Creamy Chai Spiced Shrikhand, an elegant Indian dessert for a birthday

Shrikhand is creamy and velvety smooth, made from strained yogurt, sweetened and spiced. These days I spice it with Arvinda's Chai Masala giving it a good hit of cardamom.

When I was younger, as every April approached my mother would come to me asking me for a list of my favourite foods. April, being my birthday month was the time of year my mother would cook all my favourite foods. And every year I would always ask for the same dessert ~ Shrikhand, a Gujarati sweet made from strained yogurt, sweetened and spiced with saffron and cardamom.

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2 tastes in 1: An Indian-Mexican dessert

Our delicious Indian-Mexican fusion: Flan Napolitano infused with Indian flavours of saffron and chai. Photo by: Elizabeth Rumebe.

On August 13th at 8pm, I’m getting together with pastry chef Elizabeth Rumebe of Amaranto Creations at Toronto’s Hot & Spicy Festival at Harbourfront Centre.

We’re teaming up for a collaborative demo called 10 Tastes to Try Before You Die: 2 Tastes in 1. By taking a traditional Mexican Napolitano Flan and infusing it with the Indian flavours of chai, saffron and pistachios…voila, we have an Indian-Mexican fusion!

When we met up for our recipe testing session we were so incredibly fascinated by the nuances each test version had. Each of the four tasted delicious, but the one we’re demonstrating was the ‘cream of the crop’. Our delicious Indian-Mexican fusion results went from the testing phase to recipe success that literally left us licking off our plates!

Mexican and Indian cuisine and culture have many similarities. When my mother Arvinda visited Oaxaca years ago she also noted the same. I’ve discovered people who love Mexican foods are also huge fans of Indian food as well, and it’s no wonder since both cuisines share the same prominent flavours of chilies, cilantro and tomatoes. The similarities go beyond even that.

Stop by and join us for a lively discussion of both Indian and Mexican cuisines and where the similarities lie between these two very delicious, fresh and complex cuisines.

You can also sample our very unique Indian-Mexican sweet creation as well! See you there.

A teaspoon of: Bedouin Soundclash. Listening to: St. Andrews.

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A quick holiday treat – Holiday Chai Spice Ladoos (Snowballs)

Arvinda's Chai Spice Ladoos (Snowballs)

Here’s a recipe for my Holiday Chai Spice Ladoos (snowballs) featured in last week’s Toronto Star as part of the article, “How to Create a Signature Party” featuring ‘foodie’ Torontonians and their cool holiday traditions.

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A cool place to have tea

From time to time, I’ll post some cool finds and hotspots not necessarily related to Indian food. Not really for review purposes, but just to share some good experiences. Here’s the first…

Yesterday I stumbled upon a very cool café, new on the Toronto lounge scene. I actually rushed right past Spice Safar in the freezing cold, but it was the word ‘spice’ that caught my eye.

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Arvinda’s at the Season’s Christmas Show

Fortunately November has turned out to be a sun shining glorious month (not a typical November in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and I’m not complaining!). Nonetheless, even though the snow has not yet hit the ground, the holiday season is right before us which gets me planning for my festive Indian inspired menus and ideas. Recipes coming soon!

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Merry Masala Cookie Exchange

I started assisting my mother with her Indian cooking classes through her cooking school Arvinda’s about 16 years. At the time, I was timid about Indian cooking and intently watched and listened to my mother talk about all the delicious Indian foods I ate growing up. I delectably devoured my mother’s meals but never knew how these delicious dishes really came together. This was the start of the Indian culinary transmission of knowledge, from mother-to-daughter in a formalized cooking class setting. Lucky for me!

Baking however was my first love and baking is where I felt right at ‘home’ in the kitchen. Since the age of five, my mother and I would have a ‘marathon’ holiday baking sessions baking up dozens of varieties of holiday goodies year-after-year. Since then, my favourite pastime was baking anything sweet of course to satisfy my incredible sweet tooth! My love for anything sweet led me to more baking experiments in the kitchen. For my Grade 6 Science Fair, the only project that kept me motivated about the science was baking, so I pitched the idea to my science teacher who said “Cake Baking” as a science project was never done before. The result was 2nd prize (who would have known?) and a pile of cakes to be eaten by me!

With the holidays fast approaching, I’m left thinking about what cookies and other sweet delights I’ll bake with my mother for the 2009 season. This year, a couple friends suggested we teach some of our most-loved masala-infused holiday goodies in a hands-on cookie exchange. What a great idea! In this class we’ll show you some of our treasured holiday favourites including:
– Crunchy Pistachio Cranberry Chocolate Chai Biscotti (the ideal dipping cookie served with your favourite hot beverage OR a warming cup of Masala Chai tea which will be served)
– Holiday Chai Spice Ladoos (Snowballs) – healthy, nutrient-packed and delicious! (see photo)
– Festive Garam Masala Gingerbread Squares
– Citrus Chai Spice Sugar Cookies
– Mango Curry Snow Crescents

Everyone will leave with a selection of each of the above cookies handily boxed for you to freeze or enjoy right away, a recipe booklet containing the evening’s offerings (including the hot beverages) and one tin of Arvinda’s Artisinal Spice Blends , either Arvinda’s Chai Masala or Garam Masala.

Details: Class fee per person is $60 (includes pre-class savoury snacks, beverages, recipe booklet, take home cookies, your gift of an Arvinda’s Artisanal Spice tin and a no-fuss holiday season!) To book your spot, go to: Nella Cucina for mor info or call: 416.922.9055.

We hope you can join us – we would love to share our holiday traditions with you!

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