Position: Food Editor

Job Location: Mumbai

Experience: 3+ years experience of writing for mainstream (online and/or print) media.  Experience in food-related media would be an added advantage.

Qualifications: Graduate, with strong oral and written English language skills. Degree/Diploma from a reputed catering college would be an added advantage.

Responsibilities:

1. Demonstrate sound knowledge of the food industry, products, ingredients, and trends in all forms of communication on behalf of the firm.
2. Research and formally document consumption trends in the food industry on a regular basis
3. Generate original publishing content (articles, columns, blog posts, recipes, promotional literature, event notifications etc.) for the A Perfect Bite Consulting LLP and its clients.
4. Manage all aspects of the firm’s websites, newsletters, affiliated blogs, and Facebook pages.
5. Assist MD and Chief Editor to create and manage monthly editorial calendars for the firm and its clients.
6. Assist the Cook Studio team in creating, documenting, and reviewing cooking course curricula.
7. Collaborate with the Cook Studio team to create promotional material for events across multiple channels.

Interested candidates may email a copy of their resumes to info@apbcookstudio.com.

About A Perfect Bite Consulting LLP

A Perfect Bite Consulting LLP, a premier food-consulting firm, was started by Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal, to share her love for food with the larger community of home cooks. From modest beginnings, the firm has grown into a consulting service that helps food importers, suppliers and retailers connect with their customers over well-planned, and meticulously executed on-ground, media and online activities.

The firm is also behind India’s first-of-its-kind kitchen studio, the APB Cook Studio, in Mumbai. The studio regularly offers cooking events and workshops for its patrons around exciting new ingredients, products, cuisines, and cooking techniques. At the studio, they cook with latest kitchen appliances, quality cooking equipment, expert knowledge and guidance, and trained kitchen staff.

We use sweet sticky California Prunes as a base for several chutneys, salad dressings and dips. Prunes being naturally sweet allow us to make these condiments without sugar. Now that summer is here and we all crave hydrating juices, coolers and smoothies, we’ve begun using prunes in a whole new way; to make a healthy summer drink. One glass of this high fibre drink is not only refreshing, but also cleansing and incredibly good for your tummy. It’s super easy to make! Here’s the recipe:

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
3 California Prunes
1 cup chilled water or crushed ice
¼ cup warm water
Few mint leaves
1 goblet rimmed with kala namak and white pepper

Method:
Pour ¼ cup of warm water over 3 California prunes and leave them to soak for about an hour. (You can also do this process the night before or soak a larger batch and keep them in the fridge to be used whenever needed) After soaking the prunes will swell up and become soft. Blend these in a food processor along with some chilled water or crushed ice. Add some chopped mint leaves for added freshness and serve!

With the launch of APB Cook Studio, a cookbook in the pipeline and her various other endeavours in the food industry Rushina has always stayed at the forefront of this growth. Food writing opened several doors for her, and she in turn contributes to the industry by helping young writers find their voice. To do this, she designed food writing workshops, which familiarize participants with the genre, introduce them to food writing and hopefully inspire them to write about food. In the past she has conducted food writing workshops at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. This workshop was attended by people from all walks of life, some who were completely unfamiliar with food, some who were passionate home cooks, some students hungry for knowledge and some seasoned writers. It was a huge success, and by the end most participants were writing deliciously descriptive prose.

Last week Rushina conducted yet another Food Writing workshop: an extensive 2 day exploration of food writing, in association with Avid Learning, Time Out Mumbai and Literature Live. This workshop was particularly special to Rushina and all of us at APB Cook Studio, because this was the first one of its kind we were able to host in our very own space. The atmosphere at APB Cook Studio is inspiring; with the finest ingredients, best possible equipment and trained chefs and culinary trainers. We were thrilled to be able to share this space with enthusiastic aspiring writers.

Participants were able to taste dishes, explore new flavours and ingredients, and even create and test their own recipes. They were served delicious meals and surrounded by gourmet food, which is just what you need when writing about food.  They learnt to identify and describe flavours, they learnt how to instill emotion and feeling into these descriptions, something Rushina does with expert ease. They wrote recipe features and reviewed recipe books, restaurants and products. All their work was shared and reviewed! The two day workshop ended with a small competition; the winning article will be featured in Time Out Mumbai – which is a great way for any food writer to start their career! We wish them the best, and hope we’ve infected them with our love for food and words!

We already had state-of-the-art ovens from Siemens, stand mixers from Kenwood and a kitchen that’s the perfect setting to explore the art of baking and patisserie. Ever since I began the APB Cook Studio I have been playing with the idea of a serious baking short course. And as luck would have it, I met baking expert Chef Kunal Arolkar of Foodybreaks and things began falling into place. I had already discovered fabulous sugars from Mawana Select, non-dairy whip topping from RICH’S and lust worthy baking accessories from Debenhams. Much furious mailing back and forth, baking, testing (and tasting) for weeks later, we are all set to launch our first ever Baking Festival with a short-term French Baking and Patisserie course! Our Baking Love festival will take place from May to July so look out for lots of exciting things to come whatever your baking interests.  AND here’s something even more delicious, the Baking Love Festival will conclude with a bake-off called ‘Paris on my Plate’ for participants from all the rounds of the Baking and French Patisserie short term course. Not only will they get a chance to show off their newly acquired skills but the winner will take home a prize of lust-worthy baking equipment worth Rs. 20,000!

Announcing

Short-term Baking and French Patisserie course

In this comprehensive hands-on course, 10 participants will learn over 15 techniques and replicate over 40 popular recipes over 8 hands-on sessions. Choose from weekend or weekday courses.

Course Dates
Weekend Course (Classes on Sat and Sun) – 18th May to 9th June
Weekday Course (Classes on Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri) – 11th June to 21st June

Course Overview
8 extensive hands-on sessions
Convenient timings from 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Over 40 recipes
Over 15 techniques
Participants take home what they bake

Cost: Rs.12,000* + taxes
*Inclusive of lunch

Weekend Course Details (Round 1)
18th May (Session1) Shortcrust & Cheesecakes
19th May (Session2) Tea Time Bakes
25th May (Session3) Bread Basics
26th May (Session4) Sinful Confections
1st June (Session5) Cakes &Gateaux
2nd June (Session6) Chocolate Basics
8th June (Session7) Laminated Pastry
9th June (Session8) French Desserts

Weekday Course Details (Round 2)
11th June (Session1) Shortcrust & Cheesecakes
12th June (Session2) Tea Time Bakes
13th June (Session3) Bread Basics
14th June (Session4) Sinful Confections
18th June (Session5) Cakes &Gateaux
19th June (Session6) Chocolate Basics
20th June (Session7) Laminated Pastry
21st June (Session8) French Desserts

  Weekend Course Details (Round 3)
6th July (Session1) Shortcrust & Cheesecakes
7th July (Session2) Tea Time Bakes
13th July (Session3) Bread Basics
14th July (Session4) Sinful Confections
20th June (Session5) Cakes &Gateaux
21st June (Session6) Chocolate Basics
27th June (Session7) Laminated Pastry
28th June (Session8) French Desserts

Some of the dishes you will learn to make: Chocolate Mousse, Cheese-cake, Madeleine & Meringue, French baguette, Multigrain Bread, Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Oat & Raisin cookies, Roulade, Chocolate Basics & Tempering Method, Centre filled  and hand rolled Pralines, Laminated Pastry, Puff (Khari),  Croissants Danish, Chocolate Lava Cake and lots more. Write in to us at bookings@apbcookstudio.com for detailed curriculum to be emailed to you.

I recently read Sanjeev Kapoor’s latest cook book; quite aptly called ‘Aah! Chocolate’ for its breathtaking photographs and indulgent recipes. It made me revisit my love for this beautiful ingredient and the plethora of dishes it can be used to create.

When we hear the word ‘chocolate’ today, we make a quick association with rich chocolate brownies, caramel filled truffles, creamy chocolate ice-creams and other sweet treats. We forget that all these indulgent end products begin a yellow green pod hanging off the branches of a tree,
in the forests of the Amazon. The Mayans are credited with the discovery of this pod and the seeds that lie within it. They passed it, through trade, to the Aztecs, which is how it got to Central America. When Spanish explorers landed the shores of America, they struck a bounty of natural resources, and took back several treasures to Europe, including the cacao bean. It was the Spaniards that thought of sweetening it with sugar and removing its bitterness by adding milk and vanilla extracts to it. Thus began the evolution of chocolate.

Today the process of chocolate making begins with roasting and fermenting cocoa beans to make a liquor which is the purest form of chocolate. To this liquor, manufacturers add cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla, milk (in the case of milk chocolate) and, of course, their own selection of ingredients that distinguish each brand. The different ratios of these ingredients determine the type of the chocolate – bitter, bittersweet, semi-sweet, cooking, etc. The only exception to the basic formula is white chocolate, which has no cocoa liquor, just cocoa butter, as its base.

I for one have always loved chocolate, particularly the gourmet handcrafted kind. To me this glorious ingredient is given its due only in hand-made creations. Since I cannot be indulging all the time, I avoid the commercially made big brands & super-market bars of chocolate, opting instead for the delicately hand-made stuff. Commercially made chocolate, especially that made in India often does not contain cocoa butter, but instead uses other kinds of fat, which result in an inferior quality end product. Perfectly made chocolate must melt in the mouth in a few seconds and leave no residue on the palette. So where will you find this perfect piece of chocolate?

Well, you can make some yourself, and we’re about to show you how! Come join us for a special Chocolate Desserts Masterclass, where we’ll teach you how to work with this incredible ingredient and transform it into gourmet desserts.

And do try out Sanjeev’s new book on chocolate, there are some really interesting new ideas to experiment with such as the Chocolate Paan and a whole range of chocolate infused mithai ideas.

Men at work at APB Cook Studio

Let’s begin by discussing what being able to cook can do for you on an individual level. While cooking one becomes acquainted with the several ingredients and techniques that go into making a dish. Eating vada pao to kill untimely hunger pangs would seem like a convenient thing to do. If you try making that same vada pao you’d realise that it is extremely high on starch and carbs, gives you very little protein, the white bread is low in fibre and the batter absorbs a whole lot of unnecessary oil. Not entering the kitchen means you remain oblivious to what goes into all the food you eat! Once this awareness builds you will find yourself leaning towards healthier, holistic foods and staying away from junk. You just might stop reaching for those take out menus every time you are hungry. Especially if you live by yourself being able to cook will ensure you eat better and spend less on eating out.

Rushina teaching at Le15 Patisserie

That was the thought behind the first series of men’s cooking classes Rushina conducted at Le15 Patisserie last year, with the support of Pooja Dhingra. They were extremely successful, attended by men from all walks of life who learnt a lot and gave us very positive feedback. And now we are very excited to share that our men’s cooking classes are back! And the experience will be even better! Because in their new avatar at APB Cook Studio all the men attending will actually cook along with the instructor at their own stations. The learning experience will be extensive and hands-on andempower the guys that attend to learn cooking for the long term.

AND we’re conducting our very first men’s cooking class on the 7th of April!

Rushina has built the curriculum around a selection of dishes she calls template recipes. Each of these is constructed around easily available simple core ingredients; Potatoes, sausages, chicken, pasta and teaches a selection of simple and delicious dishes that can be mixed and matched into balanced meals for everyday cooking or snazzy fancy dinners to impress friends, family or the woman in their lives!

Jai Ranjit having a blast at APB Cook Studio

This is what Jai Ranjit, one of the first men to attend our classes had to say about his experience cooking at our studio; “APB is a brilliant idea, and works perfectly in the real world. I had a wonderful time cooking at the APB studio, learning new techniques and re-learning old ones. Our teachers were always mindful of skill-levels and more so about allergies. They ensured we worked safely and efficiently, with the right amount of individual and group focus. I cannot wait to get back into the APB kitchen for another round of food learning, the mental exercise always helps to work up a good appetite!”

What’s more? Women absolutely love a man who can cook! Cook some simple potato wedges, garnished with herbs and served with a yogurt dip – which by the way is super easy and takes all of 20 minutes to do – and it will be appreciated much more than any fancy dish at a restaurant. Your mother, wife, girlfriend and even your daughter will definitely notice and appreciate the effort you’ve made.

So, if you’re one of those fellows who’s intimidated by cooking and keeps a safe distance from the kitchen we’re here to help! Come join our class!

This year my daughter had her first ever birthday party at the age of 5. We decided to do it at the studio since our kids had loved the idea of a mini chef birthday we had organised for another child. So excited plans were underway! And then my daughter announced that she wanted me to bake her birthday cake.

…. GULP!

We mothers cannot say no to our children, can we? We would do anything to bring smiles to their faces! So I decided to bake my daughter’s birthday cake. Taking it as a challenge, I planned and prepped, picking  a recipe, carefully measuring out ingredients, and donned my apron with much enthusiasm! I really wanted to bake that cake! And it didn’t seem as daunting a task as it usually did.

But I hadn’t baked in ages and was so out of touch. I got stuck with so many things, I would never have gotten that cake done in time if it hadn’t been for Harsha’s help. What I ended up with was far from perfect, a little crooked, unevenly iced. But its perfection came from the love that went into it. And my reward was  how excited my daughter was about her cake. No more ordering or buying from a store; these smiles that surrounded me were reason enough. I also realised that I needed the guidance from Harsha, I could not have done it without her. Many of the moms whose kids came for Natasha’s birthday expressed that they would love to bake cakes for their kids but don’t know how.

Baking a cake for my daughter brought back memories of my own childhood. My mother, who had no less than 4 children, religiously baked a cake for every one of us our birthdays. I remember almost every one of her whimsical handcrafted confections, and with each comes attached a memory of love, laughter, family and friends. As we gathered around the table to cut Natasha’s cake, I made a little pledge that this would be a tradition; birthday cakes would be baked by me here on in. Now that is the kind of birthday gift I would want to give my children every year, wouldn’t you?

I also asked Amal, our resident confectioner to create a class to teach Moms how to bake birthday cakes for their kids. I’m going, why don’t you join me? Have a look at the details here.

Happy Smiley Faces

There are so many refreshing recipes associated with Holi; here is my take on a classic Thandai – made extra decadent and festive with roses or lavender and spiced with flavored vodka! Enjoy!

Lavender/Rose Pepper Vodka Thandai

Ingredients:

375ml   Vodka
250gms Condensed Milk
1.5ltr Milk
125gms Almond Flakes
1 tsp White peppercorns
1 tsp Lavender
2 pods green cardamoms
3 tsp poppy seeds

Method

Soak the poppy seeds in water the night before. The next morning grind almond, poppy, lavender cardamom and peppercorns to a fine powder. Heat milk and add the condensed milk and the powdered spices. Simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and then chill in refrigerator. Add vodka, stir and serve!

Alternatively you could steep all the crushed spices in the vodka for 3-4 days. Heat the milk, combine with condensed milk together and chill. When ready stir in flavoured Vodka and serve.

David Rocco, a Canadian-Italian TV host, best known for his travel and food shows has been touring India shooting a series provisionally called ‘David Rocco’s Dolce India’. While on the Mumbai leg of his journey, he asked Rushina to show him around Versova Koli Village, in Andheri West, Mumbai for an episode to air in his series.

Walking through the gullis of Versova Village (Photos Courtesy Rockhead Productions)

Mumbai is made up of 7 islands and the Kolis were the first inhabitants that lived on the coastlines of these islands. These fisher folk, known for their spirited fun-loving way of life, live in small settlements spread across Mumbai’s coastline. The Versova village is one such koliwada, with its
own unique food culture. Till this date the primary source of income for the people of Versova remains fishing and their life revolves around the sea. The area is dotted with small fish markets; as a rule the best fish is available right at the source, on the beach where the boats come in, bringing with them a bounty.

Enjoying a meal at Daiva restaurant (Photos Courtesy Rockhead Productions)

So Rushina led David and his crew through the little gullis of the koliwada, sharing little bits of information only a local would know; like the significance of flowers in the Kolis, the intricacies of Paan or betel leaf, pointing out little motifs of the sea and how ingrained they are into life of the Kolis, types of seafood, which fish is most popular, how its cooked, which spices are used, what’s the best time to buy fish and much more. Their excursion ended at a small street side stall serving freshly cooked sea food meals. David was fascinated with Bombay Duck which he was intrigued to know was actually a fish indigenous to Mumbai seas. It is most commonly served up as bombil fry, an absolute favourite among the Kolis in which the fish is seasoned with salt and spices, dredged in semolina and fried. Bombil is also sun dried to dehydrate before cooking, for a concentrated fish flavour enhanced with local spices.

Stuffed Pomfret made by Rushina and David

This quirky little corner of the city is so full of character; a perfect example of the diversity one can find in Mumbai. At APB we use every chance we get to celebrate this diversity of culture and cuisine, and do our bit to maintain it. This was just another small chance!

On Saturday 9th of March, 50 women from different walks of life, all of whom I knew either personally, socially or professionally made their way, all dressed up, to APB Cook Studio. We began the evening with introductions and gossip. Needless to say, the studio was the noisiest it’s ever been! I’m not complaining though, that was the whole point, to bring this spirited bunch of women together to have some fun!

Ankshata Hanovar of Runah Salon

First on our agenda was Tame your Mane, a talk by Akshata Hanovar of Runah Salon. We were all ears as she shared some grooming secrets and bust some popular myths about hair care. Her advice against oiling hair was met with cheer by some, and disbelief by others. Akshata patiently answered everyone’s questions about hair fall, clinical treatments, hair care products and much more. If we all take her advice, next year’s #APerfectParTEA will look like L’oreal commercial.

I’m a romantic when it comes to literature, and am always in search of a book to befriend. So I was thrilled to be able to include a book reading in this year’s list of activities. Writer Tanushree Podder transported us to the Mughal era with her latest novel ‘Escape from Harem’. She read out a few passages from the book and painted for us pictures of Jehangir’s empire and fall from greatness, from the eyes of his silent admirer Zeenat. It took Tanushree over 5 years of extensive research and travel to write this her 3rd novel. ‘Escape from Harem’ published by Roli Books was available for sale on the shelves of the Lust Pantry, and Tanushree graciously signed copies for some of her new fans.

Tanushree Podder, Author of ‘Escape from Harem’

We then moved on to the cooking demonstrations, first of which was conducted by Harsha, our Studio Manager. Harsha was joined by nutritionist Geetu Amarnani, who shared with us the nutritional benefits of adding California sun dried prunes to one’s diet. Did you know
that just 4 prunes a day can make a world of difference to your health? We were amazed at the information too! Harsha then took over to teach 2 recipes using California Prunes; a Prune Tea Cake and a Coriander & Prune Dressing!

This was followed by an introduction to Fratelli Wines by Karina Aggarwal, a.k.a. @giggle_water. The generous folk from Fratelli had sent us some of their finest, their Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese (which was my favourite) and their rosé which was the unilateral favourite that evening. The Shiraz Rosé emerged a complete crowd pleaser, the ladies absolutely loved it. We didn’t stop at just drinking the wine, I had to cook with it. I cooked two signature dishes, Portobello Mushrooms stuffed with Lofabu cheese from Samskara in a Red Wine reduction and Braised Chicken in Kumquats and White wine sauce.

Rushina cooking with Fratelli Wine and cheese from Samskara

Samskara Wellness, a young brand that locally produces vegetarian, organic cheese that also gave us a selection of vegetarian cheeses for our cheese board. After watching so much food being cooked, it was only fair that the eating begin! Our buffet was declared open! We had a whole range of treats like Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls, Herb Crostinis topped with our cranberry Chutney and Samskara’s Feta, Open Sandwiches and much more which we made in-house. We also served mini cupcakes and tarts from Piccoli Tortini and mini cookies from Icing on Top. Of course we had to have tea, and lucky for us some signature teas from Tea Trunk made their way to our studio to be sweetened with sugar from Mawana’s delightful little personalized sugar sachets!

After everyone had feasted to their heart’s content we packed them off with a stuffed goodie bag to remind them of all the fun we had at our Spring Fling. I’m almost sad it’s over – lucky for me there’s always the next year’s #APerfectParTEA to plan!

Thank you all for your support! Our Spring Fling would be not have been possible without you:

Runah Salon

Roli Books

Giggle Water 441

SCS California Prunes

Fratelli Wines

Samskara Wellness

Mawana Sugars

i2cook

Piccoli Tortini

Icing on Top