Asia in his desi kitchen

CHENNAI: I belong to Chandigarh and  food and cooking have always been an integral part of my life. My passion for food led me to Bengaluru, where I completed hotel management course in 1990s. I started my career from Ludhiana as kitchen executive in 2000. After two years, I moved to Shimla, where I worked for two years. From Shimla, I moved to the UK for three years and from there to Bangkok for a year.

After years of exploring international cuisines, I decided to come back to India and came straight to Hyderabad, where I worked for two-and-a-half years. From there, I moved to Fairmont Hotel in Jaipur, where I worked for five years and then joined Inter Continental, Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort, as executive chef.  

I have been learning and cooking a lot of different cuisines ranging from Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Peshawri, Asian, Continental and so on. Because of my extensive travels to different regions and countries, I got various opportunities to learn newer cuisines. My cooking style has improved so much. The more you travel, the more you learn about the flavours, ingredients and the culture of the food itself.
Whatever cuisine I cook, I am particular about using fresh ingredients and also maintain the authenticity of the flavours and the cuisine itself. Earlier acquiring the right kind of spices and ingredients were a bit difficult, but today everything is easily available in every place.

It’s fascinating how one dish can be cooked in different ways, depending on the region it comes from. In Hyderabadi biriyani for instance, the raw meat and raw rice is cooked together and it is spicier. Whereas in Lucknowi biriyani, the chicken and rice are cooked separately, after which it is layered. And the flavouring is little bit on the sweeter side —they use ingredients like saffron, star anise and cinnamon, hence giving a sweet flavour to it. My favourite biriyani is Hyderabadi because.

I cook a lot of Asian as well, and that is one of my favourites — Chinese, Thai, Sichuan, Cantonese, etc. If you ask me my favourite dishes, it has to be the Hon Shimeji, Baby Sea Bass and Pan-fried Chicken Shanghai. Authentic Chinese food too differs in terms of flavouring and ingredients depending on the region — using of wild herbs or using a different method to cook like pot-roasting or stewing, etc. Flavours are altered according to the taste the people prefer.

There have been several embarrassing mistakes I have made. One in particular was during my initial days of training when I was on a night shift. I was supposed to boil potatoes that night for the next day. So I put them in the container for boiling and I just stepped out for a bit, only to return four hours later and realise that I had left the potato. By then, it was too late! When you are a fresher, you tend to get all excited and make such mistakes, but that’s how you learn.

Pan-fried Chicken Shanghai

Chicken:
150gram
Flour:
30 gram
Chives flower:
10 gram
Chilli oil:
10 gram
Salt: 5 gram
Sugar:
10 gram
Garlic Oil:
5 ml
Seasme Oil:
5 ml
Oil:  5 ml
Water: 30 ml

Method
Make the dough with flour and water.
Cut the dough into 15 gm each and allow it to rest.
In the mean while mix minced chicken with spring onion,seasme oil, chili oil and seasoning.
Roll the pre-portioned dough and fill it with the prepared filling.
Give it your desired shapes.
Steam it for 5 minuits and then pan sear it till it gets a golden brown colour.
Serve hot.

Hon Shimeji

Glass noodle:
50 gram
Shimeji mushroom:
50 gram
Mitsukan vinegar:
40 ml
Sugar:
40 gram
Chinkiang vinegar:
20 ml
Sichuan pepper:
5 gram
Chilli oil:
5 ml
Chilli peppers:
10 gram
Peanut:
10 gram
Taro: 10 gram
Salt:
5 gram
Aroma powder:
5 gram
5 Micro cress

5 Goji berries

Method
Clean the shimeji mushroom, keep it aside.
Make the dressing using mitsukan vinegar, sugar and chinkiang vinegar. Stir it properly, till the sugar is dissolved completely.
Boil the sichuan pepper corn and infuse with the dressing.
Once this is done Blanch and soak the shimeji mushroom in the dressing for atleast 15 days. Till the time it becomes like a pickle.
Before service, soak the glass noodles in warm water.
Rinse it completely once it becomes soft.
Mix the noodles with chilli peppers, chilli oil, chrushed peanut, slat and aromat powder. Check the flavor,
Slice the taro thin and deep fry till crisp.
Once done, take out the shimeji mushroom from the dressing and pat dry with tissue.
Place the noodles in the bottle of the bowl and top it up with the mushroom.                             
Garnish with micro cress and goji berries.
Serve Cold.