“Justin Trudeau's son, Xavier, loves my lamb chops,” says Joe Thottungal, with a flourish. The executive chef and founder at Coconut Lagoon restaurant, Ottawa, Canada, Thottungal has been the winner of the Gold Medal Plates championship, the country's highest culinary honour, in 2016 and 2017. When his adopted home celebrated 150 years of being a confederation last year, he was the only chef of Indian origin to be selected to cook for 1,000 guests, hosted by Trudeau. Born in Thrissur, Kerala, the master of ‘coconut cuisine’ Thottungal was in New Delhi’s Crown Plaza Today, to host a dinner buffet and master-class. His focus: to show people that less can be more, by cutting down on the number of dishes and avoiding overcooking spices.
From an executive trainee in the kitchen at a five-star hotel to an executive chef of your own establishment, how has the journey been?
It was a long journey but I decided not to give up. My experience with different chefs prepared me well. You may be a good cook but if you're not exploring, you're not learning. I used to work for 12 hours in the beginning. It was tough, but I was happy.
What was the agenda of your Delhi visit?
To educate people. There are a few things which the Canadians are famous for: pork, maple syrup, salmon, lentils. We wanted to promote them. I also got some of the lentils from Canada which I used for the master-class. We wanted to make Keralan cuisine with a touch of Canada. Also, we are here to learn what New Delhi has in store for us.
You put Kerala onto the fine-dining map in Canada. What tweaking needed to be done to suit the ‘foreign’ palate?
We tried to keep it as authentic as possible. We realised that Canadians like the real Indian taste. Therefore, we never toned down the spices or kept it. We always stuck to the core and presented the food in a refined manner. Presentation matters a lot, because we first see the food before eating it.
Whenever you choose a menu, what runs through your mind?
The first thing that I see is: who is the audience? You cannot serve simple dosas, idlis and vadas to the Canadians. One must be creative. Always learn what your audience enjoys the most, what they are comfortable with and then play around with the dishes. Always pick a menu according to the occasion.
How would you give payasam a modern twist?
I will set it up in a mould or cut it in different shapes and crumble some cashew and raisins over. When it's cooled down, it will set in its shape. I would also put some raspberry sauce on it after plating.