Healthy Date Truffles by Chef Arva Jivanjee, H&S Chef Of The Month

H&S Chef Of The Month

Chef Arva Jivanjee

Nationality: Kenyan

Interview With H&S Magazine

Who Is Arva Jivanjee?

I come from humble beginnings and I’m a proud mum of 2 beautiful girls who inspired me on my journey to become a home baker & specialized chef for eggless pastries and desserts. I am certified in Professional Baking from the Academy Of Pastry & Culinary Arts (India) & Specialized Chocolatier at the Slattery School of Excellence (UK). With years of work experience in the manufacturing industry & specializing in medical equipment and supplies, who would have known that years later I would build a passion for baking & become a successful home baker. Having my family, loved ones, and friends by my side, I have developed a sense of creative, unique, and passionate baking which makes me a proud home baker & founder of my home business “Bake Me Some Buns” from my little kitchen at home in Nairobi, Kenya since 2016.

 

Type Of Cuisine?

Eggless, Vegetarian, Gluten free!
When I first started baking, I was afraid to use eggs because I believed that the food I would make would not be appetizing or would not turn out as expected. Bearing in mind that my daughters had developed food allergies during their childhood years, this enhanced my skills towards eggless, dairy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free baking. Who would have thought cooking without eggs would be so enjoyable?

 

What Inspired You To Become A Chef?

My 2 beautiful girls who inspired me on my journey to become a home baker & specialized chef for eggless pastries and desserts.

 

What Is The Biggest Challenge You Have Faced In The Culinary Industry?

Hard to point to one challenge, but just to name a few:
• To convince customers that eggless baking is equally tasty and delicious as any other normal baked recipe.
• Maintaining consistency of the texture and taste of the baked products at all times while baking on a large scale.

 

What’s Your Biggest Achievement In The Culinary Industry?

Today, I comfortably consider myself as one of the few pastry chefs that has built a name and brand in the local market that is known for eggless and vegetarian baked products. I have also expanded my line of products to not only baked goods but also known for my gluten-free, homemade dark chocolates.

My passion for baking and coming up with new recipes inspired me to become the first Kenyan author for a children’s cook book, which consists of eggless, vegetarian and easy healthy recipes for children to cook on their own with minimal supervision.

 

When It comes To Cooking, What Is More Important To You, The Technique, The Ingredients Or The Creativity?

If you ask me, all the above are equally important!

Baking is an art which requires technique with the help of the right tools and equipment. The ingredients are the most important in order to maintain quality and consistency. A chef needs to use good quality ingredients in order to achieve a great finished baked product.

Finally, creativity is the magic portion, which uses both technique and ingredients to create a final delicious and attractive product.

 

Recipe Of The Week: Healthy Date Truffles

Preparation time: 10 mins

The Date Truffles

Ingredients:

• 200 grams dates
• 100 grams almonds
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil Cooking

 

Preparation: The Date Truffles

Pit the soft dates & keep aside. Next, put the almonds in a food processor and run for a few seconds until they are chopped into tiny chunks, now add the dates, cocoa powder, coconut oil, peanut butter and mix together in a food blender to form a crumbly paste. To check if it is of the right consistency, take some of the paste and press between your fingers and it should stick together, if it seems too wet to hold in a ball, add some coconut oil, if too dry, add a touch more of peanut butter or a splash of water. Remove to a plate & form the balls with your hands by rolling a heaping Tbsp of the mixture between your palms to form a ball. Repeat with remaining mixture. You can roll the balls in the desired coatings and place them on a plate. Keep the truffles at room temperature and if it is for a later serving keep them to cool in the fridge. These truffles, kept covered in the fridge, should last for a couple of weeks.

 

Plating

Before plating, you can coat the date truffle balls in your desired coatings, such as dessicated coconut, then stack them in a glass bowl or serving dish!