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Science of cooking: the secret life of the rising cakes!

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1 month ago

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You must be wondering why I am writing this. I am not an ingredient, nor something you enjoy munching on, but guess what? I am the one who knows all the secrets! I watch all your batter rise into cake and cookie dough, becoming crispy and golden. Nobody knows the details as much as I do now, do they?

Meet Oven Microwave!

Meet Oven Microwave!
| Photo Credit:
Made with Google AI

“Hey, my name is Oven Microwave. I come from a family of the best bakers in the world, and everybody adores my cooking skills.”

Have you ever wondered how the liquid batter becomes all fluffy, soft and delicious after hanging out with me? It’s simple science! I have the ability to trigger several reactions in the matter, which helps them get a makeover. Let’s dive into the science of baking! The ingredients responsible

As I said, my warmth and skills trigger the makeover; however, it is the ingredients you put in your batter that let me do the same. When you bake a cake, the batter absorbs the heat produced by the oven, causing chemical changes to the molecular structure of the batter. All the ingredients react differently to the heat in an oven; this will change the structure of the cake.

What all do we need to make a cake?

A basic vanilla cake has flour, eggs, sugar, butter, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla or flavoured essence and milk. This will keep changing according to the kind of cake you are making. 

Wheat flour, the starchy white flour commonly used in baking, contains the proteins glutenin and gliadin. When you mix the flour with water, a reaction occurs that binds glutenin and gliadin together to create gluten. Gluten forms in long, stretchy strands that stick together, which helps the batter expand better while getting baked.

The batter itself contains leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda. Both baking powder and baking soda emit carbon dioxide gas when reacting with the other ingredients when heated. These very bubbles of carbon dioxide get trapped in the batter as you stir. Then, as the batter absorbs heat inside the oven, the bubbles of carbon dioxide gas heat up and expand. The expanding bubbles of gas push the batter up and out, causing the cake to expand. Baking soda needs an acid to react and produce CO₂, while baking powder contains both a base (like baking soda) and an acid, allowing it to react with moisture or heat.

That sweet, toasted crust is also the result of a chemical reaction between sugars and proteins called the Maillard reaction. When the baking temperature reaches around 150 degrees Celsius, the sugar mixed into the batter reacts with the amino acids (molecules that combine to form proteins) from the eggs, butter, and gluten. Both the proteins and the sugars break apart and recombine, forming new molecules that give the cake its toasty aroma and rich, golden brown colour. 

With all these reactions happening and heat emitted by me fastening them, the cake rises to the glorious form you love gobbling up. 

niranjana.ps@thehindu.co.in

Published – May 12, 2025 03:57 pm IST

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Food

Exploring Bengaluru’s Iftar hotspots: Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala

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13 hours ago

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June 22, 2025

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Bengaluru’s Ramzan feasts: A lip-smacking journey through three food hubs

Bengaluru’s Ramzan food scene comes alive at night. From sizzling kebabs to sweet sherbets, we explore three buzzing iftar hotspots: Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala.
| Video Credit:
The Hindu

Bengaluru, for all its tech-driven energy, is not exactly a city that never sleeps. Unlike Mumbai’s 3 am vada pav stalls or Delhi’s all-night paratha joints, most of Bengaluru winds down before midnight. Late at night, the roads empty, streetlights hum in solitude, and even the city’s famous cafés shut their doors. But during Ramzan, a few pockets of the city defy this drowsy routine.The air is thick with the scent of grilled meats, the streets hum with chatter, and every corner has something sizzling, smoking, or being stirred in a giant pot. On the evening of March 14, we go on an Iftar walk across three distinct neighbourhoods — Shivaji Nagar, Frazer Town, and Koramangala.

Shivaji Nagar (7.30pm to 8.45pm)

If you think Bengaluru’s traffic is overwhelming, you have not experienced Chandni Chowk Road Cross in Shivaji Nagar during Ramadan. It is a sensory overload — a feast of sights, sounds, and, most importantly, smells. The area, named after the Maratha king Shivaji, is known for its historic charm, but tonight, even the warrior king might have found the chaos too much.

Smoke from sizzling meat fills the air, mingling with the scent of spices. Vendors yell over honking vehicles, beckoning passersby with promises of the best kebabs in town. At one stall, we watch as paththar ka gosht— meat cooked on hot stone slabs — sizzles to perfection. Nearby, pizzas are being baked in kulhads (mud cups), a quirky fusion of Indian and Italian. It is a carnival of food.

Ananya Rao, a 28-year-old software engineer from Chennai, is here for the first time. “Bengaluru is not just about tech parks and traffic,” she says, “It’s about moments like these — where history, culture, and food collide.”

The heat and smoke make us thirsty, so we find solace at Malabar Kulukki Sarbath Stall, run by Hassan Sinan, a coffee shop owner from Indiranagar who sets up his Ramadan stalls across the city. The Kulukki Sarbath, a Kerala specialty, is a mix of lemon juice, raw mango, crushed ice, and basil seeds, with a hint of green chili for an unexpected kick. It is like a punch to the taste buds: sweet, sour, spicy, and cooling all at once.

Refreshed, we follow Hassan’s recommendation to Shalimar Restaurant, run by Abdul Rahman, for our first real meal of the evening. Their special pepper prawns pack a fiery punch, while the classic sheekh kebabs are juicy but a tad too salty. Abdul chuckles, saying, “This is just the beginning. Come back in an hour, and you won’t be able to walk here.”

He is not joking. When we return to our scooter, it takes us 20 minutes just to squeeze it out from a sea of parked vehicles. By 8.45pm, we are en route to Frazer Town, hoping for a slightly calmer experience.

A person making paththar ka gosht. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

A person making paththar ka gosht. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

Frazer Town (9.15pm to 10.30pm)

Frazer Town, historically the epicentre of Bengaluru’s Iftar scene, is undergoing a transformation. Once famous for its Ramzan Food Festival on Mosque Road, the area now operates under new restrictions — no pop-up stalls, only in-house restaurant setups.

Arjun M, a marketing executive and long-time Ramadan food walker, looks around and sighs. “It’s quieter, but the spirit is still alive.” The road construction and stall ban have kept things more organised, but regulars like him miss the celebratory chaos of past years.

For restaurants, business is down. “Sales have halved,” says Akbar Ali, manager at Savoury Restaurant. Despite this, their menu remains a crowd-puller, featuring slow-cooked haleem, juicy kebabs, and Mohabbat Ka Sharbat — a sweet, rose-flavoured Ramadan staple.

Iftar Walk food stall in Frazer Town. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

Iftar Walk food stall in Frazer Town. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

We dig into idiyappam with chicken rogan josh, a surprising but delicious pairing, followed by Mahalabia, a Middle Eastern milk pudding topped with pistachios. The first few bites are divine, but once the nuts are gone, the dessert becomes a bit too sweet and one-dimensional.

At Empire Restaurant, another staple of the area, a manager tells us their Ramadan sales are down by 80%. It is clear that many food lovers have migrated elsewhere this year. And from what we hear, that ‘elsewhere’ is Koramangala.

By 10.30pm, we are ready to find out if the rumours are true.

Koramangala (11:10pm to 12:15am)

Koramangala is unlike the other two stops. It is neither as overwhelming as Shivaji Nagar nor as subdued as Frazer Town. Instead, it is a lively mix of college students, IT professionals, and weekend partygoers.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Ramadan vibes to hit this hard here,” says 19-year-old Aisha Khan, a college student and first-time Iftar walker. “It’s not as chaotic as Shivaji Nagar, but it’s buzzing. You’ve got kebabs on one side and cocktails on the other — it’s like two worlds colliding, and somehow it just works.”

Mr Kulukki stall in Koramangala. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia

Mr Kulukki stall in Koramangala. Shot on OnePlus #FramesofIndia
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N

We make a beeline for MR Kulukki, run by Hamza, a former Empire Restaurant employee who claims to “know the pulse” of Koramangala’s crowd. His stall caters to a younger demographic, offering flavoured tiramisu, baklava, and kunafa alongside Ramadan classics like rabdi and phirni.

Intrigued, we try Hyderabadi shahi thukda, a thick milk-soaked bread pudding with nuts, and a custard roll, both indulgent and utterly satisfying. Nearby, a Kashmiri tea stall serves fragrant kahwah, and a kebab vendor shouts his rhythmic chant: “Chicken, mutton, kebab… chicken, mutton, kebab.” The night is alive, but in a different way from the old Ramadan hotspots.

As we sip our last drinks (one more mango kulukki sarbath), we glance at our phones. It is 12.15am. Somewhere between our first kebab in Shivaji Nagar and our last sip of kulukki sarbath in Koramangala, March 14 had turned into March 15.

And just like that, our Iftar walk had crossed not just three neighbourhoods, but also two different days.

Published – March 20, 2025 04:31 pm IST

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Madurai Kullappa Mess brings the flavours of southern Tamil Nadu to your plate

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3 days ago

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June 20, 2025

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An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess

An assortment of popular dishes at Madurai Kullappa Mess
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Now, find the flavours of Madurai in the heart of Chennai. At Madurai Kullappa Mess, the menu is built around meat: ghee mutton chukka, brain masala, liver fry, and head and trotters curry. However, it is the seafood here that seems to pull the most crowds, from crisp netheli fry to their Sunday-only ayira meen kuzhambu (a tamarind-based gravy made using this freshwater fish native to Tamil Nadu. These are tiny and slender fish often found in canals along agricultural fields and ponds. Due to their size, they are typically cooked whole.)

Promoted by Jeyanandh Dinakaran and helmed by managing director V Sivasankaran, this restaurant brings the bold, rustic flavors of Madurai to the city, with a menu that celebrates everything from biryani to meat-based gravies.

We visited this newly launched restaurant on a sunny afternoon to try their non-vegetarian set meals (₹299 andveg ₹225). The meals come with unlimited rice and five gravies, including crab, fish, chicken, mutton and a robust karuvadu thokku (a semi-gravy made with dried fish) .

As we waited for our order, Sivasankaran explained that the masalas are made in-house, with the lamb meat sourced from Thiruvallur district. The ghee, cold pressed groundnut and gingelly oil are brought in from the Delta regions, along the river Cauvery in Tamil Nadu. “Our signature dish is ayira meen kulmabu which is served only on Sundays and viraal meen varuval, available everyday. We get ayirai meen from Madurai, which we transport in aluminium cans on buses. This dish sells out quickly, so we recommend pre-booking,” he says.

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani

Simmakal Seeraga Samba Biryani
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

We try the viral meen varuval along with the Simmakkal-style seeraga samba biryani. The biryani is moist, clumped together and not fluffy owing to the texture of the native rice. It was rather underwhelming. It is available in chicken and mutton variants, priced at ₹310 and ₹410, respectively.

To round off the meal, we order mutton ghee chukka and mutton uppu kari — two classic Madurai-style dry preparations. When the set meals arrive, I taste all the gravies, and the mutton kulambu and karuvadu thokku stand out for their depth of flavor. The viraal meen is crisp on the outside and moist inside, perfectly fried. Uppu Kari, Sivasankaran explains, uses the bare essentials: red chilli, shallots, garlic, pepper, and salt, all slow-cooked in gingelly oil. The mutton nei (ghee) chukka has an intense flavour and tender meat. Though the dish carries the rich aroma of ghee, there’s none in the cooking — only the red chillies are roasted in ghee before being added.

Viraal meen fry

Viraal meen fry
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess offers Chennai diners a taste of Madurai’s hearty, meat-centric cuisine. While the gravies in the set meal were more subdued than expected and did not leave a lasting impression, the dry meat and seafood specials shine with bold, rustic flavors.

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)

Non-vegetarain set meals is priced at ₹299)
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Madurai Kullappa Mess, T Nagar. Open from noon to 11pm. A meal for two is ₹800. For reservations, call 6385123456 .

Published – June 20, 2025 02:08 pm IST

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Food

Looking for meat-heavy breakfast options in Madurai? Try Amsavalli Bhavan

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5 days ago

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June 18, 2025

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Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.

Amsavalli Bhavan in Madurai is among the oldest restaurants in the city.
| Photo Credit: MOORTHY G

It is not yet 9am when a man arrives at Amsavalli carrying a steel thookuvali and a cloth bag. The hum of workers getting the parcel counter ready fills the air, and he waits patiently as uthappams and parottas are being prepared in the kitchen. It is a dinner-time ritual for people in Madurai to lug a thookuvali to a streetside parotta shop for salna. At Amsavalli though, this also happens at breakfast time. The restaurant, that has been in existence for over 75 years, offers a breakfast menu unlike anywhere else in the city: think mutton liver curry and brain fry. Here, mutton offal is served for a little over an hour from 9.30am onwards, getting sold-out long before lunch is ready.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.

Mutton cops at Amsavalli in Madurai served for breakfast with uthappam and parotta.
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

G Arunraj, the third-generation owner of the restaurant on East Veli Street, says that the menu is an extension of his grandfather’s idea of offering mutton samosas, trotters paaya, and dum tea from 4am to 6am. “This was served from our initial days,” says the 47-year-old, adding that their chief customers were workers at the wholesale markets at nearby Nelpettai and Vethalaipettai. “The entire neighbourhood used to be bustling from as early as 3.30am, with load men lugging bulging sacks,” he says, adding that they also had early morning walkers who would round off their routine with a cup of their paaya.

The pre-dawn snacks eventually gave way to the present menu, that Arunraj says gets sold-out by 11am. The menu includes a range of mutton offal curries that can be paired with their soft parottas or uthappams.

The curries come in small portions, and can be easily polished off with two uthappams. We order a serving of almost everything on the menu. The mutton nenju chops, a fiery semi-gravy of meat slow-cooked until it is softer than their parotta, is easily a favourite.

Although tempted to order more portions, we move on to the other offerings: eeral kulambu, mutton liver cooked in a chilli and coriander masala base, mutton kidneys enveloped in a spicy masala, and the mutton chukka. The latter pairs well with their parotta. But the highlight is the mutton onion kulambu, a fragrant curry of meat simmered in shallots. This is best had with their thick uthappams: douse a piece in the curry and wrap it in a small piece of mutton to enjoy the flavours of meat and the curry to the fullest.

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli

Mutton liver curry at Amsavalli
| Photo Credit:
MOORTHY G

Our waiter suggests we try their famous apple milk. The chilled dessert of tiny pieces of apple and thick milk served in a tall glass, we realise, cools down the palate after the onslaught of the spices. Two parottas, one uthappam, and several plates of the curries down, we realise why this menu works. Mutton is irresistible, no matter which part of the day it is served.

Open for breakfast from 9.30am to 11am. Call  0452 262 0117 for details.

Published – June 16, 2025 01:20 pm IST

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