Choka La COO Karan Singh whips up quick recipes for the festive season.
I t’s almost Christmas and Karan Singh, chief operating officer, Cosmic Kitchen, the holding company for Choka La, the chocolate-themed cafes, is celebrating. Says Singh, “Cafes like ours are recession-proof as we are cleverly positioned. When you are out, people will stop for a soup and sandwich and people will continue to buy bread and cakes.”
Singh says that year- on-year they are growing and the company’s expansion plans continue as is. As if to vindicate what Singh is saying, the Khan Market outlet of the cafe is buzzing with customers on a uncharacteristically warm December morning. Adds Singh, “We open for breakfast and we do get a lot of expats who live in the vicinity, coming in the morning for a hot cup of coffee and breakfast.”
Singh says that the promoter of Cosmic Kitchen, Vasudha Munjal, saw a gap in the market and decided to open cafes that would use chocolate as their main pull factor. Explains Singh, “Wine, cheese and chocolate are the holy trinity of gastronomy. Vasudha herself is very passionate about chocolate.”
Choka La’s birth during a booming Indian economy further helped make it a success. Says Singh, “When we started we had the first-mover advantage and we were met with an enthusiastic response.”
Singh, who spent the last 20 years of his life abroad in different parts of the world, says that it was time to come back home to India. And this return to his country of origin has meant that when he cooks at home for friends it’s often Indian food. He says, “The best Indian food is here, though some of the most talented chefs who do Indian food live abroad.”
But for this column, Singh isn’t sticking to Indian food. Rather, he does a sampling from the cafe’s menu. Says Singh, “Some of the dishes I have thought of. I am very involved with everything here.” This has meant that Singh has tried to use as much indigenous produce as possible for a largely Continental menu.
He says, “We change our menu twice a year according to the seasons. Food has to reflect what is out there. And, by using ingredients that are locally available, one can deliver consistent quality.” The other thing that Choka La has tried to do is to keep the food simple. Says Singh, “People respond to simplicity.” And that’s what is on the menu for us as well, as Singh quickly whips up a line-up of dishes that are easy to make and good to eat.
FAVOURITE RECIPES
BEETROOT CAVIAR
100 gm beetroot, finely cut
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup
5 gm chives, chopped
60 gm Philadelphia cream
2 ml truffle oil
5 ml olive oil
In a hot pan, cook the beetroot in olive oil till it is soft. Add the Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup and cook for a few more minutes till jam-like texture is achieved. Then take pre-prepared cups and spoon in the Philadelphia cream. Top it with the beetroot jam and garnish with the chives. Top it with just a drop of truffle oil.
WARM CHOCOLATE CAKE
180 gm unsalted butter
190 gm chocolate
6 eggs
240 gm castor sugar
80 gm refined flour
Melt the unsalted butter and chocolate in the microwave. Mix the eggs and sugar and whisk lightly for a while. Then add the butter and chocolate mix and fold the flour. Bake this at 160 C for 12 minutes. Serve hot with some vanilla ice-cream.
