HomeChefs Of Mumbai - Part 44 - Bimba Nayak

 As a chef, one needs experience and imagination to be creative. Passion is the main ingredient used in every task to make it successful. Be it cooking, painting, or art or any other thing. You have to love it to develop interest.

Cooking offers a big range of interests and rewards are huge. Not only do the flavours and the taste matter, even the food styling counts.  The food has to be visually tempting even before you can taste it. Temptation grows when we see designer cakes, oddly shaped cookies in innovative regional and International cuisine

Initially only the professional food photographers could click tempting pictures of food, using props, light, colours and styling, but now with smart phones and photo edits, everybody can be artistic. With technology, people are inspired to try new restaurant, new recipes and blogging is the order of the day. Gone are the days, when people just ate home cooked food, now everybody needs variety. Besides Dal and rice, and a side dish of vegetables or meat, one is always fascinated by the dessert after the meals. 

It’s the desserts that make food more interesting.

The high level of practice and the quality of the pedagogical content are the key strength of Bimba Nayak, a great pastry artist.

Bimba Nayak specialises in exclusive chocolates, cakes, cookies, cupcakes and personalised custom wedding cakes, orders for sugar craft is also taken.

Bimba Nayak worked in the royal kitchens in Kuwait for 15 years before she returned to the city.  During her stay, she gained international culinary experience with practical technical expertise in both fields. She fondly talks about the dish called Djaj Meshwi that she had at Lebanon.

“ When I was working in Lebanon I had Djaj Meshwi.” she says “That is Lebanese grilled chicken, also I loved Manaish, Shish Tavouq and Felafels, i just enjoyed it. I did a lot of research on these recipes and finally found someone who could actually teach me from scratch. First, mainly I learnt the main authentic spices, finally I was able to produce it in front of royal tables. It was beyond perfection. Till date I make it with passion and it's one of my best signature dishes that I sell as a platter in India. I mastered the art of traditional Lebanese food in Lebanon and Kuwait."  She admits.

She launched her home chef venture ‘Cooking Concepts’ along with her son and daughter-in-law during the pandemic. Nayak holds lessons in sugar-craft and baking for everyone, from seasoned pastry chefs and home bakers to baking enthusiasts. 

“My forte lies in baking fine French and English cakes. Home bakers are looking at honing skills that will help them start their own business in the long run,” she informs.

With 50 years of experience, Bimba Nayak has lot to share. She also specialises in Pathare Prabhu cuisine. Bimba Nayak plans to take Cooking Concepts beyond India. So far she is the supplier to the Taj group of hotels, Marriott group, ITC Maratha, Reliance (Antilia) and many more bakers as well. She has received many awards and recognition for her work, including lifetime achievement award. She has also been teaching sugar art in colleges in Mumbai and now wants to take her brand to the international market.

Bimba Nayak is happy to share her recipe of 

Mushroom and Vegetables Jalfrezi

1. Heat 4tbsp mustard oil.

2. Add 1tsp cumin seeds, 1tsp coriander seeds, 1tsp mustard seeds, 1tsp fennel seeds, 1tsp peppercorn crushed, 2 bay leaves. 

3. Fry for 2 minutes. 

4. Add 1cup baby onions, halved. 

5. Sauté till pink, 

6. Add 3/4 cup French beans, trim and diced. 

7. Add 3/4 cup cubed green capsicum. 

8. Cook for 5 minutes. 

9. Add 1 1/2 cup blanched and cut into halves button mushrooms. 

10. Add 3/4 cup blanched broccoli, 3/4 cup diced and blanched potatoes, 1/2 cup carrot wedges blanched. 

11. Mix and stir well. 

12. Add 1/2tsp red chilly powder, 1/2tsp cumin powder, 1/2tsp Garam masala, 1tsp kasturi methi, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1tbsp vinegar, 1/4tsp turmeric powder, salt and pepper to taste. 

13. Cook for 5 minutes cover and let it simmer. 

14. Add 1/2cup hung curd, sauté on high flame until curd coats the veggies and water dries. 

15. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with green chillies and tomato wedges. 

16. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Follow her Insta handle at

  Bimba Nayak 

and 

Cooking Concepts

Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 43 – Hemangi Nakwe

As a food writer, one has to taste every dish spread on the table to be able to write about it and if she is not watching her diet, she might put on extra weight. But many of them are slim because they understand the nutrition value of the food, its’ reaction and its’ usefulness to their body. 

Eating a satisfying meal gives immense happiness to the soul and our grandmothers understood that. They specified on eating freshly cooked, seasonal food, that contained all the nutrients that our body needed. If we protested at lunch table, she would quietly nod her head, be innovative and churn out a creative, tastier dish that we could not refuse. Family ate together, making relationship ties stronger.

In today’s world, we look for answers for any myth that has been passed down the centuries, and we will believe only if it is confirmed by western philosophy.  We love street food, fast food, Pizzas, Burgers. 

Hemangi Nakwe believes that our traditional recipes have enough healthy options to replace the junk food that is monopolising the market. During Pandemic, she launched ‘Hema’s Veg Rasoi’, Maharashtra’s Super-food with millennial makeover, purely to promote healthy eating habits. She specialises in traditional Maharashtra cuisine.

“Unfortunately the obesity ratio in India is rising alarmingly. We are the third country in the world behind US and China with highest number of obese people, and more worrying fact is that the children are affected more. The junk food, inactive lifestyle are the few reasons.” Says Hemangi Nakwe. 

Hemangi is passionate about travelling, observes food habits of the people, regional dishes and the preparations. 

“You never know from whom and where you will get to new ideas.” Says she.  “For me, learning about food is a constant process that started at the age five. My mother, grandmother, aunt are my biggest inspiration.” She learnt to knead the dough under supervision at very young age.

She fondly remembers the simple, tasty ‘Varan Bhat’ made by her mom. Also she still craves for those Uttappam, Dosa that she had with her dad at Shetty’s Hotel when she was just 7years old. She has always been fond of good and tasty food. The most unforgettable memory she has is of the Aloo Paratha she had in chilling 2 degrees temperature at Tijugi Narayan, located on the hill parallel of Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand. 

“The old chacha made for me with such love while waiting for my photo-journalist husband, who had gone with polling officers to Toshi, the last village on India-China border to document their hardship during General elections in 2014.” She remembers

Her husband, Prashant Nawke is a great support to her, and has played an important role in promoting and updating her services on social media. 

Hemangi is happy to share the recipe of Palak Khandvi

“The number of recipes that can be made with gram flour is simply amazing.  Khandvi is really interesting and easy to make. It’s like a traditional khandvi recipe, to make it more romantic and healthy, I added green leafy veggie Spinach to it. As you all know spinach is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, magnesium, iron, and manganese. Khandvi is also known as “Surali chya Vadya” in Marathi because of its cylindrical form.” She concludes.

Gujarati Spinach Khandvi

1. Add 1 cup gram flour, 1 cup curd, 100 gms Spinach leaves and 1tsp Ginger paste in the blender and blend it until you get a smooth puree.

2. Pour the mixture in a bowl add 1/2tsp turmeric powder, 1/2tsp chilly powder, and salt to taste.

3. Cook this mixture in a pan on a medium flame, stirring continuously till it thickens

4. Turn off the heat.

5. Spread the warm mixture in a thin , wafer layer on a greased plate.

6. Let it cool

7. Cut into strips of 2 inches wide.

8. Sprinkle 4tbsp of freshly grated coconut and coriander leaves.

9. Roll the strips tightly

10. For tempering, heat 3tsp oil in the pan, add 3/4tsp mustard seeds, 1tsp sesame seeds, 1sprig curry leaves. Let it splutter. Add 1/4tsp Asafetida, 2 green chilies, and salt to taste and pour this tampering over khandvi.

11. Serve hot.

Follow her on her Insta handle at

HemaVegRasoi.

Home Chefs Of Mumbai. Part 42 - Moumita S

 Slowly but surely, life is creeping back to normalcy. Although people are still behind their mask, washing their hands with soap and water, several times a day, they have started going to malls, theatres and restaurants. There is fear behind the walls but life must go on. 

Restaurants have suffered the most during pandemic. Those who had innovative ideas, started home deliveries in attractive packing, fit enough to entertain few guests within four walls of their home. The food industry went through intense restructuring to adapt to the challenges posed by Covid. There has been surge of cloud kitchen in major cities and many home chefs came to rescue of their neighbors, especially senior citizens who depended on cooks for their daily meals.

Moumita S has been a savior for many such neighbors. Not having enough space in her current home, she couldn’t do anything in a big way. She formed a home-chef group in her society and started a small cafeteria. Every weekend, various home-chefs prepared breakfast, snacks and sold at particular fixed time. During festivals, they posted their menu and took orders in advance.

Being Bong, (forefathers from Dhaka Bangladesh), Moumita S has grown up around food since childhood days in South Kolkatta, Bhowanipur.

“My father was a great foodie, since childhood along with home cooked Bengali dishes at home (hardcore non-vegetarian), he used to take us often to Mughlai, Chinese cuisine outlets. Street food is an integral part of growing up days. Egg chicken kathi rolls, jhal muri, phuchka are like daily dose of happiness. We used to visit some popular South Indian cuisine outlets too, in South Indian dominated areas of Kolkata.” Says Moumita

Moumita S is a self-taught Home-Chef. 

Having lived in 17 cities of the country, she has learnt several specialties from locals of the city she lived in. 

“My life journey, traveling, living in many states has given me opportunity to learn and adopt from various cultures and traditions. Those have enriched me. My creative mind and soul - I believe in making own identity.” She adds

She specialises in simple Bengali traditional curries and pulav, traditional Bengali freshly prepared cottage cheese sweets, 

“For last three decades, I am following healthy lifestyle and food habits (except the reviews) I develop, cook, share recipes, deliver to the people who want to have traditional food with more healthy way.” She informs. “I use Jowar, Bajra, Nachni, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal a lot in my daily cooking. Oatmeal eggs veggies savoury pancakes Jowar Bajra Nachni dosa, uttappam with veggies, served with sesame seeds and dahi dip.”

Baking is her passion. She experiments with healthy ingredients to make chocolates at home. Her freshly prepared sugar-free smoothies are quite popular

She has dined in numerous restaurants and has many unforgettable food memories, so it’s difficult for her to pinpoint any particular favorite dish. However she did mention about ‘Chicken Kobirali’ at Onadi restaurant, of Anadi Cabin, Esplanade, Kolkata.

“It's an iconic, nostalgic small restaurant, nothing fancy there, except people are waiting to enjoy hot Kobiraji. It's basically a flat chicken cutlet, deep-fried with a Crispy covering of well-beaten eggs-whites. Till date, I couldn't prepare it like Onadi's.” she admits

Food photography and trying out various restaurant food of different cuisines is her passion. You may visit her instagram to browse her art work

Moumita is happy to share her recipe of

“MilkKanten with Juku Shita Mango “

This is a popular traditional Japanese dessert. She has followed the authentic recipe step by step.. 

1. Cut cubes of fresh sweet ripe mango   (you can use any other sweet fruit - fresh or canned) 

2. Boil full fat 2 litres milk on a low flame for a long time, till it becomes almost half & gets a light pink colour. 

3. Mix 2 spoons of Agar -Agar powder to milk 

4. Keep on mixing, till milk thickens 

5. Add 200 ml of condensed milk, sugar or sugar-free concentrate as much sweetness you want in the vessel in which you want to set the Milk Kanten

6. First put a layer of chopped mango pieces 

7. Pour one thick layer of milk, which was prepared 

8. Add another layer of mango pieces 

9. Pour thick milk layer as much thick as you want the milk Kanten

10. Repeat the same process 

11. Freeze it for an hour

12.Cut into pieces and serve with fresh sweet homemade mango puree... 

you can follow her Insta account link - http://instagram.com/moumita0904