Artist of the month - Shalini Kumar

Today’s feature is on an artist who accidentally started experiencing her passion for art, which took her to a beautiful journey and there was no turning back. Shalini Kumar, a well-known artist in the art community in Oman, did her doctorate degree in Economics from Agra University. She is a versatile self-taught Indian artist based in Muscat, Oman. She is also a passionate poet good orator, dancer and trained laughter yoga teacher.

Most of her works are inspired by the scenic beauty and culture of Oman and its people. Her love for Oman can be seen in her beautiful paintings. She paints in all mediums but loves to paint in Acrylic and more of contemporary arts.  She works on commission. Many of her art Works sale is to help underprivileged. Her art works are also a part of private collector’s collection which is a huge honour for her. And she is a member of Omani Society of Fine Arts for last 11 years.

She has exhibited her art work in many countries like Brunei, Oman, Russia, Indonesia, Uganda and Dubai etc. She has done many solo and joint painting exhibitions in Muscat and Internationally. Over the years, her passion for teaching art grew as well. She has conducted workshops for past 11 years at different community centres in Muscat and also taught art to children at Shell school at Sakhalin in Russia.

She runs a laughter yoga club for free for ladies. She also teaches mosaic work and loves silk painting too specially stoles of self-imaginative designs. Recently she was honoured as a judge and co-host of Alwar International Film Festival January 2020.

Her last big project was to participate in GRATITUDE 50, project (a masterpiece of Sultan Qaboos Portrait of 7 meters by 6 meters), represented by 19 countries artists, Her last solo exhibition was in December 4 until January 3rd 2020 where the media has applauded her work.

Grab a cup of coffee or tea and have a look at some of her master pieces

 

The recent lockdown has brought out more creativity and new skills on to her canvases. If you wish to get in touch with her for more updates please email her at shalinikumar46@gmail.com 

Lemon Blueberry Cake

This easy lemon blueberry cake is a burst of beautiful flavours and I call this a sunshine cake. Its moist, tender and bursting with lemon flavour and blueberries. It’s a great combo of flavours and a great show stopper dessert. I am going to share this recipe which didn’t fail me in my first shot. Try it out and do let me know how it turns out! This cake goes well with cream cheese frosting or buttercream. But I love it with Chocolate… because nothing can go wrong with chocolate!

This recipe is adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

 

Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients

1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour 
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 medium lemons)
1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (to coat blueberries)


Method:

Preheat oven to177°C. If you want to make a layer cake grease three 9-inch cake pans, line with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. I used one 12inch pan.

Make the cake: Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy – about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is completely combined, about 2 full minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then beat in the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice, just until combined. Toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. So do not over-mix as over-mixing will lead to a dense textured crumb.

Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. If you are only using 2 cake pans or 1 cake pan, your bake time will be longer. Bake the three layers for about 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan before assembling and frosting.

You can frost it with cream cheese frosting or buttercream or chocolate. They all work well with this cake. 

Above pictures are copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations.

Coconut Baked Chicken

Any dish that is made in coconut milk is so flavourful. Today’s chicken dish is just succulent, high in flavor and has all the right spices in it! Everything depends on the thick creamy sauce. If you are a fan of Thai food or a fan of our authentic Kerala stew, then you should try this out.

Coconut Baked Chicken recipe is adapted from @swahilifood , do check her page for the original recipe which is equally good, among her other amazing recipes. Here is my version, it is super easy and a winner all the way!! I hope you get to try it out, trust me you will love it!

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (or Chicken thighs)

For Marinade
Salt 1 teaspoon
Pepper powder 1 to 2 teaspoon
Turmeric half tsp
Chillie powder 1/2 teaspoon

To make the sauce
Butter 1 teaspoon
Oil 1 tablespoon
Cardamom 3 to 4
Cinnamon stick 2
Cloves 3 to 4
Peppercorns 1 tsp
Bayleaf 1 to 2
Minced ginger 1 tsp
Minced garlic 1 tsp
Chillie flakes 1 teaspoon
Turmeric 1 tsp
Coriander 2 tsp
Garam masala half tsp
Chillie powder or paprika 1 tsp
Coconut Milk 1 can
Chopped Coriander leaves - a bunch

 

Method:
Butterfly the chicken. Marinate the chicken well with the spices. Make sure there is enough salt. Fry the chicken in a pan with butter and oil on both sides of the chicken till the skin turns brown. Then keep aside the chicken in a baking dish.

To make the Sauce:
Remove the excess oil from the pan, leaving a little. Add the cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns and bayleaf and saute it. Then add the turmeric, minced ginger & garlic, chillie flakes, coriander powder and garam masala and saute it for a minute. Gradually add the coconut milk. I didnt have to add the whole can, I used 3/4th of it. Just warm it up and add chopped coriander leaves. Everything lies in the sauce. Taste and see of you need to add more spice. Pour this over the chicken. Cover the dish with foil and bake it at 200 degrees C for 45 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake it for another 10 minutes and serve it with bread, Chappati or rice.

Notes:

If you are using Chicken thighs the baking time will be less.

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan and Garlic

Roasted whole cauliflower with parmesan and garlic looks good on any table. Whole baked cauliflower can be a vegetarian main dish or a healthy low carb side dish. Its quick to make and high in flavour and no work needed! And it is drizzled with garlic parmesan sauce to enhance flavour. This is my favourite go-to cauliflower recipe and I hope you enjoy making it!

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 small or meduim head Cauliflower

1/3 cup Olive Oil

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (divided)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp or more Sea Salt 

1/4 tsp Black pepper

1/2 tsp Chillie flakes

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a small bowl, make the garlic parmesan sauce. Whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, 2 tablespoons (28.3 grams) grated Parmesan (half of the total amount), chillie flakes, basil, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper.

Place the trimmed cauliflower head upside down (core side up) onto a dutch oven or a baking try. Drizzle half of the sauce over the cauliflower, tilting it to let it drip down the core and all around. Flip over and drizzle the remaining sauce over the top. Use a pastry brush to brush on any that had dripped down to the pan or didn't spread well.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and pierces easily with a skewer, knife or fork.

Sprinkle the top of the cauliflower with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Continue to bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is browned.

Above picture is copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations

Nutella and Orange Swirl Buns

I recently discovered that Nutella and Orange are a deadly combination and super addictive. These buns are so delicious and fun to make… and they are so pretty to look at! The dough for this recipe was so soft and moist and it came out so perfectly! And I must say that it is easy to make even though the process seems long. Please do try. This is a huge hit in our home and I look forward to baking more of these soon...  

This recipe is adapted from Anna Banana and I added my twist to it... 

Yield : 8 to 12 buns depending on the size

Ingredients

·      60 g unsalted butter cubed

·      250 ml milk 

·      15gm yeast

·      500 gm flour

·      100 gm caster sugar

·      1 egg

·      1 tsp salt

·      Nutella 5 to 6 tablespoon or more (please be generous with it!)

·      Orange Zest 1 to 2 tablespoon

Instructions

1.    Heat the milk in a small saucepan until lukewarm. If you are using dried active yeast, transfer about 150ml of lukewarm milk into separate jug and add 1 tsp of sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and add active yeast. Stir it and set aside for 15 minutes to activate it. 

2.    Add cubed butter to your lukewarm milk, swirling the saucepan every now for the butter to melt and set it aside.

3.    In a bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar and salt. Once its mixed, add yeast, egg, milk and butter mixture. Mix together for 2 minutes on low speed. Increase the speed to high and mix for further 6-8 minutes until the dough is not sticking to the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough onto lightly floured surface, roll into a ball and place in a clean, lightly oiled bowl. Cover with clingfilm and let it rise somewhere warm for 2 hours or more until its doubled in size.

4.    Remove the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface. Gently knock out the air from it and stretch it into rough rectangle shape. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into large rectangle.

5.     The longer edge of the rectangle should be facing you and spread the Nutella over 2/3 of the rectangle, leaving 1/3 clean. (please be generous with the spread). Then sprinkle the orange zest over the Nutella spread. Fold the clean part of the rectangle towards the middle, then fold the other end of the dough on top of that. Using a rolling pin, roll it over the rectangle to flatten it out and to stretch the dough a bit. (please head to my Instagram page @tickled_by_inspirations, to see the process, it is saved in the highlights)

6.    Use a pizza cutter or a sharp knife to trim the edges of your rectangle. Slice the rectangle in half, then each half in half again, and again until you have 8 long strips of the dough. Starting at one end of the strip, rolling, tucking the end underneath. Place the rolled bun into baking tray lined with some baking parchment. Repeat the same process with all of the remaining strips.

7.    Cover the buns loosely with some cling film and set them aside to prove for at least an hour.

8.    Preheat the oven to 175C. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 18 minutes or until golden brown and risen. Enjoy! Eat it warm.

Tips:

You can freeze these buns

You can sprinkle hazelnuts on the buns before baking for a nutty texture.

I hope you will enjoy baking these beauties and do drop a mail or a comment and let me know how it turns out!! Have a great and safe weekend!

Above pictures are copyrighted by Tickled by Inspirations

Bow to Bao Buns

Bao buns are soft, fluffy and pockets of steamy goodness. They go perfect with any meat or vegetables like mushrooms with pickled vegetables, fresh herbs and your favorite sauces. It can be served as a side or as the main meal itself.... And what I love about this bread is that it doesn’t collapse under the pressure of steaming. These buns just made me swoon and are a family favorite now. These are easy to make with readily available ingredients. Try it out and trust me, you will keep making it!

Yield 14 to 16 buns

INGREDIENts

·         1/3 cup warm water

·         1/2 cup warm milk

·         1 tbsp active dry yeast

·         4 tbsp sugar, divided half

·         2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

·         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

·         1/2 tsp baking powder

·         1/4 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1.       Combine warm water, milk, active yeast, sugar and oil. Whisk to let yeast and sugar to dissolve then let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast activate.

2.       Meanwhile in a stand mixer and a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. You could make with your hand too if you prefer.

3.       Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Blend on a low speed to slowly incorporate all the ingredients together then on medium speed until it becomes a dough shape. Keep on kneading for 3 to 4 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be elastic and really soft and not stick to your fingers or on the mixing bowl.

4.       Once the dough is ready, shape it into a ball and place it back to the bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it becomes triple size, about 2 hours. Let it sit for longer if needed as it had to rise well. 

5.       Place the raised dough on a working surface and roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle flour only if you need to. Cut the dough 3 1/2-inch circle with a ring mold or glass or a wine glass. This recipe will make 14 o 16 baos.

6.       Lightly brush or spray oil on one surface of the baos and fold in half as a half moon shape. Gently press each bao with a roller and place on a parchment paper or coffee filter lined steamer so that it won’t stick to the bottom. Cover with a lid and let it rest for additional 30 minutes.

7.       Meanwhile get your steamer ready. Carefully place the steamer with the baos on top of boiling water wok/pot. Make sure water is not touching the baos. Cover and steam for 8 to 12 minutes. Please be careful when you open the lid of the steamer. You can serve this bao as a side or serve with a filling like I did!

I hope you all will enjoy making these and do keep me posted if you try. Have a great weekend everyone!

Above pictures are copyright to Tickled by inpirations

Artist of the month - Dr.Zakiya Al Busaidi

Today I am honoured to feature a passionate Omani artist who is a doctor by profession and therapist. And her goal is to heal the world through art and medicine and make this world a better place to live in. Dr. Zakiya Al Busaidi strongly believes that other than medicine, art can heal people. She has also acquired her PhD on the relation between mind and body. And she has been a great advocate for mental health awareness in Oman. She started her journey as an artist 6 years back. I was fortunate to see her work in an exhibition here in Oman. The emotional energy of her work is portrayed beautifully in each piece. There is joy and movement in most of her work through the colours and textures she has used.

Let’s have a look at her beautiful work and hear more from her regarding her art journey

Tell us a bit about yourself. How did your journey as an artist begin? Did you have any formal training?

My name is Zakiya Al Busaidi, I am artist and a doctor. The two seem to be inseparable since both are expressions of my soul. I started my journey with art 6 years ago, unplanned but fell in love with art and started attending short courses with Omani artists for 2 years.

How would you describe your art style?

Since I am a big fan of the French Impressionsm art movement, (especially Claude Monet), that was the first style I started with but later I experimented with pop art, calligraphy and currently working on pour and fluid art. 

What's your inspiration for your art work?

My art is inspired by nature where I feel more connected and spirituality.  

Do you commission different projects? And how can people purchase your paintings?

My art is available for sale on my instagram account (@zalbusaidi_art) and whenever I participate in exhibitions in Muscat. 

Any tips or words of wisdom to aspiring artists who want to pursue a similar career.

I believe in the role of art in healing and I promote for mindful art. Therefore, I encourage people to do art for self- expression and as a way of meditation. Art teaches us how to be present, appreciate the beauty that we have around us and be less judgmental of ourselves and others. 

Thank you Zakiya for sharing your beautiful work with me and my readers…. and for giving us an insight for your inspiring art journey. We wish you many more successes and looking forward to more creative pieces from you!

If you wish to get updates of her beautiful work, please follow her on instagram @zalbusaidi_art.

All the above pictures are via Zakiya Al Busaidi