How did you decide to start catering ?
My journey with the five star hotel happened quite by accident. I was recommended by Chef Suresh who is the Chef de Cuisine at Spice Terrace, the Indian restaurant at JW Marriott Bengaluru. They were looking for somebody who could help make Indian breads.
Do you cater to other clients?
Between being a homemaker and doing household chores and my work with the hotel, my day is fully occupied.
What's special about the rotis you make?
The secret to making great rotis is to use good quality ingredients and perfectly knead dough. I specialise in preparing rotis that are unique to different regions of the country. While the makki ki roti is made from maize flour, the Rajasthan missi roti is made from gram flour. I specialise in the preparation of traditional Karnataka rotis. But I have often noticed that South Indians have a preference for ragi rotis while Punjabis like corn rotis and Gujaratis have a taste for jowar rotis. Above all, I have noticed that across taste sensibilities, people are universal in their love for fresh, wholesome produce.
How are traditional Karnataka rotis made? What is it best had with?
Authentic Karnataka rotis are prepared with rice and flour. It is traditionally best served with sambhar and coconut chutney. I’ve noticed that people from Karnataka also enjoy the sajje roti made from millet.
Which is your favourite roti?
I particularly enjoy the corn rotis and the Karnataka sajje roti. I also enjoy making phulkas. The secret to a good phulka is that the texture should be soft and fluffy with just the right consistency.
What else do you like to cook?
At home I cook everything under the sun according to the requests of my family. In terms of what I enjoy cooking, I prefer cooking vegetarian food.
favourite recipe
Jowar roti Ingredients:
Jowar atta/flour
Water
Method:
Take Jowar Atta/Flour and knead it with water till it gets soft and make a nice dough
Divide the dough into small balls (30 gm- 40 gm) and roll with roller
Put the rolled dough on a tava. When cooked one side, turn to the other side
Take out the roti from the tava and put directly on flame and take out when puffed