CHENNAI: As a kid, with working parents, sometimes I had no choice but to cook for myself. So I would observe and learn recipes from my grandmother and mother, and that is how I learned all the special and authentic southern Italian recipes. But never once did I think I will take up cooking as a profession.
After schooling, I graduated in economics but realised that I loved the spoon in my right hand more than the degree I held in my left. So I came back home and started helping my sister at her small shop, after which I went to a culinary school in Rome. From there I was sent to Paris, where I learned for 18 months before I moved to Tokyo and then to Australia.
While it’s been only six years since I took up cooking professionally, I have technically been cooking my whole life. I don’t believe in staying in one place for a long time. I keep travelling and that has influenced the flavours in my cooking to a large extent. It is always good to explore different cuisines and experiment it with your dishes, without losing the authenticity of what you are cooking.
I specialise in Italian cuisine. I am very particular about maintaining the tradition of the Italian dishes I cook — both in terms of the flavour and also the method of cooking. I have often seen how a lot of Italian chefs make different dishes to suit the taste buds of different customers, but then what comes on the plate is not real Italian, right? I have heard of so many dishes being served as ‘Italian’ in many restaurants across different countries, and many of these are not even Italian cuisine.
Italians are big foodies. And when I say foodies, we also love to eat fresh and healthy food. In most of our homes, we grow our own veggies and herbs. Tomatoes, beans, olives, garlic, basil, thyme and even rosemary — you name it, we have it all. And that is what makes the taste unique as well. I have often noticed how the taste of the food that I cook at home differs from the one that I cook elsewhere with vegetables and herbs that are not freshly grown.
The flavours in Italian food are rich and at the same time not so heavy. Olive oil is a must for all Italian dishes, which is also very healthy. Apart from this, you will find a variety of cheese in the dishes — not just parmesan or mozzarella, but pecorino, bitto, blu antico, busche, asiago, provolone and so on. Each one has its own flavour ranging from sour to creamy. The lack of availability of a variety of cheese is one of the biggest challenges of cooking Italian dishes in other countries.
This may tamper with the taste of it. I would love to learn to cook Japanese cuisine; I find it really tasty. I also like Indian cuisine and I have been to India a couple of times before. I have visited Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Goa. I love to gorge on dosa, idli, mutton biriyani and pani puri. My mouth liked Indian food more than my body.
In the kitchen, I am a calm and fun person. I believe in working in a happy environment because my food tastes much better when I am happy. I am also very strict about hygiene.
Cheese cream ai frutti di bosco
Ingredents
● Sugar: 90 g
● Water: 25 g
● Egg yolk: 50 g
● Gelatine: 9 g
● Philadelphia: 100 g
● Mascarpone: 150 g
● Whipped cream: 300 g
● Soft butter: 70 g
● Plain biscuits (or coconuts biscuits): 225 g
● Brown sugar: 75 g
For Berries Jam
● Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, currant: 500 g
● Sugar: 200 g
Method
In a casserole, cook the berries and sugar (no water is needed) for about 30 minutes. Cool it down and keep it aside. In a robocup, whisk the biscuits and mix them with melted butter and sugar. This is the base of the cheesecake. Pour it into the cake mill and press it hard. Let it cool. Now cook the egg yolk at bain-marie (80°) while mixing it up with sugar. In a cup of boiling water, add and melt the gelatine and then pour it into the egg yolk. Now whip into it the Philadephia and mascarpone cheese. Add the cream to the biscuit base and let it cool for three hours. Finally, add the berries jam on top.
Caprese con crema al limoncello
Ingredents
● Almond flour: 250 g
● Dark chocolate: 200 g
● Sugar: 250 g
● Butter: 150 g
● Eggs: 5
● Flour: 30 g
● Cocoa powder: 30 g
● Salt: a pinch
● Fresh cream: 250 ml
● Limoncello: 4 spoons
Method
In a bowl, whip the egg white with one half of the sugar quantity. In another bowl, mix the grated dark chocolate, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. And in a third bowl, mix the egg yolk with the second half of the sugar and the butter. In the third bowl, mix 1/3 of the egg white and 1/3 of the flour simultaneously. Let the mixture cook for 45 minutes at 170°c. Now in a separate bowl, whip the fresh cream with sugar and limoncello. Mix well. Once the cake is out of the oven, and cool, add icing sugar on the top.
