KFE - New Address, First Look

M/s Kamath Caterers have been in hospitality industry since last 5 decades and are famous not only in Mangaluru but internationally. Their culinary expertise and consistency in quality quantity and capacity has been unparalleled by any caterer in Mangaluru.

Now they have ventured into a new enterprise called KFE(Not to be confused with KFC). Expansion of KFE is Kamath's Food Express.
KFE opened its new outlet today at New Chitra Junction this morning and started serving hungry Mangalureans who seek homely tasty affordable traditional South Indian a, North Indian and Chinese items.

First look says, it is well planned, clean and neat setup in an old house that was once residential home of a respectable GSB family. There was a shop on ground floor which they have converted into KFE billing and parcel counters. Inside they have the pantry kitchen where they pack food cooked at their factory in bulk and also prepare select a-la-carte items fresh and hot. They have enough chefs, helpers and family members who attend to the crowd that had started swarming well before 11:00am to fetch their parcel or to take items on the spot. 
"Some inconvenience may have caused especially to those who have booked parcel in advance over whatsapp, because we had the 'Gana Homa Ritual' this morning and after clearing everything we had to start packing food. Besides , lot of people swarmed suddenly to place spot order and that has also caused some hinderance to quick disposal of pre-booked parcel.

Though we have the capacity to prepare and provide food in bulk, for customers' convenience we are making small portions sufficient for two persons with moderate appetite, so that people don't waste food. We use food grade containers and silver pouches for hygiene. That consumes more time and resource but at the end of the day, a satisfied customer makes our efforts worthwhile, that has been the hallmark of Kamath Caterers since last five decades under the guidance of our founder Late Sri Ramanath Kamath", says Vinayak Kamath, brain behind the new venture.
  
"We had overwhelming response today and had to prepare some curries thrice to meet the demand. We have a large customer base and we did not want to disappoint anyone. So we tried our best to attend to all those who came for food parcel today. Our quality is assured, we plan to provide traditional GSB and South Indian style lunch time preparations and also other specialties without compromise on quality or quantity. I personally supervise preparation to packing." Sudhakar Kamath, Managing Partner of M's Kamath Caterers says with an ever friendly and humble smile in spite of looking tired running around, supervising, paying personal attention to known customers.

Their menu has select curries, side dishes,  chappati and one rice special dish, plus some snack delicacies, desserts and North Indian and Chinese special starters and main course dishes apart from some a-la-carte dishes. They also have counter sale of pickles, condiments and packed sweets and namkeens.

Further Update(August 16, 2020) :

Pricing for the quantity looks very reasonable. Packing is neat. I got some items home for our dinner and found them tasty, though some items need tweaking to suit daily consumer's palates by cutting down on oil, food colour and thickening agents. Being leading caterers since 5 decades, they need to understand the pulse of daily consumers and prepare items as we prepare them at home.

Oil used is good and I could smell pure coconut oil used for frying fritters. Pathrade podi, Valval and Paattholi were disappointing. Capsicum Rice Bhaat was tasty but oily and loaded with colour. Rice Bhaat quantity and flavour is very good and the container used for packing is sturdy and reusable as you can see in the picture.

Best items were Chana Suran Ghashi and Mango Pineapple Curry. Ace items were Holige, Jeevgujje Podi and Kashi Halwa, which are signature item of M/s Kamath Caterers. Holige is the best I have ever tasted in my life with perfect balance of sweetness, taste, flavour and texture. They can reduce added sugar in Kashi Halwa by 20% as per my view. They have ready made Podi Gooli(Fritters masala marinade) on sale, which one can try to get that authentic taste and flavour at home. 

Overall impression is good and I am sure, they will gradually change the style to suit daily consumers and senior citizens who need to watch their diet, than making every item 'special' as they serve for functions. 

Holige

Capsicum Rice

Paattholi, Pathrade Podi, Jeevgujje Podi, Capsicum Rice with Raita

Capsicum Rice with Raita, Mango Pineapple Curry, Chana Suran Ghashi, Valval, Kashi Halwa

For a start they have parcel service from 11:00am to 2:30pm, and no home delivery. They have started Seasonal Specialty Sunday from August 16th. They have plans to start evening counter, in house dining and home delivery too. Let us wait and watch.
Kudpiraj's Garam Tawa wishes every success to Sudhakar Kamath, Vinayak Kamath and Team KFE.
Their contact details:
Whatsapp: 7022637777
Call: 7022867777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KamathsFoodExpress/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kfe_kamathsfoodexpress/?hl=en
Disclaimer: This is not a business promotion but just a friendly gesture for wishing my freinds Sudhakar Kamath and Vinayak Kamath success in their new venture.

Raagi Besan Laddu

"Onam Greetings to all those who celebrate the Festival"

Yesterday, I was planning to make some sweet for Onam. Meena had made Madgane/Chana Daal Payasam just 4 days ago, and I didn't want to make payasam again. As I was checking the ingredients for Besan Burfi or similar sweet in the fridge, I found a pack of raagi flour lying idle since months. Immediately I thought of Besan Laddu with added Raagi Flour.

Raagi or finger millet is a healthy cereal which is used much in Indian cuisine. It is also adapted in baking and making sweets. I am inspired by the Churmundo(Wheat Flour Laddus) that my mother used to make. She used to add little besan or chickpea flour while preparing the ingredients for that extra taste, flavour and stickiness. It is a fusion of Churmundo and Besan Laddu to be precise.

Having helped my mother in making churmundos during my younger days and also having seen how she made them those days, I have made these Raagi Besan Laddus, which are loaded with taste and flavour. One difference is, my mother didn't add raisins and nuts to churmundo, but I added, so that they taste more delicious. Though they look dark, the goodness of raagi will certainly make you turn a blind eye for the appearance and ecstatically indulge in relishing these pick me ups! I guarantee you, once you start tasting them, you will not stop at one! Kids may also keep sneaking into the pantry and ransack the jars to fish them!

Ingredients:
Raagi(Finger Millet) Flour - 1 cup
Besan(Chickpea Flour) - 1 Cup
Ghee - 2 Tbsp(30 Ml) + for greasing the hand
Cashewnut Bits - 30 Gm(Small 1/8 or 1/16 size)
Castor Sugar - 3/4 Cup(increase according to taste)
Green Cardamom - 4 Pods
Raisins - 30 Gm

Method:
Peel and crush cardamom seeds in a mortar with pestle.
Keep a wide shallow basin or platter ready for mixing the laddu ingredients.
Heat a thick bottom nonstick pan/skillet and dry roast the raagi flour on medium low flame until a nice aroma emanates.
Keep mixing with a strong wooden spatula, and take care not to char the flour.
This may take 5-8 minutes.
Remove and keep aside on a platter to cool down.
Add ghee to the skillet and fry the cashewnut bits until golden.
Drain and transfer on to the same platter containing roasted raagi flour.
In the same ghee, roast the besan until raw smell disappears and besan turns golden red, assuming a smooth pasty texture.
Transfer to the same platter.
Add castor sugar, raisins and crushed cardamom seeds, when the mixture is still hot, mix all the ingredients well with your hand.
Apply little ghee on your hand.
Take two teaspoonfuls of the mixture and shape it with your first three fingers by pressing and rolling into small lemon size laddus(balls).
Make 20-25 such laddus and allow to cool down completely.
Store in an airtight jar.
This recipe yields about 500Gms laddus.

Jackfruit Muffin - Ponsa Mulik Cake

Like the popular phrase goes "When life gives you lemons make lemonade", I say, "When life gives you jackfruit make mulik". 

Not just mulik, but a healthier version of it, mulik cake or jackfruit muffin!

Yes. Like many other innovations based on traditional dishes/ingredients such as Dumrote Cake, Kashi Halwa Cake, Neyappa Cake, Cucumber Cake and Raw Papaya Cake with semolina, I have also come out with this wonderful baked dish. 

I am fond of jackfruit and its preparations, especially mulik or fried fritters/dumplings. Brahmins have perfected the art of making mulik or as they call it, Mulka. I thought, why not make something more healthy and better looking based on the mulik recipe. So, I formulated this recipe based on my Dumrote Cake recipe and each attempt in making this was a thumping success. Then I thought, why not make muffins that look even better, stay more firm and also can be kept unspoilt more more time at room temperature. Thus born Jackfruit Muffins in my kitchen.

Every ingredient that goes into this healthy tasty cake is natural, except the baking soda and baking powder. I have tried making this at least 10 times before presenting this ultimate version. In earlier versions I have tried making it with regular jaggery, palm jaggery and sometimes with added caramel. This time I used organic honey jaggery(Jenu Bella) from my relative Dr Arun Isloor's farm Sahyadri Greens and achieved the best results. You can add normal jaggery, demerara sugar or even white sugar, but if you add white sugar, you need to add some caramel/orange yellow food colouring for that golden hue. A good Jackfruit Muffin has crisp upper crust, well browned side and bottom and not spongy but soft firm inner. 

These will be liked by modern day kids for sure, as kids love muffins. Seniors maybe remain speechless, and they may just nod their heads in approval!

Ingredients:
Bombay Rava(Semolina) - 2 Cups
Salt - 1/2 Tsp
Baking Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 Tsp
Cardamom Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Ghee - 30 Ml
Plain Yogurt - 1/2 Cup
Oil - 2 Tbsp(I used coconut oil)
Powdered Jaggery/Demerara Sugar - 250 Gms
Jack Fruit - 1 Cup coarsely ground/mashed
Tender Coconut Malai - 1/2 cup minced
Honey(Optional) - 1 Tbsp
Raisins(Optional) - 25 Gms chopped/coarsely ground
Cashewnut Bits - 25 Gms preferably roasted with little ghee
White Sesame Seeds - 2 Tsp

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 C.
Grease 12 muffin moulds or line with muffin paper and keep ready.
Mix semolina with salt, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder, ghee and cashewnut bits.
In a mixing bowl, take yogurt and powdered jaggery/demerara sugar.
Beat well until jaggery/sugar melts.
If you have jaggery syrup, skip this step and directly mix all the wet ingredients.
Add mashed jack fruit, optional honey, oil, optional raisins, mix well.
Now gently fold in semolina ghee mixture, 1/3 portion at a time.
Fill the cake batter into muffin moulds to the brim.
Sprinkle sesame seeds generously over the top.
Bake at 200 C for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170 C, continue to bake for another 20-25 mins, or until a bamboo skewer or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool on the rack at least for 1 hour.
Loosen the  muffins and remove from the moulds.
Once completely cool, store them in a cake box.
These muffins remain good at room temperature for 3 days.
After 3 days transfer into a fridge.

Dum Ka Rote (Ash Gourd Semolina Cake)

I had presented the wonderful sweet dish famous in Bengaluru called 'Dumrote Halwa' couple of years ago. Dumrote is based on Dum Ka Rote, a kind of semolina cake mostly baked by the Muslims of Hyderabad but we also find it in Tamil Nadu. I think these delicious cakes made by Muslims is basically from Persian origin and the Sindhis of Karachi have brought it to Hyderabad.

Dumrote Halwa is cooked traditionally on dum, that is slow heat in a closed vessel. I have seen original Dumrote at Balepet Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan and also at Venkateshwara Sweet Meat Stall having golden brown crust on them. Last time when I made the halwa, I made it in a kadai just like we make Sheera or Kashi Halwa. I had a vague idea then to bake dumrote in the oven like a cake. Dum Ka Rote is almost like a cake with a crusty outer and soft inner as per few recipes I glanced. It is made with semolina, milk, ghee and sugar adding flavours and dry fruits. I thought of making it with added ash gourd.

Just when I was thinking about that, my friend Dr. Sai Giridhar Kamath, a leading ophthalmologist in Mangaluru sent me message, asking if I want ash gourd grown in his garden. He said, today is Manjeshwar Shashti, a festival during which majority of GSBs cook ash gourd at home. Though I don't follow that festival, now is holiday season, and baking a cake with ash gourd should be a fine example for all. So, I didn't hesitate to say yes! 

He brought an ash gourd weighing just above 2 Kilos, which is suitable for my recipe. Then I had to think about how to bake it. Halwa is normally a very moist and sticky sweet dish whereas cake should have a moist but fluffy and grainy texture. Using the right amount of solids and liquids, adding right amount of leavening and shortening agents make a cake perfect. Apart from that, one needs guts to experiment with a cake that has expensive ingredients going in. I had that courage and self confidence. So I formulated the recipe according to the following scientific explanations.

1. I increased the amount of semolina and also used chiroti rava, which is superfine Bombay rava.
2. I didn't roast the semolina but just coated it with ghee, so that each grain swells up slowly as liquids heat up and get absorbed by the grains.
3. I chopped the raisins so that they mix well in the batter. I roasted the cashew nuts in ghee so that they remain firm.
4. Adding one cup of milk and avoiding adding water ensures homogeneous mixing of khova with the wet ingredients.
5. I covered the baking tin with aluminum foil for half the time, so that the upper crust of the cake remains golden and does not get burnt. This is a vital step in baking any crusty dishes.
6. I added calculated amount of salt, baking powder and baking soda to make the cake taste better and become fluffy.

So once I decided to make the cake, I didn't waste any time. Ash gourd was fresh, all other ingredients were in stock and most of all, the electricity department MESCOM was kind to me by not shutting down power! The end result can be seen in the pictures, but those who tasted the cake have given a Hi Five. What more can I expect than seeing happy faces! You too can make your family and friends happy this Christmas by baking this delicious moist fluffy Dum Ka Rote Ash Gourd Semolina Cake.

Ingredients:
Ash Gourd(Well grown one) - 2 Kg
Chiroti Rava(Semolina) - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - 1/4 Tsp
Baking Powder - 3/4 Tsp
Baking Soda - 1 1/2 Tsp
Ghee - 180 Ml
Sugar - 2 cups(Reduce or increase according to taste)
Khova - 200 Gms crumbled(Or Condensed Milk 100 Ml)
Milk - 1 Cup
Cashew bits - 25 Gms
Raisins - 25 Gms chopped
Green Cardamom - 6-8 pods, peeled and seeds crushed
Edible Camphor(Pachcha Karpooram) crystals - A pinch
Orange Red Food colour - A pinch dissolved in little warm water
Saffron(Optional if you are not using food colour and camphor) - A pinch dissolved in little warm milk

Method:
Wash peel and cut ash gourd into thick wedges.
Grate them and collect the grated ash gourd in a bowl.
Using a juice strainer, squeeze out the juice from the grated ash gourd and collect the juice separately.
You should get 3 cups of the grated ash gourd and little more of the juice.
Heat 3-4 Tbsp of ghee in a nonstick pan.
Fry the cashew bits, drain and keep aside.
To the same ghee add grated ash gourd on high flame, mixing continuously, so that it doesn't get burnt.
Keep stirring for about 10 mins when the mass gets partly cooked, changes colour and ghee starts leaving the sides.
Now add the collected ash gourd juice and keep mixing.
Stir fry on high flame for another 10 mins when the mass gets mushy and semi dry.
Allow to cool and then mix in milk and crumbled khova.
Add chopped raisins, nuts, camphor and cardamom powder.
Mix well.
Preheat oven to 225° C for 10 minutes.
Grease a 12" x 8" baking tin and keep ready.
Mix semolina with salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Add remaining ghee and mix well to coat the semolina.
Now fold in semolina and sugar into cooked ash gourd milk and khova mix.
Add food colour or optional saffron in milk and mix gently.
Pour the mixture into greased baking tin.
Bake at 225° C for 10 minutes and then at 180° C for another 30-35 minutes, or until edges turn brown and a toothpick or skewer inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool on the rack for about 1 hour.
Once cool, slice into pieces and store in an air tight cake box.

Note: 
All measures are in standard cup of volume 200Ml.
If you add condensed milk instead of Khova, reduce the quantity of sugar.
You can also make this cake by replacing ash gourd with cucumber.

Banana Sheera(Sapaat)

When I landed in a town called Chamarajanagar at 9:30am on January 9, 1979 for joining my new assignment in a Bank, I was taken to a small restaurant run by Udupi Brahmins named Hotel Anand, by two of my colleagues. There the owner's son was happy to see another Mangalorean and he asked me "What will you have for breakfast?" I asked him what's fresh and hot. He replied "Banana Kesari Bhaat and Idli Sambar". I ordered Banana Kesari Bhaat which we call sheera, ate it with little difficulty, as it was pretty dry and hard.

When I visited home after a few months, I asked my mother what's Banana Sheera. She said it is nothing but 'Sapaat', a sweet dish they make as prasadam for offering during Sathyanarayana Vrata. It is made with rava, Rasabaale banana, cow's ghee, cow's milk and sugar, as per mother's say. I had tasted sapaat before, but that was way too different than what I had tasted at Hotel Anand! When I asked mother about preparing that at home, she said, we can't prepare Sapaat at home, as it is meant to be prepared and offered as prasadam! I was disappointed and didn't force her further.

Many years later, after marrying and settling down, I told Meena one day that I will make banana sheera. She asked me if I know how to make it. Those days we didn't have internet, and getting recipes was very difficult. Yet, I said that's not a big issue, and I went ahead to make Banana Sheera using my own imagination. It turned out tasty but something was missing. 

Balepet Udupi Sri Krishna Bhavan(USKB) had a lovely sweet dish called Dumrote made with Bombay rava and ash gourd. I was very fond of that, and I also tried my own way to prepare it. When I wondered about the unique aroma Dumrote had, my colleague Nagabhushana Hande had told me, that they add Pachcha Karpoora(edible camphor) to that. Dumrote came out very good, though not exactly what I had eaten at Balepet USKB. I did add pachcha karpoora, because as I relished dumrote,  a thought came to my mind that the Sapaat they make for  Sathyanarayana Vrata also has added edible camphor which gives it the unique flavour. 

If we add edible camphor to this, it's not necessary to add kesar or saffron. Without Kesar, this can not be kesar Bhaat but simply 'Sheera'! I did exactly that, adding edible camphor to banana sheera and made it perfectly like Sapaat. I am not religious, and I am not guilty about making it for breakfast simply because these delicacies are meant to be enjoyed in every day life, and without a certain ingredient, the dish may turn out to be something different. I don't think many restaurants add edible camphor to Banana Sheera/Kesari Bhaat but you can, if you are a connoisseur of good taste! 

Ingredients:
Bombay Rava - 2 cups
Ghee - 100 Gms (Add more if you like)
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups (Add more if you like)
Pachcha Karpoora (Edible Camphor) - A pinch
Hot Milk - 1 cup
Hot Water - 4 cups
Kadali/Yelakki Bananas (Substitute for Rasabaale Bananas) - 4 (around 150 Gms)
Cardamom Pods - 6
Cashew Nut Bits - 25 Gms
Raisins - 25 Gms

Method:
Peel  cardamom and crush the seeds.
Powder pachcha karpoora.
Peel and chop bananas into tiny bits.
Keep water and milk hot, almost at boiling point.
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed kadai and fry the cashew nut bits on low heat until light golden.
Drain and keep aside.
To the same ghee, add Bombay rava and fry on medium heat until a nice aroma emanates and the rava turns golden.
Add the chopped banana, pachcha karpoora powder, hot milk and mix.
Carefully add the hot water and keep mixing lightly until rava sizzles and swells up.
Keep the fire low and allow the rava to cook and absorb all the liquid.
When the mass becomes almost dry, add sugar and allow it to melt.
As sugar starts melting, switch off the flame, keep mixing gently and allow sheera to ooze out ghee.
Take the kadai off the flame and garnish with cardamom powder, fried cashew nut bits and raisins.
Serve hot.