Her brownies are the size of Scrabble pieces, and she can fit four mini cupcakes on one palm. Malika-Rahat Khan is the woman you should know if you want a dose of sugar rush without reeling in guilt over calorie count
Her brownies are the size of Scrabble pieces, and she can fit four mini cupcakes on one palm. Malika-Rahat Khan is the woman you should know if you want a dose of sugar rush without reeling in guilt over calorie count
"Because I love food," she says with a shrug that's as endearing as the mini treats she rustles up at her Altamount Road residence. Malika-Rahat Khan decided to become a chef because "it has never felt like work". Her brand of desserts, Sugar Rush, specialises in delivering a range of mini desserts that include cookies, cupcakes and brownies.
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Malika-Rahat Khan's mini bites of heaven. pic/Bipin Kokate |
Her love for cooking germinated watching her mother stir up a meal, and was fine-tuned at the Le Cordon Bleu in London. "After I graduated, I worked at a string of London restaurants. One of my favourites was L'Escargot owned by the rockstar of the cooking world, Marco Pierre White.
Did you know that celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain saw Marco's picture in a chef jacket with a cigarette dangling off his lips, and decided to become a chef because he looked so cool?" she laughs, sprinkling powdered sugar over a mini Rum Chocolate Brownie that's no larger than a Scrabble alphabet piece.
But it was British chef Jamie Oliver who is truly responsible for Malika taking to the culinary world. After being trained in modern French cuisine, it seems a tad out of place that this young chef decided to run a dessert brand. "It's just so much easier dealing in food that doesn't have to be served warm," she says candidly, "but if I open shop some day, maybe I can offer other stuff."
For the moment, calorie-conscious Mumbaikars are happy with bite-sized treats that cut down on calories but deliver on taste. Her cupcakes (Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon, Coffee and Lemon Meringue frostings), and mini cookies and brownies (Pistachio and Hazelnut) are all bite-sized. "It wasn't a conscious decision to mini-size, but once I did, there was crazy demand. On Rakshabandhan, clients were gifting mini brownies instead of traditional mithai." And how does she keep from succumbing to the sugar rush? "I get my fill as I am making them," she smiles.
Other mini treats
Mini Mousse and Idlis
A tiny cup of mousse (Rs 25) from Trupti Snacks will keep that guilty feeling at bay. Four spoons and you are done. Trupti also prepares mini idlis on order.
At 12B High Street Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.
Call: 24902211Coin Pizzas
These fried Indianised pizzas (Rs 13 per piece) are novel to say the least. Though cheesy, they will keep you reaching out for more.
At Vividham Sweets and Dry Fruits, 25, LT Road, Borivali (W).
Call: 28980499 / 28996907Dwarf Samosas
These tiny cocktail samosasu00a0 (Rs 18 for 100 grams) are stuffed with green peas, keeping your calorie intake to a minimum.
At: Adarsh Sweet & Farsan Mart, shop number 34, Khot Chawl, Lokmanya Tilak Road, Borivali (W).
Call: 28980017Sugar Rush's cookies are priced at Rs 70 for 100 grams, Rs 20 per cupcake, and brownies come for Rs 400 (half kilo). To place an order, call 9619686860
