Thursday, July 31, 2014

More Fondant Cake Creations from Me


There is no looking back ever since I took up orders for Fondant theme based cakes! I am totally loving the experience of making each and every cake and the lovely themes that are coming up :)Any day can be made special with such lovely cakes! :)


Yes! This is the reason I am not able to blog much too :( Will try to post recipes soon!


 photo Leocake4_zpse7937efa.jpg

A Leo cake for the little Laveen who rules the planets being the king of the forest 

Some clients are super specific of what they want and it makes the cake artist's work so easy and interesting! Thanks to this client who told me every single detail well in advance 



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A cake ordered by a loving husband to his sweet wife 

A cute home setup 



 photo Chotabheemcake_zps87d78ebe.jpg

Chota Bheem!!!! Here it is for all the kids who love this cartoon 
Had real tension when I had to make these characters because kids are the best judges and wouldn't agree with anything that doesn't look like their favorite characters 



 photo Junglethemecake1_zps79edcf15.jpg

A peep into the jungle and all the animals get their heads out to wish Karthik a very happy birthday 

Little Karthik was here to pick the cake and the excitement in his eyes were all the praise I could ask for 



 photo Kavyacake_zps720f28ec.jpg

A special cake for my sweetest SIL  She loves books and coffee. She has a big collection of coffee mugs too! So here was my surprise cake for her  

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Just married cake for Prashanth & Samana! 

It was fun making a Janavasam car topper with the couple riding it with joy 



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Made this cake for a man who loves blue and has a big collection of blue striped shirts of all shades 



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Princess Manya's Birthday cake 

The cake pattern was mostly derived from birthday girl's party dress with some colors pepped up  And the princess had to wear a crown too  Totally enjoyed making the edible crown 



 photo Nivash_zps898b4c11.jpg

I was really thrilled to make this cake for a good buddy of mine. This amazing friend of mine loves Bikes, he is a theater artist and trainer, trekker, a superb MC and loves music and concerts! Hence the cake has it all!
Did I forget!!! He turned 30 years young! and has chosen another best buddy of mine as his life partner! Wish him a super happy long life  

 photo Poohandfriendscakeweb_zpse3ab2a6d.jpg
Master Guru turns one in style 

His mom wanted the little champ to be a super man hence a G for him and pooh and friends were invited to the party to celebrate as well! 



I can help you bring your dream cakes comes true. All you need to do order cakes with me is give me a buzz by mail - fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com or leave me a message in my fb page here - https://www.facebook.com/4thsensecooking with your ideas and I shall try my best to bring it out beautifully for you!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Mango Panna Cotta

 photo Mangopannacotta1_zps9dda9dd5.jpg

Mango mango everywhere and I love to eat them all! :) 

I love mangoes and cant just stop eating them. They dont get boring because of the vast varieties of mangoes available in the market :) Little sour, too sweet, subtle sweet, juicy etc. Though I like to eat it just as it is, the amount of mangoes at home demands me to make something with it to pep it up :)

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert with means cooked cream. It is my favorite dessert and when I had mangoes in hand, I quickly came up with version :) Slurp :)

 photo Mangopannacotta_zpsa14d793c.jpg

Ingredients:

Mango puree - 200 gms (1 large mango)
Milk - 100 ml
Sugar - 60 gms
Fresh Cream - 200 ml
Gelatin - 15 gms

 photo Mangopannacotta2_zps4be94441.jpg

Method:

Chop mango into large chunks and puree it in a mixie. 

Take milk, cream and sugar in a heavy bottomed vessel and heat on low flame until it boils. 

Meanwhile take the gelatin in a microwave safe bowl and add 50 gms of water to it and soak it in water for two mins and then microwave it for a minute for it to melt completely. 

Reserve 4 tblsp of mango puree in a bowl and also reserve 1 tblsp of melted gelatin in a separate bowl.

Now add the mango puree to the cream mixture and mix well until it is well blent and smooth. Allow it to cool down a bit. 

Spoon the mango panna cotta into serving glasses or moulds. Set it in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours. 

After a couple of hours mix the reserved mango puree with the reserved gelatin and spoon it over the already set panna cotta to achieve the top mango glee. 

Set it again in the fridge for few hours and serve chill :)

Spoon some chopped mango pieces and corn flakes for crunchiness before serving!

 photo Mangopannacotta3_zps8f605ec7.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Broccoli Vada Pav

 photo Vadapav_zpse5d6f95c.jpg

Vada pav is the asset of the North! Yup they are the best selling snack or chat any where in North India. I have enjoyed them during my visit to Pune and longing to have them sometime from Mumbai too :)

Ever since my visit to Pune, I have been wanting to make some Vada pavs at home. Browsed loads of recipes but ended up making my own version of it with broccoli addition and guess what, it was a super duper hit too :) My cousins who visited me enjoyed it so much that they wanted the recipe too :P sometimes random cooking brings fame! :P

 photo Vadapav1_zpsc3ebec39.jpg

Ingredients:

Pav buns - 10

For the filling:

Broccoli - 1 
Potato - 3 large
Garlic - 5 pods
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt - for taste

For the coating:

Besan flour - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Salt - for taste
Chilly powder - for taste
Asafoetida - a pinch

For Green chutney:

Mint leaves - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - for taste

For Red chutney:

Coconut - 1/2 cup
Red chilies - 2
Garlic pods - 4
Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
Salt - for taste

 photo Vadapav4_zpsd780a080.jpg

Method:

To make the filling:

Boil potatoes, peel and mash thoroughly. Grate broccoli using a grater. 

Chop ginger and garlic into small pieces. 

Take two tsps of oil in a pan and fry the ginger garlic for few minutes. Add the grated broccoli and sprinkle few drops of water and cook in low flame for 5 minutes. Now add the cooked and smashed potato to it and saute. 

Finally add the salt, pepper powder, jeera powder and the lemon juice to it and mix well. 

Allow it to cool down and make small balls of the filling. 

To make the coating:

Mix the besan flour, rice flour, chilly powder, asafoetida and salt together by adding adequate water to it to make a dropping consistency batter. 

Now take the above made broccoli potato balls and dip it in the batter and deep fry the vadas. I used a paniyaram skillet to fry the balls to avoid deep frying. 

Once it has browned on all sides, remove from oil and strain the excess oil on a tissue. 

To make the chutneys:

Grind the coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilly, lemon juice, garam masala and salt together by adding little water to it. Once it becomes a smooth paste collect it in a bowl. Green chutney is ready. 

Grind the coconut, red chilly, garlic, tamarind paste and salt together into a smooth paste to make red chutney. 

Now slit open the pav buns. Apply green chutney on one side and red chutney on the other side. Place one vada in the center and assemble the vada pav.

Serve hot and enjoy the delicious vada pav :)

 photo Vadapav3_zps369286c7.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Friday, May 9, 2014

Latest Fondant Cakes from My Kitchen

I'm happy to share my latest orders of Fondant cakes with you all :)

 photo KrishnaRadhacake4_zpsc85abbb4.jpg

Radha - Krishna themed Wedding cake! 

I was pretty excited when I got this order and was worried big time too. First off I was bothered about making an edible God idol??! was puzzled if it was fine to do it but the client decided to preserve the sugar models and enjoy the cake alone, so went ahead and made this for the wedding couple 

 photo Aryanmickeyduckcake2_zps1a469f58.jpg

My first big bonanza cake. The biggest cake I have made so far  Exhausting but enjoyed to the fullest. 

8 Kgs of Eggless Vanilla & Chocolate cake alternating with Dark chocolate Ganache filling and ofcourse the intricate fondant decoration on top of the cake with the little one's favorite character Mickey mouse and bath tub ducks 


 photo Barbiecakeweb_zpsc43ffbc7.jpg

Sometimes you dream of doing something and you get the opportunity right away. 

Princess Barbie cake it was  - Completely enjoyed molding the cake and making the dress etc  Yet to master the face features but working on it  

The client was happy and so am I 


 photo Engagementringcake_zpsdf083b6b.jpg

This creation was for the celebrity RJ for her engagement 

Keerthana was specific of having an engagement ring in the cake and left the rest to my creativity. This is what I created for her 


 photo Nakshubirthday_zpsf9780254.jpg

Butterfly Themed First Birthday cake - This was for a little butterfly princess who celebrated her birthday.

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Oh how much I loved this character in the movie Tangled! The moment the client said Rapunzel it is for her daughter's cake, I immediately jumped in joy to make it for her  Oops the extra loooooong hair was the biggest challenge and happy that I made it somehow 

A 4 kg vanilla, strawberry cake alternation with Italian vanilla butter cream topped with hand made fondant toppers 


 photo Birthdaycupcakes_zps1d9de95b.jpg

A birthday special cup cakes order from a sweet brother to a cool sister who loves various things 

I was completely thrilled by the theme by itself and enjoyed making each element. 

Priti loves MAC products for her eye make over, she enjoys shooting pics with her Nikon SLR, has a special love for Louis Vuitton hand bags, she ofcourse like other woman loves stilettos and enjoys sleeping with her teddy  

Eggless classic vanilla cupcakes topped with dark chocolate ganache. Decorated with hand made fondant toppers from my kitchen 


 photo Proporsalcake3_zps7bfabd74.jpg

A special birthday cake Indeed! 

A pretty woman who fought for her life going through a tough surgery last year wanted to propose to her boy friend yet again to start her new life journey on his birthday. She ordered for this special cake  

Wish them both a long and happy life and god bless him for the immense support he has given her throughout  They stand as a good example for not FALLING in love but RAISING in love 


Contact me for your personalized cake needs. Write to fourthsensesamayal@gmail.com or like my face book page here - https://www.facebook.com/4thsensecooking and leave a message. Lets bring your dream cakes true :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Plantain Masala Curry / Vazhakkai Poriyal

 photo Plantaincurry_zpsa6e70da3.jpg

I love and respect the plantain tree! Its one tree which could be useful for us from top to bottom :)

Plantain is a very versatile vegetable since it can simply take the flavors of the masala that we use and taste yummy. This time I tried a new version of curry with it by infusing two flavors - garlic and saunf. It turned out to be extremely aromatic and delicious :)

 photo Plantaincurry2_zpsf689a9d8.jpg

Ingredients:

Plantain / Vazhakkai - 2
Saunf / Sombu - 2 tsp
Urad dhall - 1 tsp
Garlic pods - 4
Curry leaves - few
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - for taste

 photo Plantaincurry3_zps9fe47298.jpg

Method:

Take saunf and urad dhall in a dry pan and roast it for two minutes. Now powder this in a mixie and keep it aside. 

Peel and chop the plantain into small square pieces. 

Take 2 tblsp of oil in a pan and crackle mustard seeds, curry leaves and now add the chopped plantain pieces and fry until the plantain becomes soft and cooked. 

Add salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and the above made saunf & dhall powder to the plantain and mix well. 

Now crush the garlic pods roughly with a mortar and pestle and drop it into the curry. Mix well and fry for few minutes. 

Transfer to the serving bowl. 

Aromatic plantain masala curry is ready :) 

Serve hot with rasam rice or curd rice :)

 photo Plantaincurry1_zpsdb6523d3.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Friday, April 11, 2014

Paneer Samosa / Cottage cheese Samosa

 photo Paneersamosa3_zps70a27490.jpg

Fried snacks always have a special taste!! I am sure no one would deny this fact. When compared to bajji's and bonda's, this little samosa steals the list and goes to the top easily for me. I like samosa's a lot, be it the one from the near by road stall or one from the reputed chaat houses. I just love these mildly spiced crispy beauties a lot :)

It so happened that I found a pack of ready made samosa patty strips during my grocery shopping and I couldnt not control drooling and thinking of various options of fillings :) Immediately picked a pack and did it the very same evening and enjoyed for the evening snack :) 

This is first of the fillings that I tried with the soft cottage cheese. Wait for more experiments to come! :P

 photo Paneersamosa1_zpsbf31df92.jpg

Ingredients:

Paneer / Cottage Cheese - 500 gms
Onion - 1 large
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kasoori methi - 1/2 tsp
Tomato sauce / puree - 2 tblsp
Salt - for taste

 photo Paneersamosa_zpsbc1c09f8.jpg

Method:

Grate paneer and keep it aside. Chop onion finely. 

Take a tsp of oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. Once it splutters, add the chopped onion and saute until golden brown in color. Now add the tomato paste and saute for few minutes. 

Now add the chilly powder, salt, garam masala, coriander powder and kasoori methi leaves and cook until it starts smelling good :)

Finally add the grated paneer and mix well. Do not cook for long after adding paneer else it would turn hard. 

Remove from flame and allow it to come to room temperature. 

You can either make the samosa dough by mixing in 1 cup of maida and a pinch of salt with just adequate water and allowing it to sit in a closed bowl for an hour, else you can buy the ready made samosa patty strips or spring roll strips and make your samosa. 

I so happened to spot one pack of samosa patty strip this time when I went for grocery shopping and I had to make it instantly since it was way too tempting and simple to use :)

The samosa patty strips are frozen products, hence remove from freezer and thaw it for a while. When it is at room temperature, keep a spoon of filling on the corner of the strip and start folding into triangles until you reach the other edge of the strip. Seal the strip with a paste made by mixing maida with few drops of water. 

Deep fry in hot oil until evenly browned on all sides and enjoy eating it with tomato ketchup :)

 photo Paneersamosa4_zpsdb62b175.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Broccoli & Almond Soup

 photo Broccolialmondsoup3_zps657ba31a.jpg

Green vegetables are said to be the most healthiest ones and so is this Broccoli. I love them in my pastas or just as stir fries too. They are just so soft and delicate and cook so fast that I always enjoy using them in my dishes. 

I had this soup in a wedding reception recently and mind cooked the recipe and recreated it in my kitchen yesterday :) Oh God!! it was really delicious and all of them at home enjoyed it. Rich, creamy and healthy soup :)

 photo Broccolialmondsoup_zps12a6395b.jpg

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 1 flower
Almonds - 10
Butter - 1 tblsp
Onion - 1
Potato - 1
Garlic - 3 pods
Salt - for taste
Pepper - for taste
Cheese - for garnish

 photo Broccolialmondsoup2_zps01566411.jpg

Method:

Soak almonds in water for 2-3 hours. 

Wash broccoli and cut into large florets. 

Chop onions roughly. Peel and chop potato roughly. Dice garlic into small pieces. 

Take a pressure cooker and add a tblsp of butter. Once it melts add the chopped garlic and fry for a min. Follow it by chopped onions and fry for few minutes. Now add the potato and broccoli. Pour a cup of water and pressure cook the contents for 2-3 whistles. Open the cooker once the steam releases and allow it to come to room temperature. 

Meanwhile peel the soaked almond skin and grind it into a smooth paste by adding just a little water. 

Now grind the pressure cooked vegetables into a smooth paste. Transfer this content into a thick bottomed vessel and add adequate water to get the soup consistency. Also add the ground almond paste to it. 

Heat the soup for a boil or two. Add required amount of salt and pepper. Pour into the serving bowls and grate some cheese on top before serving. 

Enjoy the hot and creamy soup :)

 photo Broccolialmondsoup1_zps683bfd2d.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

Friday, March 7, 2014

Mint Potato Subzi

 photo MintPotatoSubzi_zpsaaad6113.jpg

There are certain ingredients that can just dominate in flavor and make it its own dish and rule the pallet :) One such great ingredient is the mighty Mint :) The flavor and smell can just make a simple dish a special one for sure :)

This subzi is my favorite for the very reason mentioned above. Its very simple to make and tastes great with any Indian bread. Just the best I say :)

 photo MintPotatoSubzi2_zpsc57d56bd.jpg

Ingredients:

Potato - 1/2 kg
Peas - 1/4 kg
Tomato - 2
Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch
Poppy seeds - 2 tblsp
Coconut (Scrapped) - 4 tblsp
Green Chillies - 5
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Garlic - 8 pods
Salt - for taste

 photo MintPotatoSubzi4_zps40d5e3a7.jpg

Method:

Cook and peel potatoes. Dice them into large cubes. Cook peas too. Dice the tomatoes.

Dry roast poppy seeds for two minutes. 

Grind poppy seeds, green chillies, coconut, ginger and garlic together into a smooth paste by adding little water to it. 

Take a pan and add two tblsp of oil, add the tomatoes and fry until soft and mushy. Now add the ground masala paste and fry until raw smell goes.  Then add the potato, peas and mint leaves and mix well. Add salt and allow it to cook in low flame for 8-10 minutes. 

Serve hot with chapathi or any Indian bread :)

 photo MintPotatoSubzi1_zpsad60bd57.jpg

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here

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