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 38 – Kalpana Mirchandani

Most of the Indian restaurants use too much oil in their cooking. The gravy glitters and floats in the pool of oil. The parathas are fried in too much ghee. It tastes good, it is the integral part of cooking, no doubt, but in this weight conscious world, many would want to avoid it. 

Then there is new fad, people are too much awed by Olive oil, so much so, that most of them are not even aware we have a better range of healthy oils in our own country 

Infact,  different oils are favoured across India, that mainly depend on the climate and food preferences of that region. Peanut in Gujarat, Coconut in the South, Sunflower in Maharastra, Mustard in Bengal, and with people moving around, tastes have merged and people are experimenting different flavours of oils in different cuisine. There is more variety now. Healthy oils have their own properties, they all are good. But when using it for first time, it is better to start with moderation  

Its good to explore the area of cooking in edible oils and getting the right kind of oil for use.  Its all about medium of transfer of heat. Besides cooking and deep frying, some oils are for enhancing the flavours (in salads), some for garnishing (in tampering), some for emulsification (in Mayonaise) and some for preservation (in pickles).

We learn from personal experience about its use. Oil gets rancid when exposed to oxygen, it should be sealed properly or else the flavour changes so does the colour.

Kalpana Mirchandani can be trusted for her delicious food that has just the right kind of oil as per taste.

Kalpana Mirchandani had a happy childhood surrounded by family of  food lovers. Cooking has been her passion throughout her childhood and her adult life. 

She spent some years in Bangkok and catered home-cooked food to expats Indians and even to Thai locals. Her Biryanis and Butter Chicken were highly appreciated. She catered customised food as per their taste/interest and served party orders too. She even sold Pizza and Pastas 

“When people appreciated my food, I kind of got a special thrill and I am inspired to cook even better.” She says.

She has travelled around the world and every time she tastes something new, on her return back home, she will try something similar for her son and brother who are foodies. 

“I still remember that amazing grilled Salmon with chestnut, crab and farro Rissoto that I ate at Tampa Bay’s multi faceted food scene at Florida.  I did try to replicate that taste but I crave to eat that salmon again.” She says

Kalpana Mirchandani specialises in several cuisines such as Sindhi, Punjabi, Thai cuisines.  She loves making dips and sandwich fillers as well. She is proficient in party orders and specialises in finger food. She has been gradually adding her own variety of fillings, dips, finger food and other main course items to her menu. 

“Nowadays most people like to keep stuff  like Mexican dip with nachos  to go with it. Chicken tikka, paneer tikka, to pair with garlic bread, rotis as quesadillas.  lavash or garlic toasties with hung curd, garlic dip, cheese corn mushroom fills with volevones...or canapes, and also small bites of pakwan topped with dhal, tamarind and mint chutney and onion salad. The choice is endless.” She confirms

During her childhood, her dadi used to cook yummy Sindhi cuisine for the family. Her favourite dish has always been sindhi mirchi bhajiya. That dish has been her first memorable moment of having tasted a yumm dish .

Kalpana is happy to share the recipe of traditional Sindhi Recipe of Mirchi Ka Bhajiya

1. Slit 10 large sized light green chillies from centre all the way down on one side. 

2. Extract most of the seeds. 

3. Mix the dry masalas like  1tbsp coriander-cumin powder,  1tbsp pomegranate powder, 1tsp black salt, 1tsp lime juice. 

4. Fill in this masala mixture in between the chillies and keep aside for 1 or 2 hours. 

5. Mix 1cup gram four in 1/2cup water and make a smooth batter.  

6. Add salt,  1tsp turmeric powder.  

7. Dip in the chillies in the gram flour batter

8. Deep fry till golden brown and crispy. 

9. Serve with mint chutney.

Follow her Insta handle @Kalpana.mirchandani 

Kalpana can be reached on her Watsapp no 99200 49543

Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 37 – Aanchal Khanna

Mumbai's temperature is not too cold..winter hardly ever comes..er..not like they have in the North India, where people are wrapped up in multi layers of warm clothes, and have to eat a particular kind of food to keep their body warm. 

In Mumbai, just a shawl should suffice...but still, its good to celebrate winter by eating right kind of food. Yes. Market is flooded with lots of winter veggies nowadays and everybody seems excited by enjoying the flavours, and saving the winter vegetables in the form of pickles or just freezing them in their natural form. 

And in winter, the flavours are authentic, colours so bright, and so is the taste, that fresh chunky bites of root vegetables, those heat'y effects of honey and ginger, those bright greens of leafy veggies and people are hungry all the time. 

Truly, winter is the time to celebrate food.

Aanchal Khanna is all set for this winter with some delicious Punjabi dishes that she wants people around Mumbai to experience, some finger smacking dishes like Dhal Makhani, Gajrela, Sarson da Saag, Til Phugga and many more.

Aanchal Khanna (of thepickledstory fame) is born and brought up in the family that breathes food. Cooking good food & eating good food (home cooked) is like meditation to them. They wake up to discussing what is going to be cooked throughout the day and sleep talking about food. They hardly have any store-bought-ready-made eatables. From Ghee to white butter to Paneer, dahi… Papad to achaar to namkeens to desserts to street food to chaat.. absolutely everything is done at home by her Mom & Daadi. Her grandfather was from Lahore and post partition migrated to India. The love for good food is in their blood. After Lahore it was Amritsar and then Mumbai post marriage to earn a living. her Mom hails from Amritsar. Her Naani & Maasi are another set of super humans who cook up a storm each time they cook. It is quite clear to sense the seriousness that goes around in the house about flavours, textures and combinations. 

“I really can’t recollect one but there are so many beautiful memories.. Sundays, especially, my grandfather used to go to the market early morning to buy the fresh catch (Only Pomfret), come home and clean it all by himself.. I still have some fade memories of him doing it. It was like a slow happy dance. Perfecting every move.” says Aanchal, thinking aloud about her grandfather’s love for Pakodas specially of Kaddu and baigan. 

Aanchal specialises in street food of Mumbai like Bharwaan Aloo, Tikki Chole, Pav Bhaji, Chilli Paneer, simple salad & Kulhad wali Gulabi Kheer. She also takes orders for small family gatherings. No fancy menu. She talks to the customers and understand the type of food they are looking for and accordingly suggests.

“I am still learning and exploring. But I see to it that I learn everything from them to a T. I have just started and I keep updating the menu. The snacks and Laddu menu is what I am working on. I strongly feel that the new generation (torch bearers of our culture and tradition) need to be exposed more to what we ate and what our grandparents ate or still eat. It is more local and sustainable which also means it is healthy.” She believe that as adults it is our responsibility to introduce our children to such food, that is nourishing and healthy.”

On her last visit to Bali and KL, she feasted on Nasi Goreng and Mei Goreng. “We were put up in Kuta,in Bali, just across the beach. Breakfast was usual fruits, eggs, pancakes, waffles. But I couldn’t really explore the food around the city because my trip was cut short for personal reasons.” She is a big fan of stir fried veggies/chicken and one pot meals but her Punjabi khaandhan and genes always pull her back to having elaborate spread of Khaana leaving her few opportunities to cook one pot meals.

Aanchal Khanna is happy to share her recipe Makhana Kheer (Foxnut Pudding)

1. Roast 50gms (approx. 4 fist full) Makhanas in 3tsp of ghee. 

2. Stir continuously till it becomes toasty and changes colour slightly. 

3. Turn off the flame. 

4. Carefully add 300-400 ml milk while the flame is off. ( cow’s milk has been used. Full cream could be another option) 

5. Turn on the flame and keep stirring on low flame. 

6. Let the mixture of milk and makhanas boil for 5 mins.  

7. Add 2 pods of cardamom. 

8. Add soaked and chopped nuts of your choice and cook for another 5-7mins. 

9. If you are using raisins, add it in the end after putting off the flame. 

10. Add 3-4 tbsp sugar and cook for 2 mins. 

11. Keep a check on the consistency of kheer as per your liking. 

12. You may add more milk if it is too thick for you. 

13. Serve it hot or chilled.

Tip: add Kesar (saffron while boiling milk, that will give a beautiful color to the kheer.

You can follow her on her Instagram Handle @ThePickledStory

or Watsapp at 9999448052