Ever heard of vegan chocolate? Well, Sumi Devanesen hadn’t. Until her local vet challenged her to make some, that is. “I played around with my ingredients all week,” Sumi recalls. Sometimes, she adds, “I was even up till 3 in the morning.” No milk, no cream, no eggs. Dear goodness...what the heck else is there?
“All I use is cocoa, sugar and vegetable oil,” the wellness massage therapist smiles. And surprisingly, she adds, “With a little experimentation on the consistencies and proportions, you’ll never guess it’s any different from ‘regular’ chocolate.” One has to imagine this is an exaggeration - but she is quick to pass over a vegan sampler. Smooth, dark and wait a minute...actually creamy! Minus the cream.
Incidentally Sumi had only started making chocolate a few months ago after taking up a class near her house, following a Facebook announcement. “But I’ve always had a sweet tooth and so does the entire family,” she gushes. But she quickly adds, “I’m not at all a fan of Indian sweets though, I just find them too...sweet!” Perhaps that is the reason most of her homemade cocoa-based goodies have a distinct touch of dark chocolate.
And she makes them with a number of fillings ranging from nougat to praline to a surprisingly spicy red chilli blast. With the orders picking up pace on her recently started Facebook page, ‘Sweet Desires’ Sumi reveals that her most satisfied customer yet is a little boy who has been lactose intolerant all his life. “His grandparents came up to me on Church after hearing about this vegan chocolate option,” she recalls. “And this 12-year-old had never tasted chocolate before so I was a little nervous.” But with no adverse reaction and his first ever chocolate experience, it turns out the school-goer couldn’t happier.
So does the part time chocolate-maker have any other experiments up her sleeve? “Oh I’ve got so many ideas I want to try to infuse in chocolate - rose petals, green tea brew and also pepper and dark chocolate.” Next time your kid’s got a cold and refusing you’re homely rasam tumbler — perhaps try a cocoa-pepper brew?
(The chocolates are priced at Rs 700 to Rs 1,000 per kilo, depending on the filling. For orders, contact Sumi at 9840334458.)