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| Clove Infused Water |
Recently, I started experimenting with clove-infused water.
I simply add three whole cloves to a glass of water and leave it overnight.
The next morning, I drink the infused water and discard the cloves.
I came across a few reels highlighting its potential health benefits, so I thought I'd give this traditional practice a try!
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| Appam for breakfast |
So, in our house we make appam, once a week! And, today we had appam and egg curry. So, what are the typical breakfast we make at home across the week:
Here's the basic list:
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| Sri Moolam Thirunal |
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| Sree Moolam Road ( Where I stay) |
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| Traditional Agraharams - Heritage houses built for Tamil Brahmin communities near Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple |
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| Cupcake Lessons at Trivandrum |
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| Searching for a Biz Idea ( An Income Stream) |
Start by exploring three things:
1. Identify your natural strengths. What do you enjoy doing that others find difficult, time-consuming or challenging?
2. Look for market demand. Who needs this skill, and would they be willing to pay for it?
3. Start small and experiment. Offer your service or product to a few customers, gather feedback and refine your idea.
Remember, a natural talent is only the starting point. The real opportunity lies where your strengths meet a genuine customer need.
What comes naturally to you could become someone else's solution. Could it become your next business?
Btw, here's another post I had written about looking at new opportunities with a fresh set of eyes. ( Click to read)
Marina
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| Healthy Food Concepts! |
Think about people who want less-oil food, those looking for gluten-free options, people managing diabetes, and families searching for healthier breakfast and snack alternatives.
Are there enough convenient, tasty options available to them in your neighbourhood?
What if you built a food venture around this opportunity?
Instead of starting another conventional bakery or snack shop, consider creating a brand that offers thoughtfully prepared, portion-conscious food using suitable ingredients and healthier cooking methods.
Here are some ideas from a typical South Indian kitchen that could become part of your menu.
25 South Indian food ideas to explore
1. Breakfast options
- Idli with sambar
- Ragi dosa
- Pesarattu (green gram dosa) I often have this for dinner or as an evening food.
- Adai (lentil and rice pancake)
- Vegetable oats or millet upma
- Appam with vegetable stew
2. Steamed snacks
- Kozhukattai with coconut filling
- Ela ada
- Puttu with suitable accompaniments
- Steamed kadala or green gram sundal
- Vegetable idli
3. Healthy snack alternatives
- Boiled chickpeas with coconut and curry leaves
- Roasted chana
- Roasted makhana with spices
- Homemade roasted banana or jackfruit chips, prepared with minimal oil
- Peanut and seed snack mixes, with portion-controlled servings
4. Lunch and light meals
- Kerala vegetable thoran with measured coconut and oil
- Vegetable-rich sambar
- Green gram curry
- Fish cooked in banana leaves
- Vegetable stew with appam or an appropriate alternative
- Brown rice or millet bowls with vegetables and protein
5. Special dietary options
- Ragi or millet pancakes
- Gluten-free dosa made with rice and lentils
- Unsweetened coconut-based snacks
- Steamed lentil cakes
- Low-added-sugar desserts made with carefully measured ingredients
Where is the business opportunity?
The opportunity isn't simply to sell healthy food. It is to make food that fits people's dietary needs convenient, tasty, affordable and easy to order.
You could explore:
- Healthy breakfast subscription boxes.
- Office snack packs with portion information.
- Low-oil Kerala meal delivery.
- Gluten-free menus with proper ingredient controls.
- Carefully formulated, carbohydrate-conscious snacks for people managing diabetes.
One important point: gluten-free, low-oil and diabetes-conscious are three different requirements. Millet and ragi are not automatically low-carbohydrate, and gluten-free food is not necessarily suitable for diabetes management. Clear ingredient information, sensible portions and appropriate food-safety practices matter.
A question worth exploring: Could a small, specialised kitchen in your neighbourhood build a loyal customer base by serving people whose dietary needs are often overlooked by conventional food businesses?
Marina
P.S What are the combination with puttu. Here're few earlier posts about puttu - Puttu and Ashirvad atta, Chemba Puttu Podi, Puttu and Kadala, Puttu and beef,
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| Cutlets by Menna's Delight |
Looking back, I realise that something I found quite natural became the starting point of a small business.
Here's an interesting thought.
What if you could turn something that comes naturally to you into a business?
Think about it. Is there something that others find difficult, time-consuming, or exhausting, but you seem to do effortlessly?
Perhaps it's cooking, designing, fixing things, organising events, solving problems, dressing up, giving massage, gardening, fixing broken things, writing, creating videos, taking pictures, doing Crochet work, taking pets for a walk, doing craft work, organizing, teaching, or coming up with creative ideas.
Now, here's the important part: Look at the things you can do it effortlessly or you can spend hours on it. Next ask this question to yourself.
This brings us to an interesting concept:
Founder – Product – Market Fit ( A concept from an Angel Investor)
Founder: What are you naturally good at? What do you enjoy doing?
Product: Can you turn that ability into a product or service people value?
Market: Are there enough people who need it and are willing to pay for it?
The sweet spot is where your strengths meet a real customer need.
Find the Market That Values Your Skills and Is Willing to Pay for Them
Of course, finding this fit takes experimentation. What comes easily to you isn't automatically a business opportunity—but when your ability solves a problem people care about, it's worth exploring.
Now, over to you!
What is that one thing you find surprisingly easy to do, while others struggle with it?
Could it be the seed of your next business?
Menna's Delight, Trivandrum
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| Road side restaurant - Fort Kochi |
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| Where the streets have no name! |
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| Seagull Restaurant |
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| Trivandrum chicken fry |
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As the sun sets, roadside eateries and small thattukadas across Trivandrum serve up this satisfying combination, often alongside onion slices and a squeeze of lime. It’s comfort food that brings people together over a simple, flavour-packed meal.
Trivandrum Chicken Fry & Kerala Parotta
There’s something special about a plate of spicy, crispy Trivandrum-style chicken fry paired with flaky, layered Kerala parotta. Add some onion slices and chicken gravy, and you have an evening meal that’s hard to resist!
Roadside thattukadas and small eateries across Trivandrum serve this popular combination, particularly in the evenings. There’s no reliable, up-to-date count of how many serve it, but local reports describe hundreds of roadside food stalls across the city, offering a variety of street foods.
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| ParleG and Coffee ( New Addiction) |
That perfect crunch dipped in a hot cup of coffee in the morning — a simple, nostalgic combo that turns an ordinary break into a little moment of happiness.
Wish the roadside tattukadda, gives a free one-or two ParleG bisucuit to trigger a rush of nostagia and memory.
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| Alfaham Chicken Kandhari |
At Paragon Restaurant, celebrated for its Malabar cuisine, it’s a tempting choice for those who enjoy bold flavours and a memorable dining experience.
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| Appam and Egg Roast |
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| Plantain |
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| Kerala Parotta Project |
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| Coconut Milk - First press |
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| Ingredients - Partial |
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| Mushroom Kurma |
Ingredients
Main ingredients
Whole spices
For the coconut paste
Step-by-step method
1. Prepare the mushrooms
Wipe or quickly rinse the mushrooms and dry them well. Cut small mushrooms into halves and larger ones into quarters. Don't slice them too thinly; you want them to retain some bite in the gravy.
2. Build the Kerala flavour base
Heat coconut oil in a pan. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ½ tsp fennel seeds. Let them sizzle for 20–30 seconds. Add curry leaves, green chilli, ginger and garlic. Stir briefly, then add the onion.
Cook for 5–7 minutes until the onion turns soft and lightly golden. Avoid burning the spices or garlic.
3. Cook the masala
Add the tomato and salt. Cook for 3–4 minutes until the tomato softens and becomes pulpy.
Meanwhile, grind the grated coconut, optional cashews, ¼ tsp fennel and water into a fairly smooth paste. This paste is what gives the kurma its body.
4. Add the mushrooms
Add the mushrooms and stir over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes. They will begin releasing moisture and shrinking. This is normal.
Add about ½ cup water, cover and cook for 4–5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
5. Finish the kurma
Lower the heat and stir in the coconut paste. Simmer gently for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if it is too thick.
Taste and adjust salt. Switch off when the gravy coats the mushrooms and has a creamy, pourable consistency. Avoid a prolonged, vigorous boil after adding the coconut paste.
How to make the flavour appeal to a Malayalee palate
- Coconut oil and curry leaves are important. They provide the familiar Kerala aroma.
- Fennel is the signature note. It gives the kurma a gentle sweetness and fragrance. Don't overdo it, or the curry may taste like fennel rather than mushroom.
- Use green chilli for fresh heat, not lots of red chilli powder.
- Keep the tomato modest. Too much tomato makes the gravy sour and pushes the taste towards a different style of curry.
- Don't skip the coconut paste. It gives the dish the rounded flavour and texture expected from a coconut-based kurma.
Best pairing: appam is my first choice, followed by chapati or Kerala porotta.
So, here's the first attempt at making mushroom gravy dish following the recipe given by ChatGPT.
Final Verdict!
I feel this is a recipe which is less complicated. All that has to be done is keep things prior, and go slow cooking. And, that's the secret sauce in getting this recipe right.
Around 4 minutes of time to saute mushroom pieces in the mix and another 4-5 minutes under low flame when the coconut milk is poured.
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| Popular Cakes to Learn in 2026 |
For a baking class inspired by café culture in Bengaluru and traditional bakery favourites in Kochi, I’d combine modern patisserie-style cakes with familiar celebration classics. Bengaluru café menus feature items such as tiramisu, Basque cheesecake, opera cake and tres leches, alongside chocolate and red velvet cakes.
The list below is a suggested class selection, not a definitive ranking of sales in either city.
A. Chic café-style cakes from Bengaluru
Modern flavours, layered textures and contemporary patisserie techniques.
1. Tiramisu Cake
Coffee-soaked sponge layered with mascarpone-style cream and a dusting of cocoa. A useful class for learning balanced coffee flavour and delicate cream layering.
2. Opera Cake
A refined French cake made with thin almond sponge layers, coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. Ideal for practising precision, even layers and clean finishing.
3. Basque Burnt Cheesecake
A crustless cheesecake with a deeply caramelised top and creamy centre. Students learn how baking temperature affects colour, texture and consistency.
4. Tres Leches Cake
A soft sponge soaked in a blend of three milks and finished with whipped cream. The key skill is achieving a moist cake without making it soggy.
5. Russian Honey Cake (Medovik)
Multiple thin honey-flavoured layers are stacked with a light cream filling. This cake teaches patience, consistent layer thickness and the importance of resting time.
6. Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cake
Chocolate sponge, hazelnut praline and crunchy layers create contrasting textures. Students explore how to combine smooth ganache with crisp inclusions.
7. Lemon Blueberry Cake
Light sponge paired with tangy lemon cream or curd and blueberry compote. It introduces the balance of sweetness, acidity, fruit fillings and cream.
8. Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake
Creamy cheesecake combines caramelised biscuit flavour with a buttery crumb base. It is a good lesson in building a biscuit crust and balancing rich sweetness.
9. Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Cake
Rich chocolate layers are paired with tart raspberry filling for a sophisticated flavour contrast. Students practise filling, layering and a smooth ganache finish.
These choices reflect contemporary Bengaluru patisserie menus, which feature French-style layered cakes, cheesecakes, coffee flavours and creative fruit-and-chocolate combinations.
B. Classic bakery favourites associated with Kochi and Kerala
Familiar celebration cakes, old-school flavours and nostalgic bakery favourites.
10. Kerala Rich Plum Cake
A dense, aromatic cake filled with dried fruits and warm spices. Students learn fruit preparation, spice balance and how to achieve a moist, rich crumb.
11. Old-Fashioned Royal Icing Cake
A traditional butter or plum cake decorated with firm icing flowers and borders. It introduces classic piping skills and nostalgic celebration-cake designs.
12. Black Forest Cake
Chocolate sponge, whipped cream and cherries create this enduring bakery favourite. Students practise slicing sponge, layering cream and decorating with chocolate shavings.
13. White Forest Cake
A light sponge is layered with cream, white chocolate and fruit or cherries. The focus is on smooth cream finishing and delicate white-chocolate decoration.
14. Pineapple Gateau
Soft sponge, pineapple filling and fresh cream give this cake its light, fruity character. Students learn syrup application, fruit layering and clean cream coating.
15. Butterscotch Praline Cake
Butterscotch cream and crunchy caramelised nuts bring sweetness and texture together. This cake is useful for practising caramel preparation and praline decoration.
16. Vancho Cake
A popular modern Kerala bakery-style combination of vanilla or white-chocolate and chocolate flavours. The class can focus on contrasting sponge layers, creamy fillings and a two-tone finish.
17. Chocolate Truffle Cake
Rich chocolate sponge is layered and coated with smooth chocolate ganache. Students learn ganache consistency, crumb coating and achieving a clean, glossy finish.
These traditional and contemporary choices are consistent with cake varieties listed by Kochi bakeries, including plum, royal-icing, Black Forest, White Forest, pineapple, butterscotch, Vancho and chocolate truffle cakes.
Suggested structure for your baking class
Rather than teaching all 17 in one session, you could use this list to build a series of classes:
- Modern café cakes: Tiramisu, Basque cheesecake, tres leches and Opera cake.
- Classic celebration cakes: Black Forest, White Forest, pineapple and butterscotch.
- Chocolate specialities: Chocolate truffle, hazelnut crunch and raspberry chocolate.
- Heritage and regional favourites: Kerala plum cake, royal icing cake and Vancho.
This gives students a blend of recognisable favourites and more specialised techniques—and gives you a menu of classes to promote throughout the year.
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| Fondant Decoration Lessons ( 1 Day Class) |
Turn a simple cake into a beautiful, themed creation!
Join our one-day, hands-on fondant decoration class and learn the techniques used to decorate cakes for birthdays, celebrations and special occasions.
What you will learn:
The class focuses on practical, hands-on learning, helping you build confidence in fondant techniques and create your own decorated cake.
Suitable for: Beginners, baking enthusiasts and aspiring cake decorators.
📩 Contact us for class dates, fees and registration details.
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| Roti At Home |
Learn to Cook North Indian Favourites in Trivandrum
Would you love to make soft rotis, flavourful dal and delicious North Indian curries in your own kitchen?
Join our hands-on North Indian cooking class in Trivandrum, where you can learn practical cooking techniques while preparing four to five popular dishes in a relaxed, three-hour session.
Roti-making is a regular feature of our classes. Alongside it, you can learn dishes such as butter chicken, paneer tikka, dal and other vegetarian or non-vegetarian favourites, depending on the menu.
The class is suitable for beginners, food lovers, travellers visiting Kerala and anyone who wants to recreate the flavours of North Indian cuisine at home.
Rather than simply watching a demonstration, you get involved in the cooking process, learn how ingredients and spices work together, and gain practical experience you can use again.
Learn the techniques. Prepare the dishes. Enjoy the meal you create.
Join us in Trivandrum for a hands-on introduction to North Indian cooking.
These menus draw on dishes commonly featured in Indian cooking courses and visitor-oriented cooking experiences, including breads, lentils, paneer, curries, rice and accompaniments.
1. North Indian Restaurant Favourites
- Roti
- Butter chicken
- Paneer tikka
- Dal makhani
- Jeera rice
Ideal for visitors who want to learn popular dishes they have enjoyed in Indian restaurants.
2. Vegetarian North Indian Cooking
- Roti
- Paneer butter masala
- Dal tadka
- Aloo gobi
- Mint chutney
A meat-free menu that introduces paneer, lentils, vegetables and a fresh accompaniment.
3. Tikka and Tandoori-Inspired Dishes
- Roti
- Paneer tikka
- Chicken tikka
- Mint-coriander chutney
- Dal fry
Focus on marinades, spice combinations and cooking techniques. Adapt the chicken dish to your available equipment.
4. Punjabi Comfort Food
- Roti
- Chole masala
- Rajma
- Aloo jeera
- Cucumber raita
A hearty vegetarian class introducing chickpeas, kidney beans and everyday Punjabi flavours.
5. Restaurant-Style Curries
- Roti
- Kadai chicken
- Shahi paneer
- Dal fry
- Cucumber raita
Explore the different bases, spices and finishing techniques used in rich North Indian curries.
6. Home-Style Chicken Cooking
- Roti
- Chicken keema matar
- Dal tadka
- Seasonal vegetable sabzi
- Cucumber raita
A practical menu for people who want to learn everyday meals rather than only restaurant-style dishes.
7. Everyday Indian Cooking for Beginners
- Roti
- Paneer bhurji
- Mixed vegetable curry
- Yellow dal
- Jeera rice
A beginner-friendly menu with versatile techniques that students can repeat at home with familiar ingredients.
Practical tip: Five dishes in three hours is a reasonable target, but choose recipes with overlapping preparation steps. For example, prepare a common set of spices and ingredients in advance, and use the waiting time while a dal simmers to practise rolling rotis.
3. What makes a hands-on cooking class valuable?
A hands-on class offers more than a list of recipes. Students learn by doing, with guidance at the moments that matter.
- Practice the technique: Knead the dough, roll the roti and learn how to cook it properly.
- Understand the ingredients: Discover how spices, aromatics and different cooking methods influence flavour.
- Build confidence: Learn to judge dough consistency, curry texture and seasoning rather than relying entirely on measurements.
- Ask questions: Get immediate feedback and troubleshoot mistakes while cooking.
- Take the experience home: Enjoy the food prepared during class and leave with recipes and practical skills to practise again.
For international visitors, a cooking class can also offer a personal introduction to Indian food culture. For local participants, it can build confidence in preparing restaurant favorite at home.
The real value of a hands-on cooking class is not just learning five dishes. It is learning the techniques that make it possible to cook many more dishes independently. Apart from one-on-one cooking lessons, I take online cooking class for those looking to learn Indian cooking.
You can visit my Facebook page to have a look at the gallery for the cooking lessons taken in Trivandrum.
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| My Cooking Class Facebook Page |
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| Mutton Soup |
