Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 28 – Aruna Shetty

Everybody loves to celebrate their birthday. It is a day of pampering, a day to enjoy, a day to make the person feel special. 

Back then, birthday used to be to just to distribute sweets to class mates, wear pretty clothes, go to a photo studio for a picture with family and then have a small party with close loved ones at home. Menu was Cake, Wafers and Orange juice, sometimes Vanilla ice cream too. 

Now children, very rightfully, want bragging rights for their parties. Planning starts two weeks ahead, invites to be sent, venue to be fixed, menu, guest list, and cakes. 

Research bears out that a child’s earliest memory is often food related. The preparing and sharing of food can be perceived as an act of love, providing nurture, comfort, warm feelings and stability, “a safe place” which is so important in childhood.  

It is a norm now to have theme parties, by the beach, or at the pool, or in a private club.  Every child is invited with an attendant/helper and there is separate menu for attendants too. All children are given equally expensive take-a-way gifts. It has to be a memorable event. Cake is the centre piece of attraction, with lights, action, cameras.  

Aruna Rakesh Shetty make the best theme cakes for such parties, making emotional connection with the memories that will last lifetime.  

Aruna Rakesh Shetty(of kitchenshetty fame) is wrapped in many layers, a multi talented, cooking expert, not just in baking cakes but also in regional cuisine, each layer beautiful, each one innovative, from a fashion designer, to  flight attendant up in the skies with Jet airways and Daminya airlines, then enrolled in IHM and worked for Indigo Delicatessan and then planned to open a cloud kitchen, but Covid (an uninvited guest) visited every home, and the plans got shelved for some time perhaps, and Aruna got busy with baking and cooking. 

Artistic people move on to newer territories and an interesting one.  

Aruna specialises in theme based cakes that not only tastes good but are also visually appealing and children get very thrilled when they see her creations. Imagine a cake that looks like a garden with roses, sunflowers, butterflies..or cake that looks like a newspaper page, or a cake with Disney characters. Thats the kind of cake that not just children love but even adults.  

Aruna is fond of trying local cuisine while travelling. On one of the trips with her family, they landed at Madrid, booked a Eurocar and went city hopping. 

“At Granada, I had the streetfood speciality of Spain. Churro Chocolate. These are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in champurrado(chocolate based mexican beverage), hot chocolate, dulce de leche(sweet milk) or café con leche(coffee with milk). Sugar is often sprinkled on top. I wanted to settle here forever, after I had the churros with the Chocolate dip and coffee."  She said. 

Aruna loves pumpkins, because of its health benefits like it promotes weight loss and also lowers the risk of cancer.

 "I follow my mom’s cooking in an iron wok, because it does wonders to health benefits and the taste very rustic.  Also what I strongly believe is that it is your feelings which transfers in your cooking, so just cook with loads n loads of luvvv " she smiles  

She is happy to share her recipe of Pumpkin.

1. Chop the 200gms Pumpkins after cleaning and put them in water. 

2. In a wok add 3tbsp Ghee add a pinch of asafoetida, 1/2tsp cumin seeds and 1/2tsp Mustard seeds. 

3. They will start crackling. 

4. Add 7/8 curry leaves, then add chopped pumpkin. 

5. Add 1/2tsp Turmeric powder, 1/2tsp Chilly powder and Salt. 

6. Lower the flame, it will shed lot of water. let it cook. 

7. Once the water dries up a bit, add 1tsp Jaggery 

8. Add1/4tsp Pepper powder and 1tsp freshly grated Ginger, 2 finely chopped Tomatoes and 2 Green Chilies. 

9. Stir it for about 5 to 10 minutes. 

10. Finally add 2tbsp freshly grated Coconut and 2tbsp Coriander leaves. 

11. It is ready to serve. 

You can follow her Instagram ar Kitchenshetty

Contact her on her Watsapp no 90046 78289