in Germany where I got the basic knowledge and guidance that helped me build my career,” explains Nicole. Bakery is an extremely male dominated profession and the most competitive sector in the food industry. However nothing and no one could stand between

her and her love for baking.

Chef Nicole moved from pastry cooking trainee to pastry cook in a span of only three years. She now has over 20 years' experience working at some of the most well-known establishments in the world including the Ritz Carlton, Bahrain, M o e v e n p i c k H o t e l , J u m e i r a h B e a c h Residence and Hotel B a y e r i s c h e r H o f , Germany. “Working in the hotel industry is never easy and it involves a lot of hard work and long hours. Only if you really enjoy what you do can

you truly overcome any obstacle put in front of you.” affirms Chef Nicole.

In 2010 she joined the Grand Hyatt Goa family as Executive Pastry Chef. While working all over the world may have its perks; Goa was a challenge. “Working in the Middle East means no seasonal variations as many different products from around the world are easily available all year round. Here items are seasonal and you need to work with that. I had to learn about the different seasons and products of Goa and India as well.”

With almost a lifetime of pursuing her passion and the satisfaction of achieving her goals, Chef Nicole Illa finds herself

blessed to be able to do what she loves. The following is her mother's recipe for Rhubarb Crumble Tart.

Ingredients:

Ÿ500 gm. flour (Maida) Ÿ1 teaspoon baking powder Ÿ250 gm. unsalted butter Ÿ1 pinch salt Ÿ½ vanilla bean Ÿ1 egg Ÿ150 gms. castor sugar Ÿ750 gms. rhubarb fresh or frozen (or cherries or green apple)

Method:

ŸSift flour and baking powder together into a mixing bowlŸCut the cold butter into pieces and place onto the flourŸAdd the remaining ingredients to the bowlŸRub ingredients together until a crumbly dough formsŸLine the base of a tart mold with baking paper

ŸPlace 2/3 of the dough into the tart moldŸFlatten the dough lightly with your fingersŸPlace the rhubarb on top of the tartŸS p r i n k l e t h e remaining crumble dough on top of the rhubarbŸPlace the tart in the

oven at 175 C and bake for 30 – 40 min ŸRemove tart from oven and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar if desiredŸDust with some powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream

Rhubarb Crumble Tart

A BAKER'S SOUL - PASSION FOR PASTRIES

by Executive Pastry Chef Nicole Illa (Germany)

Nicole is a German national who is married to a Goan. She has worked in many famous places in the world pursuing her passion for baking. She is currently the Executive Pastry Chef for the Grand Hyatt Goa.

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Cassava is a tropical root vegetable cultivated in Latin America and Africa. There are a number of ways of preparing the root and it is often treated like other root vegetables such as potatoes. In Kenya for example, cassava crisps are as popular as potato chips. Although it is more common in tropical countries, it is available in the markets in big cities in most countries. This is an unusual recipe in that it calls for sugar,

coconut milk and cheese. The traditional Goan recipe calls for 20 to 40 egg yolks! The recipe is as follows:

4 eggs 2 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter4 cups freshly grated cassava (fresh or frozen)2 cups thin coconut milk1 teaspoon of salt½ cup of grated cheese for topping.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F

CASSAVA BIBINGKA

by Bella Comelo (US)

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One of the things I love about colder weather is that it is the perfect excuse to make a big pot of soup, preferably served with freshly baked crusty bread! I associate it with my father's “long leaves” from Africa. These came round every three years and we would make the trek to Europe and catch up with my parents' siblings and their families either on mainland Europe or in Scotland. Such family gatherings were somehow always associated with huge pots of soup – often concocted by my mother, renowned in the family as a great cook, who had the knack of producing a never emptying stockpot for the ravenous younger age group of cousins. She never lost the skill of just rustling up a seemingly constant supply of the most delicious homemade soups. One of my fondest memories of her is standing over an enormous stockpot just adding this and that to keep the supply going for the 67 family members who milled around her house during my father's 90th

birthday celebrations!! This soup carries on in that tradition and in deference to my resident vegetarians (my daughters) is a vegetarian take on traditional lentil soup cooked with ham hock.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons mild curry paste (I use Korma Paste)400 g can tomatoes3 cups (750ml) chicken stock (I use vegetarian friendly and MSG free stock powder)1 large carrot (180g), chopped finely2 trimmed celery sticks (150g), chopped finely1 medium potato (200g), chopped finely1 large zucchini (150g), chopped finely¾ cup (150g) red lentils½ cup (60g) frozen peas1/3 cup (80ml) light coconut milk

You can add 2 tablespoons coarsely

Recipe

chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish but many people don't like the strong favour and I usually omit it for this reason!

Method

Cook the curry paste in a large heated saucepan, stirring about one minute or until fragrant. Add undrained crushed tomatoes, stock, carrot, celery, potato and zucchini. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, for five minutes.

Add the lentils to the soup mixture and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until lentils are just tender. Add peas and return to boil – I find this is enough to cook the peas.

Remove from the heat and stir in remaining ingredients.

I usually cook twice the basic recipe as this gives a good big pot that doesn't last long!

VEGETABLE AND RED LENTIL SOUP

by Pat Faulkner (Western Australia)

Pat was born in Tanzania where her father was a doctor for over 50 years. She completed her later secondary and undergraduate tertiary education in science and dentistry in Scotland and worked in oral surgery and community dentistry in the UK. She also worked in Africa during an eighteen month road trip. She migrated to Perth, Australia in 1986 where she eventually returned to university to study public and international health and now teaches in this area.

As we grow older many of us are faced with the battle of the bulge and we need to reduce weight and eat healthily. Nothing beats a simple salad that can be made more exotic, non-vegetarian and healthy if having family, friends and guests visiting.

Over the years this tried and tested simple family recipe has evolved at home as my husband, mother, children and friends have all provided additions and permutations. I encourage you to try it and experiment with the vegetables, cheeses or meats that may be available in your part of the world. It is a salad that can be eaten in the summers with fresh fruit and in winters with some warm bread or hot soup.

The vegetables:

1 large carrot washed and grated1 or 2 Roma tomatoes cut into chunks and scoop out the inner seeds3-4 small red radishes washed and thinly slicedA small can of corn kernels½ small red cabbage, washed and thinly sliced1 small cucumber diced into cubes4 medium sliced mushrooms (optional)

Salad of health and colour

A small can of sliced beetrootsA small can of red kidney beans1 cup of baby spinach leaves1 cup of crisp lettuce (the amount of lettuce can be increased if one wishes)

Adding the cheeses: (these are optional but add to the taste – use any one of the cheeses below)

Feta cheese cubesRicotta cheese lightly pan fried with olive

oil and slicedPaneer lightly fried with olive oilOrdinary cheddar cubes

To make the salad exotic: (once again these are optional – but a favourite of mine, all can be used at the same time

or you can choose the combinations you prefer)

1 tablespoon dried cranberries2 teaspoon raisins or sliced datesHandful of walnutsSmall handful of sliced almondsSmall handful of pine nuts

To make the salad into a healthy meal or for non-vegetarians

Add 2 boiled eggs sliced into piecesAdd pieces of hamSome grilled & sliced chicken breastsSome thinly sliced roast beef

Serving suggestion

Mix all the salad vegetables, beans and corn kernels in a salad bowl, except the beetroot slices which can be added just prior to serving.

In the warm months and during the mango season – slices of mango can be added to the salad and add a wonderful touch and flavor.

As required you may add the cheeses, nuts and dry fruit and meats.

You can add a salad dressing if you wish – e.g. balsamic vinegar

Try it out and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

A SALAD OF HEALTH AND COLOUR

by Dr. Jaya Earnest, Founder Member (Western Australia)

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Although cooking has never been my strong point, let alone baking, I discovered a cake recipe and made it my own.

When I retired I decided to try my hand at some basic culinary skills so my family sent me to cooking classes. The lessons included making cordials from wild flowers, chilli chutneys, jams and marmalade. This led to cake making and finally to this simple recipe which has never failed me.

I liked this one as the mixing and stirring is done all in one whole swoop and at the end of 40-50 minutes there is a cake ready to eat. You can make it this way or tweak it to your liking.

1.Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas

2.Beat together 225g softened butter or

LEMON DRIZZLE OR MARMALADE TOPPING CAKE

margarine

3.Add 225g caster sugar and beat until pale and creamy

4.Add 4 eggs, one at a time, slowly mixing through.

5.Sift in 150g self raising flour, 1 rounded tsp baking powder,

6.Add 100g chopped almonds or mixed nuts,

7.Add finely grated zest of 1 lemon and mix until well combined.

8.Line a loaf tin (8 x 21cm) with greaseproof paper and spoon in the mixture and level the top with a spoon.

9.Bake for 45-50 mins. Insert a thin skewer into the centre of the cake. It is ready when it comes out clean.

FOR LEMON DRIZZLE TOPPING

Juice 1½ lemons 85g caster sugar

While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the juice of 1 1/2 lemons and 85g caster sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, pour over the drizzle. The juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping.

FOR MARMALADE TOPPING

Whisk 75g icing sugar with 3tbs marmalade and 100ml orange juice. Repeat as above

Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve. Keep in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

OR

LEMON DRIZZLE OR MARMALADE TOPPING CAKE

by Pam Gonsalves, Founder Member (UK)

Is there anything that smells as welcome and homey as the fragrance of freshly baked yeast breads? My generation was lucky enough to have had grandmothers who cooked. They baked their own bread, pies and coffee cakes and shared them w i t h t h e i r neighbours. The tradi t ion was that the plate which carried the food gift was never returned empty. The lives of these German i m m i g r a n t w o m e n m a y have centered on ' k o c h e n ' , ( c o o k i n g ) ' k i n d e r ' (children) and 'kirche' (church) but as one of the 'kinder' I felt greatly blessed to be near the 'kochen'. My grandmother would buy flour and sugar in 50 pound quantities and store it in huge pull out bins in her kitchen. It came in pretty printed cotton sacks that were later used to make skirts for my sisters and myself. Saturday was baking day and I would come over to help her as she baked. She never measured but would add things until they tasted right. She gave me my own small ball of dough to knead and shape until I was able to make my own. I still bake my own bread weekly.

My signature recipe is cinnamon buns

which are sometimes called 'snails' and sometimes called 'Chelsea buns'. This is the recipe I make most often for my grown up children, their families and special visitors.

Dough

4 to 4 ½ cups flour¼ cup sugar2 tsps. instant yeast½ cup butter melted and cooled¾ cup sour milk, mala, buttermilk or yogurt3 large eggs at room temperature (beaten)1 tsp. salt

Filling

½ cup sugar1 tablespoon cinnamonButter for spreading on the dough

Instructions

Mix the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Make a well (hole) in the center of the mixture. Pour the warmed milk, eggs, butter and the salt in the well and stir with a wooden spoon or beat with a mixer with a dough hook. Add additional flour if necessary until the dough is soft but not sticky and you can knead it by hand. Knead the dough until it is soft and smooth like a baby's bottom. (This could take about 10 minutes and it is such good therapy!) Pour a little cooking oil in a clean

Cinnamon Buns

bowl and put the dough in the bowl turning it over so the dough is lightly coated with the oil. Cover the dough with cling film and put it

in a warm place to rise. When the dough has doubled in size after about an hour, remove the cling film and punch the dough down. (This was my favourite part as a child and one I now allow grandchildren with clean hands to do!) Roll out the dough in a rectangular shape adding more flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking. Spread soft butter over the surface and sprinkle with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. You can also sprinkle raisins on it or diced raw apple pieces. Roll the dough up in a sausage or Swiss roll shape and cut it into 12 to 15 slices and place them on a greased baking sheet. Cover again with cling film and allow them to rise in a warm place until they have doubled in size. Brush them lightly with a mixture of egg and water beaten together. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C or until they start to turn golden brown. Remove and let cool. You can drizzle them with a mixture of icing sugar, vanilla and milk if you want or eat them plain. You can also vary the fillings. I sometimes sprinkle the dough with chopped chocolate to make chocolate bread or make a filling with ground almonds, sugar and almond essence to make almond buns. It's almost like having a croissant but with less work and fewer calories!

HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON BUNS

by Janis Mwosa, Founder Member (Kenya)