Vineetha Susheeb's interview

Interview by Stephanie

We interviewed Vineetha Susheeb!

Visit the blog: Ruchi.

See profile page and recipes

Hello Vineetha Susheeb, so tell us...

How long have you been blogging and where did the idea come from?

I have been blogging for almost 5 1/2 years now. The whole idea of blogging came from my hubby who himself is a good cook and enjoys my food.Though I did not take blogging seriously when I started blogging , the support and encouragement from friends and family these days is so rewarding and is really giving me all the inspiration to cook and blog more :)

Are you active in the blogging community? Have you met any interesting people through your blog or do you participate in any particular events?

I can say I am quite active in the blogging community and have met lots of blogger friends and keep in touch with them through social networking sites. The Bloggers Buzz event which happened in London the beginning of this year was the first event I participated and I should say such events are really helpful in bringing like minded food bloggers together for them to socialise, bond and exchange ideas.

Are there any chefs or cooks that you admire in particular?

I admire Nigella Lawson for her passion about cooking and baking and I find her recipes simple and easy to follow. Other than Nigella I like Gordon Ramsay, Anjum Anand , Sanjeev Kapoor and Vahreh Vah Chef (youtube ) :)

What is your earliest memory involving food?

Earliest memory involving food as a kid would be rolling chapathies ( Indian flat bread ) and making Indian tea/ chai under mum's supervision :)

What would be your choice of dish or menu for a "last meal ever" scenario?!

That's a tough question but if I have a scenario like that my preference would be a crispy masala dosha( South Indian crepe)

Do you have a secret weapon in the kitchen?

The only secret weapon I have is my spice powders which I bring all the way from India which my mum prepares for me. The homemade powders give that extra kick to any Indian dishes which we can't get from the store bought powders.

You have a real talent when it comes to decorating cakes - they are just beautiful! Is this a hobby or is it possible to order cakes for special occasions?

Thank u so much. It started as a hobby but now it's a passion for me and I have been baking birthday cakes for friends upon their requests. Even though I am not a professional cake decorator I wouldn't mind making a cake for someone's special occasion if I am asked to :)

Your photos look like they are out of a magazine. What tips can give to other bloggers about taking good photographs?

I am still learning about food photography and have still has a long way to go and the best tip I can give is practice and practice and the pictures will definitely improve with experience. I always shoot my pictures in daylight by the window and I try to make the dish presentable while plating them with minimal garnishing and few apt props in the back grounds. I always use a tripod for my food pictures as I have very shaky hands.

Which Gourmandize recipe would you recommend? (if none take your fancy add your own and share it with us!)

I would recommend my Mango cheese cake any day especially because it tastes so good and I am a die hard mango Fan :) Please find the recipe below.

Ingredients
For crust
Digestive biscuits - 250 gm
Butter - 75 gm

For filling
Cream cheese - 200 gm ( I used one tub of philadelphia full fat cream cheese)
Mango pulp - 1 cup
Double cream - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Gelatin - 10 gm ( 1 sachet )
Water - 3-4 tbs

For mango glaze
Mango pulp - 1/2 cup
Gelatin - 5 gm (1/2 of sachet )
Hot water - 1/4 cup

Method
1.Powder digestive biscuits in a mixie/food processor to fine crumbs.
2.Melt butter in a microwave and add melted butter to the biscuit powder and mix well,the biscuit powder will be little moist now.
3.Spread the mixture into a loose bottomed 8 " cake tin and spread evenly. Press them down with a spoon and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4.Allow gelatin to bloom in 3- 4 tbs of water
5.Meanwhile in a saucepan add double cream and when it is about to boil turn of the flame and add gelatin and mix until its completely dissolved.
6.Add mango puree to cream and mix.
7.In another bowl beat cream cheese and sugar for few seconds or mix well with a spoon.
8.Finally add mango -cream mixture to cream cheese and mix well or beat for few seconds.
9.Pour this over the refrigerated biscuit base and chill again 2 hours.
10.Prepare the mango glaze by dissolving gelatin in hotwater and adding it to mango puree.
11.Pour the mango glaze over the set mango cheese filling and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.
12.Carefully remove the loose bottom, cut and serve !

Any last words or message for our readers?

Do visit my blog and if u try any of my recipes please let me know how you like it and share your pictures too :) Would love to hear from you.

Thank you Vineetha Susheeb for answering our questions and see you soon!
Published by Stephanie - 12/09/2013

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