Monday, October 11, 2010

Finding things around Bangalore

Edit in 2015 September :
After taking up sewing a year ago, I've been on the look out for sewing related items. I will be updating the list below with places to find sewing supplies as well.


When I seriously considered baking & candle making, I wasn't quite sure where to find what. And I decided I'd compile a list of where I found what. I'm guessing this is one post I'll keep updating from time to time.

Candle Making:
For Gel candle making, I found most of the things I needed at a shop called Mahendra Novelties inside Raja Market. It's on the 1st floor & this is one shop which is almost always crowded. You get the Gel wax, pre tabed wicks, candle scents & colours, (beads including glass ones), pebbles, coloured sands of varying grade & fineness, fabric paint, doll making things, Tanjavoor painting items, embroidery frames, & foam sheets, Coloured net cloth which can be used for wrapping gifts, threads, needle. Name any art  & craft related item & they are sure to have it.
Itsy Bitsy also has Wax, candle colours, scents etc.

Baking/Cooking: There are some shops I frequent as most of my baking/cooking needs are met in these few shops. But at times I'll have to venture further away from my local Supermarket(s). I'm more likely to go to those shops for cheese, good quality cocoa powder etc. I'll list some items & where I find it & put up a list of what I shop for in some specific shops. This is not an exhaustive list of all places in Bangalore, just the places I'm aware of, or where I've found items of interest.

Cake pans, moulds / Aluminum mould : You are likely to find these at your local supermarket. If not, check in Nilgiris, Spar & such other large outlets.

Oil: I find olive oil at my neighbourhood Supermarket. I always buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil only. Nothing else is as pure as the Extra virgin. You will find 100% pure virgin oil & Pure Olive oil labels. Do not be deceived. Those are NOT other terms for Extra Virgin Olive oil. It is the best for use in salads & arabian/mediteranean dishes. I've found good bargain on Olive oil in Spar.
For Canola Oil I used to go to Nilgiris but now my neighbourhood Supermarket sells it so I don't head for Nilgiris everytime I'm out of canola oil. I use this for dishes that requires oil but one which does not give off a strong flavour, also for making Garlic sauce, frying falafel etc. You will find even this in Spar.
Other types of oil like Sesame, Groundnut, Sunflower etc are often found in the neighbourhood supermarkets. You also get these at Auchan, D Mart etc.

Cooking Chocolate: Its unlikely you'll find this in every other supermarket. I buy these from different places, depending on where I go shopping. I'd either buy them from M.K Retail or Nilgiris. I'd asked for cooking chocolate at Spar, Oasis Mall one, but they didn't have any. I was surprised! If I'm lucky, I'll find dark chocolate in my neighbourhood Super market but then its not a reliable source.
I have seen foil sheets, that are almost A4 size, in Itsy bitsy, but these had to be cut to the size
Lavonne in Indiranagar (

https://www.facebook.com/lavonneindia)
 is another place that I frequent for Cooking chocolates. You will find other baking / chocolate making essentials there as well. They stock on the chocolate foil wrappers which comes pre cut. They also have chocolate moulds in silicon, plastic and poly carbonate, cake tins, cookie cutters, fondant by the kilo, balloon whisk, rolling pin for fondant etc.

Cheese: The normal Mozerella, Gouda & Cheddar you'll find at your local supermarket. If not I'd try out Nilgiris, Spar, The Gourment (M.G Road)).  You will find Parmigiano-Reggiano also Parmesan cheese (grated of Kraft brand) in Nilgiris on Brigade road & I've found whole Parmesan slices in Spar. You will also find it in Food World Gourmet in M.G Road. I've seen the Not just cheese & wine outlet on the way to marathalli but haven't tried it yet. I once found cream cheese at Nilgiris & recently I picked up a 180gms Cream Cheese by Britannia from my local supermarket. If nothing else works, try Godrej's Nature's basket outlet or even their website under Cheese & Dairy (
http://www.naturesbasket.co.in)
Other baking pans: There is this shop called Homex in Kamanahalli that has the bread pan, tart pan, custard pan, pizza pan, the ring pan to make ring shaped cake. Nilgiris is another place where I've found the cake pans of different shapes & sizes, cup cake moulds (aluminium ones, individual & tray type of 6, 9 & 12moulds).

Silicon Moulds: Found a few in Nilgiris & Homex (Kamanahalli) had a whole bunch of different cake moulds & tube mould etc. Most of the large supermarkets tend to stock on these. Itsy Bitsy also has a few in stock.

Ramekins: well I found it in a shop in Arihant plaza. Its the 3rd shop at the basement if I'm not mistaken. Don't remember the name of the shop. I even got a Marinex measuring jar from there. Interestingly they even had some pebbles which I use in my candle making projects. There are websites selling them, a simple google search will show you.

Measuring cups, spoons, spatulas: Nilgiris has most of your baking goods they also have rubber & plastic spatula, silicon moulds etc. Most large supermarkets / hypermarkets tend to stock them. Itsy Bitsy carries the measuring cups and spoons (although I can't gurantee if all their outlet have them.

Pine nuts: I found these at Spar. I'm told you get these in a supermarket around Brigade road. Haven't tried yet. You are most likely to get these in huge hypermarkets around Whitefield / M.G road.

Spring form pan: This week I was in Homex (Kamanahalli) & I saw a 24" & 26" spring form pan.
Jamals have them but they don't necessarily stock them.

Spar, Jamals, Nilgiris, M.K Retail, Homex, 7days supermarket, Foodworld Gourmet, Village Hypermarket are good places to find most of the items you'd want.

For those living in the other end of Bangalore, near Electronic City you can find most of the baking / chocolate making items in either M.K Retail, Nilgiris or Village Hypermarket. I am told that there is a place in Madiwala where you get all baking essentails. I have not yet come across this. If I do I will surely update the post. I have found a baking supplies shop near Bommanahalli main road. I have not yet visited this place. Once I do, I will update this post.

For candle making and other general craft supplies I generally head to Itsy Bitsy in HSR Layout. They usually carry items in smaller quantities, so if I need items in bulk, I head to Mahendra Novelties in Raja Market. For handmade paper charts etc I usually get from the local Novelty store / stationary shop.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Arabian Night :-)

We invited a few friends over for dinner & the dishes , we decided would be arabian. Well when I say arabian, shawarma is the topmost thing on our minds. B wanted me to make just the shawarma but I thought we needed more than just shawarma. So we had Tabouli salad, Sheek kebab with mint chutney, Khubus, Hummus, Thoum, Tahini dip, Shawarma & for rice dish I made Maqlooba. I gave choice between chocolate cake & choco lava & the latter won the favour so made choco lava & served that with a scoop of Ice cream. Shawarma could've been more crispier but my oven was working too hard bringing out the khubus that Shawarma had to do with the prep on Gas stove.
On the whole we had a good time. I love it when I've a house full of ppl to be fed. I don't feel tired or out of energy. In fact its just the opposite. But once my day is done, I'm ready to crash :-D.
Prepared the 'sauces' 1 day ahead. Maqlooba was a totally last minute decision. I was afraid shawarma wouldn't be sufficient & so thought maybe a l'le bit of rice would do fine to finish up the dinner. The last thing I wanted was people going back hungry after dinner :-).
Was a nice long hard day or hard labour :-D. All in all I enjoyed it.