A chef, completely made at home, Anubhav took to cooking at an early age. Coming from a journalism background, she quit everything just to pursue her ultimate passion called as Cooking. Her culinary creations please the palates of the most discerning of diners in and around the city. Being a food stylist and a private chef, she has been making waves in the food market with her venture- 'Made @ Home'.

Guiltybytes bring you a candid chat with this beautiful Personal Chef...


How would you explain made@home to newbie’s?

Chef: In today's time - our lives have become so busy that we hardly get time to make good food at home. This is specially the case with working couples and most of the time we eat either outside at a restaurant or order take away. One fine day - back in 2009, I along with my husband decided to start something where we can get gourmet food right from our kitchen in our own comfort zone and that is when made@home was born and thus the name. As the name suggests, made@home specializes in Personal Chef Service, live cooking sessions and menu consultations. Started with simply baking cakes for friends and family to a full grown home run business now - we have come a long way. The newest addition is working for corporates for various team bonding events and live cooking sessions for kids in schools to make them learn the subjects they are weak in a fun way. One thing which sets us aside is the personal intervention at every stage for all our clients.

How did you get such a delicious job?

Chef: Passion with experience as I call it - since my childhood, I was always interested in peeking at the kitchen or at my mother's luscious dishes. Initially, I did my masters in Journalism and always wanted to be a Journalist - also worked for Network 18 for few months but soon after my marriage, I realized that my real love is cooking and not something else. With lot of support and motivation from my husband/mother in law and family - I finally chose to make my passion as my profession and trust me it is the best feeling when your passion becomes your profession. From baking to cooking world cuisines - I have learnt something from all around.

Personal chef service- how do you see it picking up in the city?

Chef: As a concept it is great - it helps one get gourmet food right from his/her own kitchen but its most suited to NRI's or expats who don't have a typical mindset against most of us as Indians do. Just like everyone has a personal trainer, fashion stylist, personal makeup artist - personal chef service is where you can hire an educated and experienced chef to prepare that special meal for yourself or guests. It is a very exclusive service and comes at a premium.


Although the country is dramatically heterogeneous, do you think that most families tend to stick to their own regional specialties?

Chef: Yes, definitely. Regional specialties is something which would never fade away but a new trend is also fast catching up in the country which is FUSION. People want that same old Dal Tadka or Chicken Curry to name a few with a twist - while there are many who would stick to traditional flavors but the new generation is specially keen on mixing the flavors and if the taste comes right then no one minds eating a bit more :)


What inspires you into food styling?

Chef: There is so much to do with food and I have only learnt this once I started it full time cooking. Food styling is like an ART where the more creative you are - the better it is. I remember getting hired as a food stylist for a wedding last year - where my main job was to taste the food, make it to perfection and present it in an off beat way. Thus - a special area was created to showcase world street food - something which you don't see at regular weddings. For e.g. a complete train mock up was created to serve poori alloo which you generally see being served at railway stations, rickshaws etc were parked to create that ambiance of Chandni chowk and serve Vodka Golgappas alongside the bar . So food styling has a lot more to itself than we can imagine.

Cooking to you is………………………… meditation. It gives me a feeling of being complete with myself.

What is your favorite pairing for chocolate?

Chef: London Dairy's vanilla ice cream along with crushed oreo biscuits

Who do you most admire in the culinary world?

Chef: Nigella Lawson for her love for food- she makes you drool over food only through her books, and Vineet Bhatia for his fusion food

Do you have any guilty food secrets?

Chef: Anything sweet works for me ;)

Have you had any culinary disasters?

Chef: Yes, in the beginning but thankfully I was trying them for my own. Until and unless we dont have disasters in any work we do - we would not know the taste of success :)

What tips would you give to any aspiring chefs?

Chef: I am an aspiring chef myself however I always make it a point to be perfect in whatever I cook or prepare for my clients. Repeated attempts when you are free is very essential to get that perfection

What is your Signature dish?

Chef: From Indian/Mughlai - it is definitely Butter Chicken
From World Cuisine - it is Chelo Murg (a persian favourite)


And now Gulitybytes bring to you an exclusive recipe from the Chef's kitchen- A cheese cake which we all love to eat


Ingredients:

For the Biscuit Base
100gm Glucose Biscuits-put in a plastic bag and crushed with a rolling pin, 2tbsp butter melted,1tbsp milk

For the Cheesecake
200gm cream, 2tbsp cheese spread (Plain),400 gm yoghurt(1 tetra-pack)-hung for 30 minutes, 1/2 cup powdered sugar,4tbsp gelatin or 1 pack china grass crushed to a powder–soak for 30 minutes as given below, 1-2 drops of lemon juice.

Cooking Directions:
· Mix biscuits with butter. Add just a little milk to bind. Spread evenly in a 8” loose bottom cake tin and freeze for thirty minutes till set
· Take ½ cup water and add 4tbsp gelatin by sprinkling. If using china grass, soak it in 1 cup water. Keep aside
· Whip cream first till it becomes a little thick
· Melt soaked china grass or gelatin on low heat. Remove from fire. Wait for 1-2 minutes.
· Add 2-3 tbsp cream to the china grass or gelatin mixture, now slowly add this mixture to the remaining cream, stir as you keep adding to mix, beat well and keep aside.
· Beat cheese spread with sugar till smooth. Add yoghurt to this and mix gently. Do not mix too much as the yoghurt becomes thin on doing so
· Fold the cream gently with a spatula
· Add lemon juice and mix gently
· Put on biscuit base. Refrigerate overnight or keep in the freezer for only 30 minutes. Do not let it freeze.
· Prepare topping as given below and spread on the set cheese cake. Refrigerate till serving time
made@home’s BERRY TOPPING
Mix ½ cup raisins in 1 cup (200ml) grape juice and keep on fire. Boil and simmer on low heat for 5-7 minutes till ¾ juice remains. Add 4tbsp strawberry or mixed fruit jam. Dissolve 5tsp corn flour in ½ cup water and add to the boiling raisins. Stir on low heat till thick. Add some raspberry red color. Cool and use.


She is not throwing sparks; she is in fact standing in the fire--and loving to cook it all! So join her in her culinary movement as she brings the best of food entirely 'made@home'.