Baking things the JEEMOL way!

The woman behind Eva's Healthy Bakes

I met Jeemol Koruth Varghese, OWNER AND BAKER at EVA’S HEALTHY BAKES at the On FleaK hosted at the Gymkana Club. Surrounded by mountains of delicious baked delights, this chirpy baker was all about “big things come in small packages!”

The class all set to bake

A conversation ensued, a goodie box of lip smacking baked sweet and savories sent in for a review and I decided that Letsstalkfood simply had to be present at Jeemol’s next baking class!

Delicious, Cheesy pizza

Last Sunday found me outside KK arcade (diagonally opposite Radisson Blu) doubtful of my sense of direction when the smell of rich, buttery garlic rolls beckoned me in! A few floors up, I saw on display freshly bakes pizzas, olive and tomato studded focaccia and golden loaves of bread. I also saw Jeemol surrounded by a dozen students ardently explaining baking with a passion that was contagious.

Golden Loaves ready to go under the knife

 A warm smile and hug later, I sat in rapt attention as I was given a crash course in baking. Other than the focaccia, milk and wheat loaves and pizzes, the other recipes that were being taught were garlic rolls, cinnamon rolls, masala buns and Dil Kush.

Jeemol addresses the class

A proud mother to three little darlings, Jeemol says that her children love bread. She has inclined her recipes towards healthier versions and the multigrain added into her muffins, brownies and pies don’t stop her children from gobbling up the freshly baked goodies right as they come out of the oven!

I have a terrible weakness for olive and tomato focaccia

“Baking is love made visible” says Jeemol and we all smile. “Baking is an art that requires all our senses. It is a process that is absolutely rewarding. I love making bread for my family. There is such joy in seeing the smiles on their faces.”

Oh so soft loves of wheat bread

Jeemol takes the class through various aspects of baking, from kneading the dough just right and the kind of fillings to put in to different baking temperatures and storage. It’s amazing how so much knowledge is packed into one tiny, energetic person!

Unearthing baked treasure

Though I just pottered around helping with the dishes and didn’t really get my hands around the dough, there was a palpable sense happiness as the class shaped and stretched their balls of dough. Their happy squeals when the milk bread was cut into perfect, delicious slices was one of the highlights of my review!

Picture perfect slices

Jeemol, proved an excellent mentor, helping whenever necessary but mostly giving free reign as she believes that each person has his/her own style of baking. Once the basics of baking are down pat, individual styles can be nurtured along with recipes so that something new and even more delicious could be created out of the ever versatile dough!

The primordial dough from which all baked goods evolve

“I am emotional when it comes to bread. To me, bread is an absolute passion. Bread making is a constant learning and you must have a connection with your dough; then all falls into place. You learn only the method from this baking class but the art of baking with passion you learn all your own!”

Cinnamon raisin rolls all set for the oven

You said it Jeemol! Bake on!

The makings of butter garlic rolls

Visit Eva’s Healthy Bakes on Facebook or Message in @evashealthybakes on FB messenger / you could also call: 09526634777

Get set, bake!

Coconut, cherries and spice mix to be stuffed into the dough for Dil Kush

Here we go!

Let's get rolling!

X marks the spot

A Christmas style braided wreath heading towards the oven

EVOLVE back in time

“I don’t want PRIMATE to be seen as a restaurant. It is a natural concept” says ELDHO PACHILAKKADAN, OWNER of the first raw foods eatery in Kerala. Walk into Primate and somehow, you feel at ease. The room is airy, bright and boasts of a certain natural setting that many restaurants lack nowadays.

Eldo is part of TNHS-The Travancore Natural History Society, an NGO that conducts bio diversity surveys; studying the food, habitat and life cycles of various species; the findings of which have coxed him to turn to a naturalist movement. An architect by profession, it took Eldho 5 years to shift to a way of life that looks to a harmonious co-existence with nature.

“Nature has a deep relation with food. Every animal has a duty. Take for example pollination. The way we live right now throws off the delicate balance of nature. Not many people understand the alarming facts. Animals generally are quite healthy upon inspection. This is because they derive their nourishment directly from nature. This is where we humans suffer a lapse. When we process the food nature provides us through cooking, we lose sight of our position in the cycle.” explains Eldho.

Several customers who visit Primate out of curiosity have become regulars; each with a different purpose. Be it weight loss, detox or a plain communion with nature, Primate holds the key and all of its customers have embraced the concept with absolute delight! “We live in a kill and survive environment; mostly because those are the skills that have been handed down to us. If only we tried to grasp our environmental role, we would be able to live harmoniously  along with nature.”

According to Edho, food is a medium through which stories could be conveyed. It is a basic necessity without any secrets. Food, he says, should never hold any secrets. With this thought in mind, Primate hosts classes that help customers understand how to best prepare raw food without losing any vital nutrients. The Primate Kitchen uses only organically grown produce with nut milk substitutes for cow’s milk. What I found most interesting was the artistic creation of similar tastes. A lot of taste testing went into each of the offerings at Primate in order to make them resemble their counterparts made using milk, cheese, meat and cooked foods.

“A vegan is different from a naturalist” says Eldho “Naturalists understand what man is and his role in the environment and lives accordingly.” Cochin being Eldho’s hometown, seemed like the best place to start something as unique, what with the multitude of concept restaurants mushrooming everywhere. Apart from serving raw foods, Eldho dishes out a side of philosophy which many customers listen to in rapt attention. 

“Three families have already shifted to the naturalist movements” says Eldho with a big smile “all our staff members are also naturalists. I was a non-vegetarian with an intense love for pork, but shifting to a naturalist way of life has been a calling. I cannot move from something I believe in. Keeping requirements of people in mind, we have also introduced biriyanis which are cauliflower based with dried onions, nuts, raisins, broccoli and carrots. We have patrons who swear by it!”

Food can be identified using just our senses. Our powers of sight, smell, touch and taste; that is the natural way of identifying edible foods. “One needs to change the environment through one’s diet. It is not just the food habits but the overall lifestyle and outlook as such that needs a change. We need to become more attuned to nature.” Says Eldho.

Eldho brings out an array of delights for me to review.  I start with a delightful and tangy lime cooler replete with the luscious full bodied honey.

I can’t tell you how big a fan I am of their spring rolls! A yum medley of fruit and vegetables wrapped in crunchy lettuce leaves. Dip into their chunky and piquant house made tomato ketchup and get set for some firecrackers exploding in your mouth!

The taco salad was a thing of beauty! A delicious nut based sauce mixed into some chunks sweet papaya, pineapple and juicy vegetables topped with more of their house made tomato sauce.  Scooped onto a leaf of purple lettuce, each bite was absolute delight!

The happy cow salad was a tame little prince when compared to the fiery queen I had before. A creamy mix of chopped up veges was filling and quite mellow on the tummy!

 My utmost favorite I’d have to say, was the crudité with labneh! Labneh is traditionally made from Greek yoghurt; the Primate counterpart however is cashew based. It paired  beautifully with the 

succulent pieces of cucumber and peppers lifting the overall taste to a whole new amazing level!

We wrapped up the tasting with a trip of desserts: Cheesecake, choco-nut ball and cookie. I cannot believe how perfectly the tastes and textures of the desserts had been mimicked! The cheesecake was nut milk based, with a moist base of walnuts and raisins. I was floored by that choco-nut ball made with nuts, dates and cocoa, sprinkled with desiccated coconut. The cookie was moist and nutty drizzled with a rich dark chocolate sauce that could be lapped up on its own!

“I wouldn’t force anyone to change but I do pass on the message and hope logic strikes!” says Eldho in closing.

All Things SLAY!

You can look, you can touch, you can drool…BUT horror of horrors you can’t eat! Not unless you want a mouthfull of ALL THINGS CLAY that is! The talent house behind food that lasts forever (in clay form but delicious looking none the less) is 26 year old Aimee Rajan.

A little over a year into creating delightful clay miniatures (some the size of a one rupee coin!) Aimee and All things Clay have formed a long list of loyal customers (including yours truly) who keep coming back time and again for her one of a kind pieces.

Return gifts, table top miniatures, caricatures, photo replication, key chains, jewellery...there is no end to the variety of goodies All things Clay has on offer.

Born in The US but with her family origins in Cochin, Aimee has travelled the world quite a bit, eventually settling down in Bangalore. Her miniature masterpieces have found their way from Cochin and Bangalore to across India.

Though she has sculpted several noteworthy and intricate pieces, i found her food art to be utterly mind blowing!

I remember seeing a close up of a hot, buttery, flaky naan and luscious kadai chicken that looked so unbelievably real and mouth wateringly yum, i had to help myself to some naan and chicken for dinner!

The detailing in each piece is simply out of this world...not one crack, crumb or drop was missed out on! And just how realistic are they? I think the pictures speak volumes!

Despite Aimee's hectic schedule, i was able to have a lovely chit chat with her. Fresh and honest, i loved her enthusiasm and her future plans for All things Clay.

LSF: Aimee, tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Aimee: Well, I have a background in Animation & Multimedia.  I am passionate about animated movies and anything Disney related and on a good day, you will find me attempting (sometimes failing) DIYs!Due to my father’s profession, we moved around quite a bit and have stayed in the US, Kochi, Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania), and following his demise, to Dubai and finally to good ol’ Bangalore.

LSF: When did the passion for miniature clay sculptures take root?

Aimee: Around two years ago, when we had just moved to Bangalore, I was casually browsing the internet and stumbled across an image of two ice cream cones – as tiny as a coin!
Being totally curious, I just HAD to find out what this was and how it was made – all that jazz.

So I sat for days researching the world of bake-able clay and got myself some materials just to give it a shot. It definitely started off as a small hobby, with a few basic tools, two blocks of clay and no oven (and some eyeshadows!). I initially experimented with miniature food. Eventually I tried making something different every day and I haven’t looked back since!

LSF: Tell us about the first piece ever piece you made

Aimee: This might end up being a tiny tragic story. The first piece I ever made was a teeny cupcake (safe to say it was pretty ugly) but I was very proud of it back then. I had just made it and had not cured it yet, which meant it was still in raw clay form.

My sister and I started taking pictures with it, and within a matter of seconds, things turned ugly - I dropped the cupcake and my sister unknowingly stepped on it and flattened it! So in other words, my first ever piece had a lifespan of 5 minutes.

LSF: You have a major interest in creating food based pieces. What sparked this?

Aimee: Other than the fact that I am a foodie, I have always been fascinated with anything miniature (it makes me feel like a giant)! There is something endearing to me about making our everyday food into miniature – I keep adding foods to make into my list almost every day!

LSF: Other than magnets, what are the different food based clay products you have branched into?

Aimee: Currently, I only focus on food based Magnets or small Showpieces, like a baking scene.

I also dabble a bit in food based accessories as well, like donut and cupcake rings, cookie earrings etc. Hoping to branch out soon on varieties of food based products!

LSF: What cuisine form do you enjoy making clay forms of the most? Why?

Aimee: At the moment I love attempting Indian cuisine, that may be mostly because of my roots but I totally love coming closer to home when it comes to my food pieces!

I've also noticed that Indian foods are more popular with my customer base.

Furthermore, I have not seen too much of our cuisine being made into miniature, so I wanted to put as many as I can out there!

LSF: What does the future hold for All Things Clay?

Aimee: All Things Clay turned a year old a couple of months ago, and I feel truly blessed to receive the amount of support I have till now. Being young, I am very pleased with the way All Things Clay has been progressing. My ultimate dream for the next couple of years is to open a studio that will help reach out to a wider customer base, and additionally hold super simple workshops as well!

LSF: Who has been your biggest support?

Aimee: My biggest support, without a doubt, would be my family. My mom loves everything I make (I think that’s a given), my sisters are my biggest critics yet fans at the same time, and my immediate family is the most encouraging bunch I have ever met.

 Needless to say I have plenty of sweet supportive customers that inspire me to create and create everyday!

LSF: From Clay to finished product, could you outline the lifecycle of your creations?

Aimee: The process and time needed depends on each individual order.

Once the product, quote and date etc have been settled, then begins concept design, sculpting, baking, detailing, glazing, photography (which is then sent to the customer before the order is packed) and then finally packaging before the order is shipped out. Some intricate pieces could take up to 2 weeks, while the simplest piece could take up to 3 to 4 hours!

LSF: What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your venture?

Aimee: Initially when I began All Things Clay, there was a lot of trial and error involved before I could present it to potential customers.

I faced challenges in the sourcing of materials, delivering the product due to its delicate nature & figuring out the creating process to ensure a durable product. The current challenge I face is being able to give my customers early ready dates as I make every piece on my own!

LSF: I'm sure your work has inspired several budding clay artists. What advice would you like to give them?

As cheesy as it sounds, my simple advice would be to just go for it. Having zero experience working with clay, that is exactly what I did. I saw something that fascinated me.

Despite thinking i never could succeed in making it, went for it anyway and that led to All Things Clay – something I genuinely enjoy doing every single day. No harm in trying, right?

To get your very own custom made clay miniature art from All Things Clay, contact Aimee at:
https://m.facebook.com/AllThingsClayAR/