CHEF’S PLATTERDavinder Kumar President of Indian Culinary Forum and Head Chef Le Meridien...

CHEF’S PLATTER

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CHEF’S PLATTER

Presenting the pioneers and incoming maestros.

Greetings

It's our 11th year in the business and we're stronger than

ever. Fabricating a robust bridge in the circuit, we at Right

Concepts Media Pvt LTD strive to cater the best of content

and give out unheard, unchained and honest stories of

eminent and promising personalities and trends.

Chefs Platter 2018 marks the fourth landmark of the

franchise and we have spent the last year in fetching

interviews and success stories of the pioneers of the

industry. The Hospitality industry is the most booming

fraternity and if it's India we're talking about, it's the by far

the most successful of the lot.

With Chefs Platter 2018, we tried incorporating the vision of

exhibiting the finest and latest entrants who're taking the

industry up a notch in the globe. We have the most popular

faces including the maven Chef Vikas Khanna, who's taken

India on the universal level when it comes to culinary,

followed by the ever charming Chef Vicky Ratnani who

explains how he is experimenting with flavors the right way

and Chef Ranveer Brar who's amending the issue with his

magical culinary skills. This and many popular faces and

their recipes comprises this year's Chef Platter!

Make sure you relish all the recipes and stories! Keep

exploring good food and music.

Kushagra Nautiyal

Sub-Editor

[email protected]

• Davinder Kumar

• Vikas Khanna

• Vicky Ratnani

• Ranveer Brar

• Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi

• Chef Randhir Tiwari

• Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji

• Raman Preet Singh Ahluwalia

• Deepanker Khosla

• Michael Swamy

• Abdul Rehman Qureshi

• Tanuj Nayyar

• Gautam Chaudhry

• Nelson

• Ashish Singh

• Amit Sinha

• Priyam Kumar

• Bharat

• Lakpa Tamang

• Manpreet Singh

• Raheman Mir Hafizur

• Vaibhav Bhargava

• Gaurav Raghuvanshi

• Ruffy Shaikh

• Paul Kinny

• Diwas Wadhera

• Dheeraj Bhandari

• Avinash Jha

• Shivanand Kain

• Akshay Nayyar

• Hari Nayak

• Avinash Jha

CONTENTS

Davinder KumarPresident of Indian Culinary Forum and Head Chef Le Meridien

‘Renowned globally and famous for his impeccable

style, Chef DK is a humble personality yet super

experienced in the fraternity. He’s been serving the

industry for more than 3 decades and is still growing

stronger than ever. He adds: “I salute this profession

which made me what I am”

Q- What is life in the kitchen for you?

A- In a nutshell life in the kitchen is quite interesting

since I thoroughly enjoy what I do. Although you are

always occupied still it is satiating. It is very

challenging; one has to be on the run almost most of

the time. On the other hand there is no scope

monotony .

Q- What inspired you to be a chef at the first place?

A- I wanted to pursue a professional course after

graduating from Delhi University. Cooking was my first

love and the exposure to hospitality only faned and

kindled my latent passion for the culinary arts.

Enormous growth opportunities domestically and

Internationally, A chance to create a niche for

yourself, Ability to become a role model for young

aspirants, this being a skill & creativity oriented

profession.

Q- How has your journey changed throughout the

year that you are in the profession?

A- The role of a chef today is much different than it

was a couple of decades ago. When I started my

career as a chef we used to be invisible, hiding behind

the stove in the back whipping together dishes after

dishes, without receiving much recognition.

But now things have drastically changed from how

people have seen us in the past. The role of what we

have known as the traditional chef, is long over. This

role has been replaced by a career that’s constantly

changing and evolving into what we know as a

creative and glamorous profession.

Q- What things have you seen changing in cuisines

and food business when you began your career and

now?

A- There has been a paradigm shift in cuisines as well

as the food business is concerned . Earlier we used to

serve what we wanted but now to meet the guest’s

expectations we serve what exactly they want. A few

essential changes that I have seen over the years are -:

Health Consciousness – With the life style, we all have

now a days, it has become an absolution to consume

healthy food.

Fresh and seasonal produce - To ensure freshness

from farm to fork is what all of us are working at.

The advent of QSRs – many international brands have

taken a huge chunk of food business due to the

millennial wanting experimental and quick food.

Avante Garde & Modern Indian Cuisine – They are

modern day avatars of the Indian Cuisine.

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Five Spice Crusted Norwegian Salmon

Regional Cuisine-: With people shifting their bases for

livelihood the demand for their local food is

increasing.

Q- Which has been your prime learning throughout

the career so far?

A- Getting a chance to work with few of the trade’s

finest French Master Chefs during my 2 years

intensive training in France was one of the best things

happen to me professionally. My tenure with the

Oberoi group of hotels made my foundation pretty

strong.

Q- How crucial is it for a chef to maintain diet and

health during his work span?

A- Working in kitchen is not a healthy lifestyle unless

you make it one. You’re surrounded by food, you’re

surrounded by alcohol, you work late hours, you’re in

a stressful job, and that for n number of years catches

up to you. So one has to make a conscious effort to be

healthy and eat better and I think about that all the

time.. Every day I’m very conscious about what I put in

my body; it’s very important in my day-to-day life.

Q- How do you manage to control your taste buds

and eating while cooking?

A- I follow a strict meal plan throughout the day,

which I have been adhering to from quite a long time.

It helps me keep my energy levels at optimum level

and helps in curbing those hunger pangs while I am at

the shop floor.

Q- What are the important elements in food

preparation according to you?

A- 1. Organizational Skills

As an executive chef, your job is about more than just

cooking food. You have to lead an entire team of

kitchen staff, budget for food, determine how much

of each ingredient to buy each week, schedule shifts

for employees and anticipate the busiest times of day

in the kitchen.

2. Willingness to Accept Criticism

Even the best chefs still have something to learn. One

of the marks of a truly great chef is the ability to

accept criticism and adjust their cooking .

3. Ability to Handle High Stress Environments

Cooking in a commercial kitchen is an incredibly

stressful job. There are dozens of things going on at

any one time and you still need to ensure that plates

are going out perfectly and in a timely fashion.

4. Curiosity and Desire to Learn More

One has to be curious about new developments in the

culinary world, unusual flavor combinations and

ingredients they haven’t yet heard of.

5. Physical Stamina

If you want to become a chef, make sure you can

handle the physical demands of a busy commercial

kitchen.

6. Creativity

Cooking is often considered to be a blend of science

and art. You will need to learn cooking techniques and

skills, yes, but to excel you’ll also have to have plenty

of creativity.

7. Attention to Detail

A missing garnish, a steak cooked for a minute too

long or a hair in the salad can all ruin an otherwise

perfect meal, which is why chefs have to be incredibly

attentive to detail.

And above all the things one has to be passionate

about their job and always remember to cook from

your heart.

Q- How you compare Indian food and international

cuisine? How do you compare them on the basis of

selling proposition (economics)?

A- In Western cuisines, ingredients are usually paired

together for their similar flavors. However, an average

Indian dish includes at least seven ingredients, most

of which do not contain overlapping flavors. Cayenne,

green bell pepper, coriander and garam masala are

usually paired with ingredients that have no chemical

overlap, but each ingredient brings a unique

component when incorporated into the final meal.

This creates knockout dishes for a cuisine that uses

approximately 200 of the estimated 381 ingredients

known in the world.

The cuisine in India changes after every 200 kms .

Indian food is more or less heritage driven . Recently

there have been great innovations in Indian cuisine

which has taken Indian food on the global platform.

International cuisines are constantly evolving with

their focus being on healthy and local produce.

Since most of the ingredients used in Indian Cuisine 76

are very humble, it is cost effective as compared to

International cuisines .

Q- Which are the new trends emerging in the world

cuisine?

1. Millennial are looking for healthy, funky street

food with a twist.

2. The focus is ever growing on healthy and

vegetarian food.

3. The concept of FARM TO FORK is gaining

popularization.

4. The new trend will be focusing on THINKING

GLOBAL ACTING LOCAL.

5. Own kitchen gardens are gaining momentum.

6. With frequent travels across borders people are

ready to give EXPERIMENTAL CUISINE a chance.

7. The concept of SMALL PLATES with a punch of

flavours in totally in.

8. REGIONAL CUISINE is gaining popularity due to

the amalgamation of population from various

walks of life and culture.

9. NEW TASTE EVOLUTION can not be ruled out LIKE

Green chilli ice creams and Chocolate samosaa,

smoking paans etc.

10.NOSTALGIA DRIVEN COMFORT FOOD will take

huge leap due to people having to travel because

of their jobs and ways of making a living.

Q- How is India developing its food habits and

simultaneously changing the course of F&B

business?

A- Food habits in general are cultural specific, but in

the last few decades dynamic changes have occurred

due to the fast growing economy, a shift from

traditional to modern technology , globalization ,

industrialization , constant travels across the world ,

evolving taste and ever increasing demands for fast

and processed food has taken the centre stage.

With Indians traveling the world , the taste of people

has become more global. They demand and are ready

to pay for the best. India is slowly and steadily

becoming the culinary hot-spot for the global world

traveler.

The changing urban lifestyle of the Indian middle

class, increasing prevalence of double income nuclear

family structure, rising disposable income,

increasingly larger number of globe-trotting Indians

with an experimentative palate are all favourable

demographic factors spurring the adoption of RTE and

RTC foods in India.

India has long been dominated by unbranded

eateries, manly serving North Indian and South Indian

food. But there is an ever- growing appetite for the

big-name chains and both International and home

grown cafes and hip hop casual dining outlets.

Q- Do you think Chefs can become successful

entrepreneurs?

A- Yes! Chefs have reached that point where they can

or rather they are becoming successful business

persons or as I like to call them CHEF-PRENEURS.

The reasons being.

Their risk taking appetite has increased manifolds due

to the easy financial support available in the market.

They are en-cashing on their celebrity status to pull

the financial support they need.

They have become very professional in their

approach, which I see as the first building block for any

business.

They know the trade at the back of their hand.

Q- What essential changes did you bring to your style

of cooking to be different from other chefs?

A- This industry have become cut throat competitive

lately due to the mushrooming of numerous hotels

and restaurants. To secure your spot in this ever

changing industry one has to stick to their authentic

and exclusive style of cooking, which I do by-

1. Using of fresh and seasonal produce to the

maximum.

2. I put myself in guest’s shoes and then think. For me

the guest comes first.

3. Consistency in quality. Compromising on quality is

zero tolerance zone for me.

4. Two things which I value the most are Taste &

Presentation.

Q- What are future challenges do you foresee in

future emerging in food business? How as a chef do

you prepare yourself to brace that challenge?

A- Tough Competition.

High guest Expectations.

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Cost Control.

How to retain customers.

How to curb or rather minimalise attrition.

To brace myself for these challenges –

Always ready to except the change.

Try and keep pace with the emerging trends.

Consistency in quality.

Interactions with the guests.

Continues up gradation and innovation.

About the Chef

A strong believer in culinary innovations, Chef DK is

recipient of many honors and accolades. The 7500 kg

cake that he and his team created during the 10th

anniversary of Le Meridian New Delhi has found a

place in the Limca Book of Records. Known for his

leadership qualities, Chef DK has the distinction of

serving the Indian Culinary Forum (ICF), a fraternal

body of Chefs in the Northern region, for 12 years

now. He played a crucial role in establishing the

annual chef awards, the mega annual event of ICF into

a brand over the years. As preparation for the 11th

annual edition of Chef Awards in full swing, Chef DK is

engrossed in making the event better and better.

Chef’s Recipe:

Five Spice Crusted Norwegian Salmon

English Pea Veloute; Saffron Crème; Garlic Scented

Vegetables

4 Salmon Steak (180 grm each)

For Marination :

4 tsp Lemon Juice

salt & pepper (To Taste)

Five Spice Crust

1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp. Paprika powder

1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon Powder.

1/2 Tbsp. Pink Peppercorn

1/4 Tsp. Sichuan Pepper

1 Tsp. Brown Sugar

For Saffron creme:

120 ml Fresh Cream

5 gm butter

Few threads Saffron

English Pea Puree:

10 grm Butter

1 tbsp Onion Chopped

200 gm Green peas

100 ml Vegetable Stock

2 tbsp Cream

to taste Salt &white pepper

Vegetables

2 Tsp Olive oil

1 Tsp Garlic (Chopped)

40 Gms. Blanched Beet root (diced)

12 No. Edamame Pods

40 Gms. Blanched Pumpkin (diced)

16 No . Blanched Asparagus Spears

4 No. Blanched Cepes mushrooms

For garnish Micro greens

Methods :

• Marinate the salmon with lemon juice, salt, pepper

and leave aside

For five spice crust, mix together, coarsely

grounded black pepper, paprika powder, Cinnamon

powder, pink peppercorn, sichuan pepper & Brown

sugar. Keep aside.

Pea puree; Heat butter in a pan add chopped

onions, Sauté until they're translucent and then add

green peas,cook for a while then add vegetable stock

and simmer until they're soft and mushy. Cool it down

and make puree in a food processor. Reheat the puree

in a pan and finish with fresh cream and check

seasoning.

Saffron cream; In a pan boil fresh cream and saffron

strands until reduced to half. Remove from heat then

add hard butter and let it emulsify off the flame,

adjust seasoning as per taste.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add chopped garlic and sauté

until translucent. Now add vegetables, toss gently

add seasoning and keep aside.

To cook fish, sprinkle mix spices evenly &

proportionately on each marinated fish steak. Heat

the oil in a pan place the fish with the crust side down,

to give it a light golden color, flip it over and transfer to

a preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until

done.

To plate, arrange diced vegetables on one side of

the plate and Asparagus spears on the other side,

Place cooked salmon on top of asparagus, Make swirls

of english pea puree and saffron crème on side of the

salmon. Sprinkle micro greens around the plate.

Serve hot.

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10

Vikas KhannaAcclaimed Indian chef, award-winning author, poet and filmmaker

“My story looks like a movie script but trust me it’s

real. I absolutely had no clue that destiny will take me

around the globe this way”

Q- Everybody knows Vikas Khanna globally but not

everyone is aware of your initial struggles. How did it

start with you?

A- I honestly didn’t know what a ‘Chef’ was initially. As

a kid, I started off with cooking, playing with

ingredients and used to sell fast food which was as a

survival instinct. I wasn’t aware of delicacies beyond

‘Cholein Bhaturien and Pakodas’ back then, and my

small setup was doing great which was based at the

backyard of my home. To trigger the sales, I even

started going to schools to sell it to students and

steadily started my own small scaled shop. Aunties

and kids were my regular patrons and they used to

have a great time hanging out at my joint. At times my

father used to ask me ‘How much did you earn today’

and with my unusual reply ‘the group of aunties had a

ball, I didn’t earn anything’, he used to scold me by

labeling it as charity. I was kind of the talk of my town

or the vicinity you can say. So many people used to just

come to see me cook, as it was very fascinating to see

a young kid cook for so many people around. My

Chachaji who’s settled in Ireland, once questioned my

father about my future prospects upon seeing me

cook. ‘Ye kya kara rahe ho, ye koi career hai? Padai

wadai kyu nai karwate’. I was happily catering to

private parties of 30 pax and used to render private

cooking services to a lot of customers back then. My

grandmother has been my pillar. Her support defined

my agility and ability to work harder. These were my

humble beginnings!

Q- When did you transform from a fast food joint

owner to a fully fledged chef?

A- Everything drastically changed when I went to

Maurya Sheraton, all thanks to my uncle. It literally

changed everything for me. Seeing such a massive

scaled big hotel was almost like a dream sequence for

me. I was literally going bonkers when I saw the

gigantic buffets been served there, I reckon. For a

small town kid who wasn’t exposed to things beyond

‘Chole Bhaturein’, it was definitely a turning point for

my career. From my hometown Amritsar to Delhi, the

geographical change radically exposed me to a lot of

new, unheard and unimaginable dynamics. I wasn’t

getting admission in the college due to limited seats

and late entry, but the principal understood my

honesty and sincerity, and granted me admission. I’ll

always be grateful to him. To honor him, I am in the

process of shaping the world’s first kitchen museum

in the college itself, as a token of thanks.

Q- What is a general day for Vikas Khanna?

A- Well it entirely depends. Every day is a new day for

me, since I am mostly travelling back and forth around

the world. About my routine for yesterday, I got up at

4, went for the morning Aarti which spanned around 13

Star Anise-Mango Sheets 12

an hour. Post that I went on to learn and make peda at

the temple vicinity. I am lately doing some fine

research work on temples and the sacred cities

they’re based in. I had to learn over 17 dishes and I

was utterly shocked about the creativity. Trust me, it’s

pitched at an entirely different level than you can

imagine. I also grabbed the creative aspects of

preparing ‘Durga Maa ke Vrat ka khaana’ and

‘Sankatmochan ke Maalpooye’. Every delicacy

mentioned requires patience and understanding.

What makes it even more difficult is the fact that the

measurements they’re been cooked and served is

enormous. I also did some work with Vedas while

piling up the ‘Sacred foods of India’, which is another

upcoming project that I am current working on. Post

that, I was shooting a documentary which is a very

interesting project and perhaps my biggest project till

date. I want to create more literature. Now that I get

the chances to cross borders , I want to give back the

world and create something new. Till the time I am in

India till date, I am booked for atleast 18 hours of back

to back shooting, photography. I don’t do

commercial work, for I only do work I believe in.

Cooking in sacred places is not much covered on

media, and trust me: the sacred Gurudwaras that our

country has, ‘duniya me aur kahi nai hai’.

Q- You inspire millions. Did you have it all planned?

A- My story looks like a movie script but trust me it’s

real. I absolutely had no clue that destiny will take me

around the globe this way. I had a small restaurant in

America where one of the media folks noticed me and

I landed up on a TV Show on Fox TV. I even informed

them that I am not fluent with English because I was

hesitant enough to appear on one of the biggest

Television platforms with my limited skills at the

language. This was aired in 2007. The very next day on

my day to work I saw myself on the cover page of the

newspaper and everybody on the way recognized me.

My restaurant was crowded with people before the

opening time and I honestly thought that something

miserable happened post my appearance on the TV

which has resulted in this havoc. I got to know that all

the people gathered were from the media and

wanted to interview me. ‘Jaan me jaan aayi sunke. I

honestly thought restaurant gir gaya ya band hogya’. I

got a good hype post that appearance. A lot of people

mocked me and made fun of my English but I never

looked back. I tried learning the language a lot, started

watching movies and music videos. Tried teaching

from a teacher and ended up teaching him Punjabi! I

also got some movie offers which I refused and guests

used to call me out to meet them. I used to ask them, if

they found the food to be bad, but they wanted to see

me instead. God really blessed me with more things in

the future as I was fortunate enough to be called by

Mr. Obama and many renowned names around the

world.

Q- What is your favorite cuisine and food?

A- People get amused when they get to know that I am

fully trained in the Indian Cuisine. When I say Indian, I

mean all regions. Our colleges used to kick start the

sessions with European cuisine, which we tried

changing by pressurizing to introduce Indian cuisine. I

firmly believe that Indian cuisine should be given

preference. Why should they not be entrepreneurs’?

Why should everyone be employed in a hotel? I

always try to promote our cuisine to the max. Most of

my studies are completed in South India, namely

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and my

favorite region is North East. North Indian cuisines are

over exposed for the world. Delicacies from

Pondicherry, Orissa, Kolkata too excite me equally. I

am also planning projects that will focus these

cuisines.

Q- Working for more than 18 hours a day and still

being a heartthrob. How do you manage?

A- My father was the most handsome human being on

the planet and I have a tiny essence of him in me, with

some resemblances. I am very disciplined in life

generally. While everybody’s on drugs, I don’t smoke,

drink, and no marijuana for me. When people offer

me to party I tell them ‘Mera homework nai khatam

nai horha’. I am also very obsessed by the nature cycle

and have immense love for Ganga maa.

About the maven:

Vikas Khanna is a celebrity chef, restaurateur,

cookbook writer, filmmaker, humanitarian and the

judge of MasterChef India Season 2, 3, 4, 5 and

Masterchef Junior. He was named as the Sexiest Men

Alive by People magazine (2011) and he’s also

referred as "The Hottest Chef of America”

14 15

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Chefs Recipe

STAR ANISE-MANGO SHEETS

Ingredients

2 fresh ripe mangoes

Pinch of salt

Pinch or sugar, or as required

Pinch of ground star anise

• Peel and cut the mangoes into chunks. Transfer it

into a blender with remaining ingredients. Puree

until smooth, preferably adding very little water if

required.

I generally taste the mixture and adjust the

seasoning.

Layer a lined baking sheet with a parchment paper

and evenly spread the mixture over it.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake the mango mixture for about 40 to 45 minutes

or until the layer of mango mixture begin to dry out.

Cool at room temperature.

Cut the sheet into desired shape.

For this recipe I am cutting it into strips of 1-inch by 4-

inches. Store in layers in an airtight container.

HONEY BASIL SEEDS

2 tablespoons basil seeds

1 tablespoon honey

Combine basil seeds and honey in a cup and pour ¼

up warm water and let it rest until the basil seeds

bloom, about 10 minutes.

Store them in a sterilized container in a refrigerator

for upto 2 weeks.

YOGURT-MANGO MIXTURE

1/2 cup hung yogurt or Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons coconut sugar (available online or

specialty store)

Pinch of saffron

3 tablespoons mango puree

Combine all the ingredients well. Cover and

refrigerate overnight.

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GUAVA CHUTNEY

½ cup guava puree

2 tablespoons agave nectar

Pinch of cayenne pepper or to taste

½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger

Pinch of salt

Combine all the ingredients with ¼ cup water in a

small saucepan. Heat it on medium-low heat until

all the flavors come together and the mixture

becomes thicker, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Cool at room temperature and store in a sterilized

container for up to a month.

To Assemble

Gently make rolls out of mango sheets. Pipe the

yogurt mixture and top it with guava chutney, basil

seeds and edible gold..

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18

Vicky RatnaniCulinary Director-Everstone Capital, Celebrity Chef, Author of ‘Vicky Goes

Veg’ & a renowned celebrity Chef

“Right from my initial days, I always went for the

'outside the box' approach. Usual and normal things

never excited me and I always strive for something

different”.

Q- Tell us about the first big break that changed

everything?

A- It was when I got my first promotion as a sous chef

on the cruise that was the ince-breaker, since it was

the first time in my life to get promoted as a

supervisor. From sous chef to executive sous chef, to

executive chef, there was no looking back and it was a

record breaking journey, for I was the first Indian to be

the executive chef in a British sailing company. It was a

big thing in those days.

Q- You originate from an era when there was no

internet and only books prevail. How do you think

life has changed?

A- Well, honestly I still love to read and buy books.

Literature in physical form has it has its advantages

and dis-advantages. You get a lot of content and it’s

easy to access. But due to the outbreak of the

Internet, people are losing their patience levels and

don’t put an effort to sit down and read. I think

reading is very important. Touching a book has its own

beauty. But the mindset has changed with times. I

remember long before cooking, each aunty and cook

used to cut out articles from newspapers and

magazines and make their own scrapbooks. Every

enthusiastic had his/her own magazines kept and

preserved it with grace. There was a vintage beauty

about this stuff that people used to gather and there

wasn’t any Google. We literally had to learn, get books

& read. Also, when you were taught something in

class, you had to make sure to listen to carefully, now

everything is easily available n Youtube & Google. It

was dynalically different back in those days.

Knowledge was cherished and respected.

Q- From being nobody to Vicky Ratnani, explain your

journey throughout the years?

A- Well to start off with, I was never a nobody. I was

always famous and attracted attention, made a lot of

friends around and I still love making friends. I was

always popular and famous. But then you get famous

for who you are but not for your work. This is what the

game changer was in my life. Being regular on

television & platforms, it feels good that people know

you for your work and also for who you are. After

coming back from the ship I started a restaurant in

Mumbai, which was the talk if the town. It donned a

unique concept of high energy bar and club through

the week we also served fine dine fantastic food. We

had celebrities coming in regularly right from Ranbir

Kapoor to the big industrialists. One fine day,

19

Blackened Paneer Steak With Corn Puree

somebody from media asked me to appear on TV and

the show did very well. They gave me another

independent show and from there was no looking

back. This and consulting many new projects had

been regular for me. From a lot of projects opening

around the capital and beyond to being a partner in a

premier tea brand, there's a lot of interesting verticals

happening around.

Q-From the times when chefs were usually big fat

people to being handsome, charming with a great

fan following, you inspire many new chefs, right

from the looks to culinary art. What according to you

did the trick?

A- I don't really look at it that way. I am what I was

many years ago. People just didn't know me back

then, they know me now. I have been trained abroad

and had good experience with Western food in the

starting days. After coming back to India, I look at the

Indian food style and gave it my certain touch ups. The

technique and cooking is kept the same but the spices

and certain modifications are done differently that

makes the whole difference.

Q- What inspired you to be a chef?

A- Right from my initial days, I always went for the

'outside the box' approach. Usual and normal things

never excited me and I always strive for something

different. Long before I acquired the art of cooking, I

was a big foodie and used to visit several hotels and

restaurants with my parents. Coming from a joint

family, I was grown around food and always liked to

entertain people which this industry always had, but I

never had a concrete direction to venture in the same.

It was in my college days when my teacher told me to

pursue it as a career, I started gaining more

knowledge and paying more attention in this forte.

The skillset became stronger, knowledge amended

and the curiosity also increased eventually. That’s

how it all began with me.

Q- How is India shaping up in the ladder globally in

terms of the food and restaurant business?

A- Well, we’ve come a long way, right from the

2120

ingredients, the entire grocery range and shops,

everything has drastically renewed. Earlier Olive Oil

was used to massage your body and was generally

found in toilets as I recall. With the import laws

becoming more relaxed, a lot of ingredients coming to

India, Media educating the masses, people travelling

and learning about food made them more

experimental. India has gone through vast changes in

the last decades. We saw the advent of Chinese,

Italian, Thai, Japanese, Modern Indian cuisines and

are still constantly evolving in a positive notion. To

add-on, concept restaurants are raiding the belt,

foreign franchises are coming up, so there’s a lot going

on.

Q- Your message to your fans and budding chefs?

A- I’d advise you to revise your basic skills thoroughly.

It’s always good to set the basics right because you

need to walk before running. Ignite the passion inside

you, for if you’re not passionate, you can’t survive in

the hospitality industry.

Chefs Recipe-

BLACKENED PANEER STEAK WITH CORN PUREE

Ingredients

500gms Paneer

2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder

1tsp Paprika Powder

1 tsp Oregano

1tsp Cumin Powder

1tsp Coriander Powder

Salt to Taste

1tsp Red Chilli Flakes

1tbsp Olive Oil

8 Shallots

3-4 Jalapenos

1 cup American Corn

Salt to Taste

Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

1 tsp Oil

1/2 Diced Yellow Pepper

1/2 cup Milk

1 tbsp Oil

Sliced Spring Onions for Garnish

Sprouts for Garnish

Salt to Taste

1 tsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Olive

Method :

• Cut 500 gms Paneer in a Round Shape with a Cutter.

In a Plate, take 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder, 1 tsp

Paprika Powder, 1 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Cumin Powder, 1

tsp Coriander Powder, Salt to Taste, 1 tsp Red Chilli

Flakes and Mix Well.

Coat the Paneer in this Mixture and Sear the Paneer

in the Pan. Add 1 tbsp Olive Oil to the Paneer.

In a Pan, add 4 tbsp Olive Oil, 8 Shallots, 3-4

Jalapenos, 1 cup American Corn, Salt to taste, Cracked

Black Pepper to taste, 1/2 Diced Yellow Bell Pepper

and sauté it.

Add 1/2 cup Milk and Cook on a Low Flame. Put the

Mixture in a Mixer and Blend Well.

In a serving Plate, Pour the Corn Puree, Place the

Paneer Steak on it and pour 1 tsp Olive Oil on the Corn

Puree.

For Garnish, Mix Sliced Spring Onions, Sprouts, Salt,

Lemon Juice and Olive Oil and put it on the Paneer

Steak.

About the Chef:

‘I have always been an explorer & a lover for flavour &

taste. Being a chef for the most prestigious ocean liner

company Cunard and helming the largest kitchen at

sea, has made my dream and my life have the best of

the best. Travelling to the most exotic places, working

with 37 nationalities and cooking for Queen Elizabeth,

Nelson Mandela, Rod Stewart has made me open my

mind and think out of the box. I have kind of

developed a style of my own cooking where produce

is king. Global influences, local ingredients and

modern techniques is the trinity of my cuisines. Aurus

& Nido in Mumbai were the restaurants where I

created some crazy food and were considered among

the top eateries in the country.

Television is another medium where I share my

recipes and belief that people can cook & eat at home

very well. My vegetarian cook book Vicky Goes Veg is

•

•

•

•

•

a cutting edge veg cook book where world flavours

meet local markets in your homes. The book won the

prestigious Gourmand Award for Best Vegetarian

Cook 2015 this year. My newest show VICKYPEDIA

which starts in Feb on Zee is a fun filled show with

amazing recipes from all over the world.

Currently I work as Culinary Director for Everstone

Capital and am responsible for Harry’s Bar all over

India which is a relaxed bar with tasty comfort food

and great cocktails. Next my new venture The

Disgruntled Chef which will open shortly in Mumbai.

It is a produce and technique driven placer boasts of

delicious small plates, tapas, and hearty main meals

to share’, quotes Chef Ratnani.

2322

24

Ranveer BrarCelebrity Chef

“It’s very important to be a good human being to be a

good chef. People tend to try more than it’s required.

Uncomplicated your process and cuisines to be a good

chef.”


everything?

A- I think the ice-breaker for my career was my

transfer to the beautiful city of Goa back in the day. At

first, the initial emotions were not positive at all.

Going from Delhi Business Hotel when you’re young,

full of energy and ambitions, I was skeptical because

Goa as a territory is seasonal in terms of the business.

Being a city hotel kid, I was negative, skeptical and

angry at my company for my transfer. But quite the

opposite to my notions, Goa gave me the time to

figure things out, slow down and find my style,

find what I stood for. That was the call that changed

my life


A- Life in kitchen for me is excitement. It’s

full of emotions, actions, dynamics and there’s

so much that’s happening around. Every

moment is exciting, for new things head your way

every day.

Q- Ranveer Brar as a brand is globally renowned for

playing and experimenting with flavors. How did this

begin?

A- It started off with a belief that the basic palate and

understanding of tastes is the same across the world

and hence most combinations of taste flavor and

texture. it’s about using commonsense , sense of

Balance (and a little courage) to create new

combinations so if A works with B in Japan and and A

works with C in Europe then B and C will definitely

work together we just need a sense of balance and

experience .

Q- How did you end up being a chef and landed in

Kitchen? What inspired you initially?

A- The city of Lucknow & how the city takes it food and

takes talks about its food inspired me. I was always

close to kitchens. Initially as a child, spending time in

Langar kitchens with my grandfather every Sunday

and then as a food gossip monger in the streets of old

Lucknow . The city of Lucknow has a lot to do with

who I am and what I have become. The passion for

food is infectious and also it’s amazing how a city can

take its food. It’s in Old Lucknow where I began my

career inspired by the fine art of kebab making and

the general respect and finesse that’s woven into

food and culture

Q- Tell us about your evolution over the years as a

chef?

A- I started off very rapidly as a young man who 25

Italian Chaat

wanted to do it all that’s possible, by using a lot of

ingredients and overdoing things at times. Over the

years I have mellowed down and I firmly believe that

less is more. I gradually simplified things in my

cooking as well as a lot of things, about life about

personality, and it has worked wonders for me

personally.

Q- How do you manage to look fab even when you’re

working back& forth months and shooting?

A- While I am shooting, I taste everything and

eat nothing. Your palate needs to understand

but stomach doesn’t need to. Also, when I am

not shooting, I try to eat simple. Khichdi for instance,

allows my palate to rest and uncomplicated itself.

When I am usually not tasting or shooting, I keep it

simple and rest. Yoga and diet are my go-to

sanctuaries for staying fit. I strongly believe in

Ayurveda and nutritional healing. Food is the ultimate

medicine since forever and we need to trust food

and its connection to body and mind. Chakra

mediation and yoga keep me agile , disciplined and

grounded

Q- How do you see the Indians evolving on the map

of food?

A- I think our palates have lately been exposed to a lot

more over the last few decades. Indian cuisine is one

of the richest and thoughtful cuisines and we are used

to very complicated stuff as our cuisine isn’t simple.

Our palate is very refined, takes a lot of flavors and

dynamics, and with the rapid urbanization and

westernization with food coming from different part

of the world in our regions, we are exposed to a lot

complexities now.

Q- Can chefs be good businessmen? What challenges

do you foresee in this trade?

A- I think chefs can be good entrepreneurs. Probably

it’s always good to have partners backing you up

because it’s difficult to be creative and organize at the

same time. Some do it, some fail. So you should keep

it balanced. The Indian industry is pacing up great, but

oversupply of a same product is a challenge you see a

new bar doing great around the vicinity and within 6

months there’re 6 more bars within the stretch of

hardly a kilometer around. The same goes with

restaurants, eateries and much more. It is a massive

problem in bigger cities.

Q-What’s your favorite food and cuisine?

A- As you know it already, I firmly believe in un-

complicating things. I prefer eating Khichdi when I rest

and when I am cooking for myself, I prefer Italian food.

Mostly a Risotto.

Q- How was your experience at the Masterchef ?

A- It was the best and the one of the biggest moments

of my journey so far , it’s a platform that allows you to

share your passion and love for food with the entire

country . It creates a platform for chefs to understand

and appreciate the home cooking which is actually a

foundation of our culinary culture. I enjoyed and

cherished every moment and every interaction with

India's top home chefs. It made me wiser as a chef and

as a human being

Q- What is inspiring and motivating you these days?

A- Grains and super foods are a topic of study and

fascination for me , home chefs making it big is

another trend that i am very closely monitoring .

Q- There’s a whole generation of upcoming chefs and

students that strive to be like you. What message

would you like to convey to them?

2726

A- I think first and foremost, it’s very important to be a

good human being to be a good chef. People tend to

try more than it’s required. Uncomplicated your

process and cuisines to be a good chef. The rest shall

follow. Also, hard work is a pre-requisite. I always say

good health and well being is not about abstinence its

about discipline and moderation. Especially when it

comes to food, you don’t have to compromise on

taste and variety, the only parameter to manage is

quantity. Eating less and eating more often is the way

to go. Also, rest is the key to good health, it’s as

important as diet .

About the Chef:

Ranveer Brar is an Indian chef, TV show host, judge

and food stylist. His television shows include

Breakfast Xpress, Snack Attack, Homemade, The

Great Indian Rasoi,Health Bhi Taste Bhi, Ranveer's

Cafe, Food Tripping and Thank God It's Fryday. He was

also one of the judges for season four of MasterChef

India, alongside fellow chefs Sanjeev Kapoor and

Vikas Khanna.

ITALIAN CHAAT

Ingredient

For Parmesan wafer

Parmesan cheese, shredded 1 cup

Lemon zest, dried 1 tbsp

Shredded basil leaves 1 tsbp

Flour 1 cup

Olive oil 4 tbsp

Tamarind chutney 1 tsbp

Olive oil 1 tbsp

Lime rind 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves handful

Sweet potato, boiled, cut thin sliced 2 cup

Oil 1 tsp

Tomato, seedless, slices 1 medium

Salt To taste

Red chili powder ½ tsp

Garnish

Spaghetti pasta, uncooked 5 to 6

Oil for frying

Chefs Recipe-

2928

Method

• Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Make dough

and keep aside.

Roll it flat with rolling pin thinly and cut into small

size pooris using cutter or small Katori.

Dust flour on baking tray and place place chips.

Baked until it turns golden brown in color.

Sauté sliced sweet potato and sliced tomato in oil

and season well with salt and red chili powder.

Deep fry spaghetti pasta and keep aside.

in bowl, add potato, grated ginger, parmesan

wafers and tamarind chutney gently. Garnish with

chopped coriander. And fried spaghetti.

•

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•

Chef Harpal Singh SokhiCelebrity Chef

31

‘You might have seen him doing wonders on the

screen. Here’s a candid interview with the maven’

Q- What inspired you to be a chef?

A- On the first instance it is more than a job that lead

me to kitchen and later when I was pursuing my hotel

management I think the passion triggered in me early

and I realized that is the profession which my heart

wants to follow and ever since then I never looked

back. It was a perfect marriage of profession and

passion.


A- Life in Kitchen started early for me as I used

to help my mother by lighting up the charcoal

fire, running basic errands for which incidentally

became a career in life. The same was not

thought through though, however when I took

up hotel management as a career and it was

decided in the first few months of my Hotel

Management days that I had become a Chef.

The love and passion for being in the kitchen did not

allow me to look any further. Being in the kitchen is

like being in Bliss. It is Soulful, it is happiness it is

innovation, creativity, it is self motivation. It is like

being at home relaxed and calm while the aromas of

cooking, at times the madness everything is worth

enjoyed by me.

Q. Describe your journey.

A- As I always mentioned that it was in my early days

that I realized that I loved what I was doing and the

career choice of becoming a Chef was driven by

passion and I had to pursue with Zeal and hard work,

which eventually lead me to where I wanted to be.

Early days as a professional Chef it was a choice of

being the maestro in the kitchen as life transformed

further from a Professional Chef to a peoples Chef I

realized that I had to live in everyone’s heart and out

of the salt box. Every time people think of cooking

with a smile I should be there in the top recall and

every time someone touches salt I should be there

Omni present with him or her. The journey is still on

and I wish to live in the hearts of Billions of Indians and

people across the world.

Q. What things have you seen changing in cuisines


now?

A- In my early days we would rely totally on guidance

and elderly Chefs to learn from them. A good mentor

early days for hands on learning was important and as

things changed with technology and the economies

opening up. Travel became easier and people started

moving around and so did cuisines and cultures

started shifting from their place or origin to far flung

places. Technology further helped in learning, it was Soya Methi Mutter

3332

easier to adapt a recipe as it could be downloaded

through internet and the same could be tried. Earlier

people would always mentaion that you have to grey

your hair to become a Chef which according to me is

still true as the learning does not end and nobody can

master the art in one’s life time however these days it

is easier to say that young Chefs definitely as doing a

good job and technology has helped everyone grow

faster. Even when look at television it is not so much

important to be on TV as digital platforms have taken

over the medium of TV and one can create his own

channel and show case his talent. Things are changed

and I am sure in time to come we would see Cloud

kitchens.

Q. Which has been your prime learning throughout

the career so far?

A- As I said and will endorse this throughout my life

learning never ends in a kitchen. However certain

period of my learning was amazing. I remember my

days when I used to work in small well known

restaurant called Vintage and we would specialize in

Hyderabadi cuisine. We had a Hyderabadi Ustad

Habib Pasha who as a maestro and kind of herbs he

used to make biryani was amazing. I remember that

people about 100 meters away in the street would

come to known that biryani was being cooked in our

restaurant. I mastered the art under his guidance.

From the there the trigger to learn more about Royal

Hyderabaid cuisine developed and I went ahead to

train myself under Begum Mumtaz Khan belonging to

the Jagirdar families of Hyderabad.

In my early days I remember that these Dhaka Bengali

Chefs who were masters in Western Cuisine I

remember one such man who trained me in

Contextual Cuisine Gomes.

My travel across the country and International

locations for my road shows further helped me

master the art of local cuisines from across the

country and the world. However learning never

stopped till date and will continue to be so.



- A Chef always has challenge and does face lots of

health hazards while working in the kitchen. However

utmost precaution is taken for all aspects to protect

one from working in situations like being close to

steam boilers etc. One needs to take precaution of

lifting heaving things because that does lead to back

problems for most Chefs.

Chefs have to taste day in and day out so has to

maintain a healthy life style. I remember when I create

concepts at times I always have to taste a lot however I

ensure that I jog, exercise and maintain a plan to

balance out my eating habits.

It is important for every one over indulgence would

lead to problems which are more life style driver I

would say.



A- I think they mature and evolve with time. However

we are particular that when we are tasting food

especially at events we do loose appetite so we have

to drink water, take breaks and have palate cleansers

in between.

I remember when we cook for hours which happens

most of the time appetite is definitely lost as keep

smelling food and also keep tasting food in between it

is a challenge and at that point of time eating healthy

becomes important for us.

Q. What are the important elements in food


A- I think quality ingredients are the most important

aspect to cook great food. They are of course backed

by a calm happy mind which makes food even better.

Further lot of science goes into cooking, a set

procedure is followed which helps you prepare great

food. Great tools, gadgets and cooking mediums

enhance food further. I would say like in our olden

days we would have slow cooking on cow dung fire

helped food cook slowly and taste even better. All

these procedures are back in practice. Even cook

vessels make a difference.

Q. How you compare Indian food and international

35

cuisine on the basis of selling proposition

(economics)?

A- I always would remain a Desi Chef and I would like

remind everyone who read this that DESI is in thing.

Indian food is like AMAZON vast, undiscovered, un

exploited and evolving with everyday. WE as Chefs

have great responsibility of showcasing the world

what India has to offer. No other Cuisine across the

world has so much variety, so much tradition and

regional food as we have.

WE have slowly evolved to market, present the food

in forms that are more acceptable to the international

traveler. It is also about sharing the knowledge with

the world about our cuisine. Thanks to the digital

platforms and easy knowledge that is available across

the platforms.

In terms economics too I would say that some of the

most expensive ingredients in the world are found in

India be it Saffron , Gucchi (Morels), Shahi Jeera,

Spices, Himalayan Ayurvedic Spices.

Some of the best Goat meats available only in Inida I

would say and not across the world.

Q. Which are the new trends emerging in the world

cuisine?

A- In the current scenario the world is becoming a

global space of exchange of cuisne and flavours. I

would say that every Chef is experimenting more and

more with new flavours from across the globe. He also

has access to various ingredients wherever he is living

across the world. I would say Turmeric is one sought

after ingredients and used by most Chefs across the

World.

In India too we have been seeing that Desi street food

has suddently the in thing in Five stars and premiere

restaurants across the country. Chefs are also

incorporating international flavours in DESI Cuisine

and up lifting the presentation experience.

Q. How is the country on the terms of F&B business?

A- I think the opening up of economy, people

travelling a lot within the country, local tourism all

have added up to the evolving food habits of the

people. Indians have been travelling abroad, locally

whenever they get the opportunity and food plays

and important role as memories of travel.

We see restaurants opening almost every day across

with new concepts and people are exploring them.

Life in major metros has become more hectic which is

also driving small formats restaurants and take ways

restaurants.

Having said this I would also mention that it is a thin

line of success which divides the business and one has

to be attentive to demand and supply all the time. He

also has to sink into the business to succeed.

Q. Do you think Chefs become successful

entrepreneurs?

A- I think we all are evolving as business men. Chefs

are passionate people and for business the most

important thing is to think like a businessman and not

hold the passion to close to your heart. It is difficult at

times but I would talk about myself. When I was

turning myself into a Chef Entrepreneur I had to keep

the passion a little behind to understand what works

and what doesn’t . At times successful recipes which

are very dear to me might require localization as pre

the palates and demand so we have to change and

adapt as soon as possible. We also have to work on

economics of running the business. However I would

say that for passionate people it is important to have

partners who manage the business side and one

should look at forming a perfect pair to create a

successful enterprise.

Q. What essential changes did you bring to your style


A- Well the first thing is that I mastered the art of

Hyderabadi Cuisine and learnt from the Ustads. I

adapt to all changes and cook with whatever is easily

available. I love blending flavors and bring about small

changes that excite people. Even at professional level

when I teach young Chefs I make them feel that it is

easy. However the most important aspect which I

keep telling people is that one needs to understand

how ingredients behave while cooking, however

flavors should be blended and what are the right

34

3736

combinations.

When it comes to television I adapt the recipes for

masses and even before I cook I keep the end user in

mind whoever is watching in the remotest place

should be able to replicate my recipe with ease.

Q. What hindrances do you foresee in food

business?

A- I think the world is changing fast and we have to

adapt to things as fast as possible. The first mover will

always have an advantage for any concept. IT is

important for us to read and update at every stage so

that we are not left out. I keep doing this by attending

various forums and reading magazines.

Harpal Singh Sokhi is a celebrity chef from India

renowned for his experience with multiple hotel and

restaurant chains plus his own venture- The Funjabi

Tadka. He has hosted the cooking show Turban Tadka,

and is the Director of Turban Tadka Hospitality.

Soya Methi Mutter

Prep Time : 10-12 Min.

Cook Time : 15-20 Min.

Serve : 3-4.

Ingredient

Soya Granules 1 cup

Methi chopped and boiled ½ cup

Coriander powder 1½ tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Garam masala powder 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Green peas 50 gm

Onion chopped 1 large

Red chilli powder 1½ tsp

Salt to taste

Tomatoes chopped 1cup

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Qasoori methi ½ tsp

About the Chef-

Chef’s Recipe

Method:

1. Take a big bowl of water with soya granules and

microwave for 3 ½ min.

2. Heat oil in a pan and when it becomes hot, add

cumin seeds once spluttered add chopped

onions, salt and sauté till the onions light golden

in color.

3. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1 min.

4. Add chopped tomatoes and salt and cook it for 4-

5 min.

5. Mean while Check the soya bean, take out from

microwave and keep it aside.

6. Add methi leaves and cook for another 6-8

minutes in slow flame.

7. Add in red chilli powder, cumin powder,

coriander powder and garam masala powder;

Cook it for 6-8 minutes.

8. Add strained soya granules along with the green

peas and sauté for 30 sec.

9. Add some water and mix well so that soya

absorbs all spices. Once dried add Qasoori methi

and mix well.

10. Remove it in a serving bowl and garnish it with

coriander leaves and ginger juliennes and serve

hot chapattis.

Chef Randhir TiwariProject Chef Manager at Eighteen Sixty One Hospitality Pvt.Ltd.

Concept & Menu Developer and Chef Consultant

‘Nowadays, chefs are trying to make food more for

Instagram & facebook than more for soul. That’s the

change I can see.’


A- Life in kitchen is always peppy, loud ,busy chaotic &

fun for me.


A- Since child hood, I have always had interest in

cooking. I started off with learning how to make veg

sandwich in school when I was in 1st standard. It was

from there that the real things triggered.

Q. Recite your journey as a chef.

A- Its been a journey of almost of 20 yrs now. It’s been

very colorful & exciting, travelling around, meeting

new people, learning about different cultures & food

around the globe. A lot of hard work is involved, as I

have seen heaps of ups & downs. It’s the love for food

& family that supports me to keep it going.

Q. Explain the changes in cuisines and food business

when you began your career and now?

A- It has totally changed now and has undergone a

complete transformation. When I started back then, it

was all about the best of authentic taste & recipes,

following rule books and traditional style of cooking.

There were lots of specialty restaurants, authentic &

regional cuisines/ dine culture. All changed in last few

years with lots of new young chefs, cooks coming up &

trying strange things with food to stay in competition

& get fame on social media, which is very dominant

now & was not there when I started. Calling it

modern, fusion but its more confusing I believe.

Without having actual knowledge of taste & texture

of ingredients you can’t come up with some beautiful

dish. Nowadays, chefs are trying to make food more

for Instagram & facebook than more for soul. That’s

the change I can see.


the career so far?

A- I started learning from the best chefs of the

Industry of my time in Top 5 star Hotel of Delhi in year

1998, Hyatt Regency. I covered almost all the sections

of Kitchen from Garde Manger to Bakery to Butchery

to specialty restaurants. I started from basics of

kitchen, worked 14-16 hours a day without a break.

Whatever I am, I give the credit to HYATT REGENCY

Delhi for teaching all my basics & doing it in the right

professional way.



A- A chef’s job requires a lot of physical & mental

39

Crispy Chicken Thai Basil

strength to keep yourself on top of your job. Its one of

the toughest job I see after Army & few other

professions. Since you are always in firing line & things

are always busy & instant, it’s very hard to keep your

cool & give 100% every time you dispense food from

kitchen.



A- It’s a skill itself. First you need to know the most

authentic taste of the dish, you save it in your brain

forever & keep repeating that dish with same quality

& taste all the time. You taste to make sure that the

dish is perfect & exactly the way you wanted. Until you

are not 100 % sure about the taste, texture ,color &

consistency of the dish, you can’t serve it.



A- Well, for me personally, following the right recipe,

having thorough knowledge of ingredients, balancing

the right elements like seasoning, garnish, and

texture can really put your dish together.

Q. How you compare Indian food and international



A- I have traveled few other parts of the world also like

Australia, Caribbean, Europe to represent INDIAN

food on global platforms & trust me, Indian Food &

Culture is famous & loved everywhere beyond

imagination. It was a pleasure & proud occasion for

me, since cross culture always attracts so much. In my

personal opinion, Indian & Oriental Cuisines are the

most famous cuisines in the world. About

International cuisines, if I talk about, doesn't have so

much of variations & depth like above mentioned

two. Indian food sells a lot everywhere & the best part

is the ingredients used in Indian food is not very

expensive & almost available in all parts of the world.


cuisine?

A- At present, modern presentation of traditional

dishes with using new style of plating, using micro

greens, eatable flowers, organic vegetables are the

latest trend. Using fancy colorful & dark plates, pairing

dishes with interesting accompaniments are the

latest trend & people like it.

Q. How is India developing its food habits and


business?

A- People in India are more conscious about their

eating habits. They are open for all kind of cuisines &

experimental with food now. So the demand of having

health food & variations of taste & presentation is

really increasing & changing dimensions of F&B

business in India.

Q. Do you think Chefs have reached a point where

they are successful business? Which characteristics

have helped them to become successful

entrepreneurs?

A- I believe the core part of Hospitality business is

Food. If the food is right there on top with quick

efficient service, business will always succeed. So, the

Chefs now play a major role in the Industry. They have

become the brand themselves. For becoming a

successful entrepreneur one should stick to the basics

first & must understand the demand of the market &

should create his own identity through the menu &

dishes he will curate.



A- My style of cooking revolves around the authentic

recipe & taste presenting in easy modern way.

Q. What future challenges do you foresee in future

emerging in food business? How as a chef do you

prepare yourself to brace that challenge?

A- The prominent challenge I see is in the near future,

of primarily having genuine people coming in the

industry & opening Hospitality ventures. Plus in the

past 10-12 years lots of Hotel management college

have shroomed all over the country & they are just not

focusing in quality & giving raw professions without

4342

45

any knowledge. So it’s going to be tough for the

industry. The genuine Chefs need not to worry, even

in the future they are true professionals & will be

always up for any challenges in the future.

Crispy Chicken Thai Basil

Ingredients

for Crispy Chicken

Chicken Thigh washed & cleaned 2.10 gms

All purpose flour for coating 2 table spoon

Corn Flour 3 table spoon

Egg 1 no.

Salt According to taste

Black pepper 1 pinch

( Mix All ingredients together & keep it aside

for 5-10 min)

Deep Fry Chicken till it becomes golden brown, After

taking out make chicken make it rest for 2

minutes & then cut it in finger shape.

For thai sauce:-

Chef's Recipe:

Step1.

Cooking oil 20 ml.

Chopped garlic 20 gms.

Lemon (kafir) Leaf 2-3 pcs.

Lemon grass sliced 10 gms

Thai ginger 20 gms

Basil leaves 5 pcs.

Coriander stems fine chopped10 gms

Tomato ketchup 2 table spoon

Red chilli paste 5 gms.

Sugar a pinch

White vinager 10 ml.

Dark Soy Sauce 5 ml.

Salt According to taste

Chicken Broth or stock 5 ml.

Step 2. Take oil in non stick wok or deep pan ,After

heat, Put chopped garlic & sauté & then put all

ingredients of Sauce together, Once the sauce is ready

Put Crispy fried chicken in to it & toss it few times on

high flame. Serve it hot with garnish of Coriander

sprigs & Spring onion leaves.

Preparation Time 20-25 Min.

44 45

4732

Chef Reetu Uday KugajiChef, Mentor, Culinary Expert, Food Blogger & Author,

Hospitality and Food Consultant

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be

different.”


A- Food is my Religion and Kitchen is my KINGDOM- A

stress free Zone. I believe in this quote: "In order to be

irreplaceable, one must always be different."

My Mantra: The only ingredient required for cooking

is “Passion”.

Though there are hardships and sacrifices, may it be

personally or socially we as chefs have to work

selflessly and tirelessly, I believe that my love and

passion for food has given me immense respect.

I am a complete foodie; love to experiment with

foods, innovations and fusions in foods and

beverages; passionate about exploring new places

and tasting and knowing about different types of

cuisines. I totally adore food styling and food

photography. I have an insatiable curiosity for new

foods and love pairing flavours, foods and ideas from

different parts of the world. It feels great to share my

knowledge and skills with everyone.

Multi-tasking is an important requirement today. A

chef does it all may it be Menu Planning, adhering to

Food Safety guidelines, Food preparation, Food

plating, Food presentation, Food styling, food

photography, Food costing and budgeting, Tech savvy,

Being on Social Media, YouTube, TV, Workshops,

seminars and conferences. Being Brand Ambassadors

of Food products. And most of being Humble. It is

selfless and tiring job but keeping the zeal and passion

alive at all times is a What a Chef is…….. My respect

goes to all the chefs who set examples of hard work ,

dedication and creativity.


A- "All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my Angel

Mother in Heaven."

As a Kid I have grown up seeing my mother cook the

most delectable cuisines for the entire family. That

gave the first click in my mind that, Yes food is such an

interesting and enormous art. I guess that I have got it

through my genes.

Chef Sanjay R. Ghokshe, who has mentored me to

hold my Chef Knife , to cook and to take up challenges

as I very well remember that I was very scared of

Blood , and what he did to ensure that I face it is he put

me on my first Training at the LeelaKempenski ,

Mumbai in the Butchery. That day & today I can

Slaughter a Lamb LOL, though I am a pure vegetarian. I

remember him tell all the Students in my class that

she might be the shortest but I measure her height

from her brains. Yes Chef I have made you proud.

Turning Point to select this profession: Also I

remember when almost all my relatives were strictly

against my joining the Hotel Management, the person

who stood like a pillar were and are my parents. The

myth those days was that this profession is just not

apt for girls.

I owe all my success to my Mom, Mrs. Manjit Arora Aloo Aur Gulab Ka Halwa

4948

and my Dad , Mr. M.S. Arora, who supported me right

from day 1. I am also blessed to have such a

supportive and motivating husband, my soulmate

Uday Kugaji who supports, encourages and motivates

me in my growth and success.

I received the certificate of merit and medal for

dedication in academics from Dadasaheb that is

Honorable Dr. D.Y Patil Sir, former Governer of Tripura

and West Bengal and Dr. Vijay D. Patil, the man behind

the absolutely fantastic Stadium –D.Y.Patil Stadium at

Navi Mumbai.

I have been into the menu planning and have

prepared the most delectable and exotic cuisines for

the Former Hon. President Of India Her Excellency

Smt. Pratibha Tai Patil, “The God of Cricket”Mr. Sachin

Ramesh Tendulkar, “The Great Wall of Indian Cricket”

Mr. Rahul Dravid and various other dignitaries and

eminent personalities. Intricately prepared cuisine

designed to capture a delicious and exciting range of

flavours, textures and aromas. Handled Special Food

Preparations for IPL matches, T 20-20, International

Cricket Matches at the D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi

Mumbai. So I have cooked the most delectable

cuisines for small to very large numbers.

With 20 + years of experience in the world of culinary,

I believe that food is like oxygen to me. Food for me is

God. I believe that the food that I cook / prepare

should not only touch the hearts but also the souls of

the people relishing it.

I am privileged to be a Chef and a Mentor to

thousands of budding chefs of tomorrow.

I am presently working as a Speciality Chef with Chef

Sutra, Percept Knorigin, Cine Curry and Oxygen

Infotainment and as a Food Author with Pioneer Chef,

Urban Spice, Pinksworth and Tanya Munshi.

I also work as a Hospitality and Food Consultant,

Speciality Chef and Food Author at Platter Share.

Chef Consultant and Culinary Expert at “FITMAG”

http://www.fitmag.in/

I am a member of Western India Culinary Association

(WICA)

You can visit my website

www.chefreetuudaykugaji.com my blog:

https://chefreetuudaykugaji.com/blog/and my

Facebook page, ‘Food For Thought by Chef Mrs

Reetu Uday Kugaji’,

https://www.facebook.com/chefreetuudaykugaji/

Also, I am into writing recipes to suit both Desi and

Videshi people and articles for various online and

offline publications.

In the past, I have worked as a Program Head of

Culinary Arts, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

at the ITM Institute of Hotel Management at Navi

Mumbai.

Also ,I have worked as an Associate Professor at D.Y.

Patil University, School of Hospitality and Tourism

Studies, Navi Mumbai. At the D.Y. Patil University and

Stadium, I was menu planning and preparing the most

delectable and exotic cuisines for the Former Hon.

President Of India Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Tai

Patil, “The God of Cricket” Mr. Sachin Ramesh

Tendulkar, “The Great Wall of Indian Cricket” Mr.

Rahul Dravid and various other dignitaries and

eminent personalities.

I intricately prepared cuisine designed to capture a

delicious and exciting range of flavours, textures and

aromas. I also handled special food preparations for

IPL matches, T 20-20, International Cricket Matches at

the D.Y. Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. I have cooked the

most delectable cuisines for small to very large

numbers.

With 20 years of experience in the world of culinary, I

believe that food is like oxygen to me. Food for me is

God. As my profession demands cooking and tasting

Non-Vegetarian foods & in spite of being a pure

vegetarian, I perform my duties religiously as I

understand the cause behind it is holy and noble. I

profoundly believe that food whether vegetarian or

non-vegetarian, if cooked with utmost love and

positivity touches the heart of a person relishing it. I

am privileged to be a Chef and a Mentor. If I have to

say what my biggest achievements are, they would be

shaping the careers and motivating thousands of

students. I am indeed blessed to see my students

excel in their careers and holding immense respect,

gratitude and love for me. I believe that the food that I

cook / prepare should not only touch the hearts but

also the souls of the people relishing it.

Q. How has your journey changed throughout the


A- I have learnt a lot from every one I come in contact

with. For me it is very essential for a chef to keep

learning and experimenting with foods. Accepting the

51

change and moving forward with it and of course

never let your Passion for curating food dishes die.

The only Constant in Life is CHANGE.

I am still learning. There is lot to learn and do…… I feel

so proud of my roots and feel that no matter whom

you come contact with one must pick up the positives

and drop the negatives.

I have gained immense respect and have had the

privilege to be a Mentor to thousands and thousands

of Budding Chefs.



now?

A- The Guests of today are far more educated in terms

of different kinds of cuisines and their expectations

are much higher than before. Food service business is

growing leaps and bounds. In India you find a variety

of cuisines served, people love to experiment with

food.

Whether he/ she is an Indian or an NRI. You will find

Theme restaurants, Cafés, lounges and fine dining

restaurants at every nook and corner. Food malls with

all the exotic foods available under one roof. In short

Food Service Business is unbeatable and everlasting.

So a big thumbs up to it!!!!!

The definition of Chef in Modern day has completely

changed. In the past Chefs were expected only to cook

but now in this cut-throat competition a chef is

expected to be thoroughly upgraded not only about

culinary but also the advancements in entire

Hospitality consisting of having a face to face

feedback from the guest, having an interaction with

the guests. A modern chef should be hi-tech, role-

model, innovator, knowledgeable and a big plus if he /

she is a food stylist and a food photographer.

This quote fits very well for a modern-day Chef “Dare

to be different”. “In order to be irreplaceable one

must always be different.”

It is very important for the modern chef to be known

for the work that has been put by him / her. Through

undying Passion, dedication and Hard work and being

different that is innovative can you stay on the Top.

Chef Satish Arora, Chef Imtiaz Qureshi, Chef Vineet

Bhatia, Chef AtulKochhar , Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Chef

Vikas Khanna and Chef RanveerBrar are a few

amongst many such shining stars to be the epitome of

Culinary.


the career so far?

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you

were to live forever.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Learning is an everlasting process, I learn from every

one even from my students, from every person I know

or I don’t even know. Pick up the Positives and DROP

THE NEGATIVES.

Upgrading oneself must be constant, may it be skills,

training, technology or recent trends in Culinary and

Hospitality. On the Job I do a lot of experimenting with

food and off the job I ensure that I attend a lot of

workshops or seminars which relates to culinary. I

keep myself updated with the latest trends of the

Hospitality Industry by attending a lot to Faculty

Development Programmes. I have trained extensively

at The LeelaKempinski, The Ambassadors Sky Chef

and The Trident, Mumbai in the Food Production

Department. I am also a member of Western India

Culinary Association (WICA)

The Major Challenge for any chef is the reality that

their work is both very demanding and requires

constant change in this world of Culinary.

I have learnt a lot from every one I come in contact








A- Omg now this question is a big one. Our job

involves a lot of tasting so that a dish of the highest

standard reaches to the person consuming and

relishing it. Long hours of working does require a well

maintained and balanced diet for not only physical

but also for being stress free. A lot of physical as well

as mental work is involved in our day to day working

hence striking an excellent balance in our diet is of

utmost importance.


and eating while cooking?50

5352

A- As mentioned earlier Tasting is required not eating

LOL. So this comes with absolute experience. As we

grow in our career and experience there are times a

chef knows it all from only the aroma and visual

appeal of the food, so may be tasting also may

become a choice.



A- Fresh Ingredients, Balanced Flavours, Nutrition,

Visual Appeal / Food Presentation and Passion to cook

Soul Food. We eat with our Eyes first, i.e. Food which

is appealing to the eye is preferred first , then comes

the flavours and aroma.


cuisine?

A- Food trends are changing largely. The best

examples that I can give is Now Organic Foods are

preferred. Vegan Foods is a new trend. People prefer

eating food which is healthy. Chefs nowadays not only

concentrate on flavor’s, appearance but also on

Nutrition. People still expect Food which is more

comforting like GharKaKhanna , but if age groups are

to be considered then the youngsters would love to

go and experiment consuming foods which have an

innovation in it. On a global scenario Technology has

played a big role bringing different cuisines on one

table.

Q. How India is developing its food habits and


business?

A- People have started consuming various cuisines

not only Indian but also International. This has

brought a tremendous change in the F&B Business.

Extreme competition for providing varied cuisines

under one roof is a complete challenge, also ensuring

that the food and services provided are impeccable so

that the guest comes again, i.e. returns and enjoys

food in the same restaurant / food outlet. Food habits

does play a major role in the success or failure of a

specific cuisine. For example in many parts of India

not many people may have a palate for Japanese

cuisine so one cannot take a risk to open a Japanese

Restaurant, of course there are other factors also that

matter i.e. location, clientele , availability of

ingredients and of Course FOOD HABITS.

Q. Do you think Chefs have reached a point where



entrepreneurs?

A- India has a lot of Excellent Quality, trained and

qualified chefs to meet the new emerging demands in

the Food service Industry. I must say that with the

advent of Internet we chefs have gained more

popularity. Indian chefs have now in recent years have

got recognized with Michelin Stars, that is Celebrity

Chef Vikas Khanna. India has also started recognizing

Culinary Art, Talent, Skills and Hard work of Chefs like

Chef Imitiaz Qureshi and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who

have received India’s Highest Civilian Award The

Padma Shri in Culinary Contributions.

The Major Challenge for any chef is the reality that

their work is both very demanding and requires

constant change in this world of Culinary.

I have learnt a lot from every one I come in contact






Customer Orientation- The Client come First in the list

of Priorities. Customer Service is of utmost

importance.

Training and Coaching of the entire staff.

Uniqueness and standardization of all the Recipes.

They do not cut down on Quality to gain more profits

as you are under the spotlight from day one.

Spot the gaps in the Market and fill them with talent,

skills and ability.

The above qualities and the in-depth immense

knowledge of Both Cooking and what exactly a

consumer desires, have made Chefs Successful

Entrepreneurs.

I feel immensely proud that I as a MENTOR am

responsible for shaping the careers of Budding Chefs.



A- Doing a lot of research on Lost Recipes of India. As

chefs and mentors we owe to the generations coming

to bring back the lost recipes of India. I believe that

Indian cuisine has gone a long way, may it be

creativity, food plating and food presentation.

A proud Indian Chef Mentor like me would only say

that I am immensely proud to be born in a Country like

INDIA , where we all consider food to be GOD. A

country of Culinary Delights. Cooking techniques,

methods and authentic recipes passed from

generations to generations are our treasure. In the

past ,as a Program Head- Culinary Arts, Chef and

mentor to thousands of budding chefs , I have tried

my bit of introducing the lost recipes of India in our

Queen Margaret University module known as

Culinary Concept Development and Production

where I encourage students to bring back the lost

recipes of India.

This not only creates awareness among the budding

chefs but when they go ahead with their extensive

research, they are facing mind-boggling facts like

what a vast and rich treasure we have in Indian

Cuisine.

Positively the coming generations will bring back the

lost recipes of India , the authentic flavor’s and

fragrance as India’s colonial legacy is food.

A few names require a special mention

Chef Imtiaz Qureshi- Master of Dum, the first chef to

be awarded a Padma Shri for his contribution to

Indian Cuisine.

Chef Satish Arora- A Chef Extraordinaire, his passion

for food saw him spearhead a revolution in Indian

restaurant cuisine. His dishes involved essentials of

home cooking whilst also adapting regional Indian

food.

Chef Parvinder Singh Bali is also an author of many

books that are a guideline and an inspiration to many

budding chefs. His book Quantity Food Production

Operations and Indian Cuisine won the best book

from India in the World Gourmand Awards.

Chef Osama Jalali is the food writer, critic and food

festival curator, he has passionately helped luxury

hotels revive old Delhi cuisine.

Chef Aditya Bal who has been on NDTV Good Times

the most celebrated anchor-chefs on Chakh Le India

the most popular food show on the channel. He had

recently hosted the ‘Lost Recipes’ show by Epic

Channel, which dealt with the discovery of dishes that

have died out in various parts of our country.

I take this opportunity to thank all the chefs who are

working tirelessly to bring back the forgotten recipes of India.

I can foresee that Indian Cuisine will make a mark on the Globe with its

authentic unbeatable cuisine.

Q. What are future challenges do you foresee in future emerging in

food business? How as a chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- Food trends keep changing and emerging, this requires swiftness

and upgrading oneself and also an open mind to go with the changes.

Organic foods and Vegan foods are the new trend in the present, so one

needs to be capable of going with this enormous change. Food Industry

and its demands are vast, so customer satisfaction to keep up with the

completion with the best of the best is a great challenge.

Upgrading oneself must be constant, may it be skills, training,

technology or recent trends in Culinary and Hospitality. On the Job I do

a lot of experimenting with food and off the job I ensure that I attend a

lot of workshops or seminars which relates to culinary. I keep myself

updated with the latest trends of the Hospitality Industry by attending

a lot to Faculty Development Programmes. I have trained extensively at

The LeelaKempinski, The Ambassadors Sky Chef and The Trident,

Mumbai in the Food Production Department. I am also a member of

Western India Culinary Association (WICA)

In the past year ,I ensured that my students who are going to be the

future Chefs , have a wow factor in them. For that I remember that in

the Practical sessions I don’t want them to blindly follow the

curriculum, I throw challenges at them like preparing desserts with

Bitter Gourd , Okra, Egg Plant and Garlic. It is indeed a pleasure to see

these young minds coming up with superb food dishes or desserts like

Okra and Wasabi Tiramisu , Lasooni Barfi and Smoked Eggplant Ice

Cream. I love these kind of sessions as Ideas pour in and it is a learning

for them as well as me.

In 2018 also I wish to continue Imparting and Gaining knowledge which

makes my students best from the rest, as there is a lot of competition in

the Hospitably sector mainly in the Food Production Department. I

believe this completion is necessary for the growth of any Chef.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live

forever.”

? Mahatma Gandhi

Learning is an everlasting process, I learn from every one even from my

students, from every person I know or I don’t even know. Pick up the

Positives and DROP THE NEGATIVES.

Holding a double masters and a vast and enriching experience of 20+

years in the world of culinary and academics, I believe that food is like

oxygen to me. Food for me is God.

I am presently working as a Hospitality and Food Consultant,

Speciality Chef and Food Author at www.plattershare.com , Chef

About the Chef:

Consultant and Culinary Expert at “FITMAG”

http://www.fitmag.in/ , Speciality Chef with

www.Percept Knorigin.com , www.cinecurry.com ,

Oxygen Infotainment and www.chefsutra.com and

as a Food Author with www.pioneerchef.com,

www.pinksworth.com , www.tanyamunshi.com,

http://www.mangobunch.com/

and, Chef, Food Author & Food Expert at

http://womenpla.net/

http://womenpla.net/author/reetu-uday-kugaji/

Food Author & Food expert at

http://www.mangobunch.com/

I am a member of Western India Culinary Association

(WICA)

Winner in the Top 50 WeAreTheCity India’s Rising

Stars 2017

http://wearethecity.in/rising-stars-2017/rising-stars-

2017-winners/ award received on the 14th November

2017 at the J W Marriots, Juhu Mumbai.

Featured on the COVER PAGE of Food Service

Magazine India – September October 2017.

I had been into the menu planning and have prepared

the most delectable and exotic cuisines for the

Former Hon. President Of India Her Excellency Smt.

Pratibha Tai Patil, “The God of Cricket”Mr.

SachinRamesh Tendulkar, “The Great Wall of Indian

Cricket” Mr. Rahul Dravid and various other

dignitaries and eminent personalities.

I believe that the food that I cook / prepare should not

only touch the hearts but also the souls of the people

relishing it.

In the past ,I have worked as a Program Head- Culinary

Arts, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh at the

ITM Institute of Hotel Management, Navi Mumbai.

In the past, I have also contributed as an Associate

Professor at D. Y. Patil University, School of Hospitality

and Tourism Studies, Navi Mumbai.

Constant dedication and hard work in academics -

Prestigious Medal and Certificate of Merit in 1995

from His Excellency Honorable Dada Saheb Dr. D.Y.

Patil, Former Governor of Bihar and West Bengal and

the President of Dr. D.Y. Patil University , Dr. Vijay D.

Patil.

Blog: https://chefreetuudaykugaji.com/blog/

Facebook Page: Food for Thought by Chef Mrs Reetu

Uday Kugaji

5554

https://www.facebook.com/chefreetuudaykugaji/

My Facebook group- Closed group “Knowledge is

Wisdom”.

Twitter- @chefreetuudayk

Instagram- @chefreetuudaykugaji

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/chef-mrs-reetu-

uday-kugaji-5b69a178

Aloo Aur Gulab Ka Halwa

A twist to the regular halwas, delectable halwa

prepared with Potatoes, Gulkand , Gulab (edible rose

petals) and Khoya, flavoured with Green Cardamom

Powder and drizzled with rose water garnished with

dried edible rose petals and slivered nuts.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

CookingTime : 25 minutes

Serves : 4

Cuisine: Indian

Course- Indian Sweet / Dessert

Ingredients

Potato parboiled and peeled 01 Large

Clarified Butter 1 ½ tbsp.

Sugar 1/2 cup

Mawa (khoya) 150 gm.

Full Cream Milk ¾ cup

Gulkand ½ tbsp.

Rose petals, edible, dried, finely chopped 1 ½ tbsp.

Rose water 10 ml.

Green cardamom powder ¼ th tsp.

Almonds blanched, peeled and slivered 10 gm.

Pistachio nuts blanched, peeled and slivered 05 gm.

For the garnish:

Almonds blanched, peeled and slivered- 05 gm

Pistachio nuts blanched, peeled and slivered- 05gm.

Rose petals, edible, dried- ½ tbsp.

1. Grate the parboiled potatoes. Keep aside

2. Heat the clarified butter in a heavy bottomed

non-stick pan, add the potatoes, sauté for 05

minutes, stirring it continuously .

3. Add the sugar and sauté for 03 minutes. Add

Chef’s Recipe:

Method

grated mawa (khoya) and sauté till it mixes

thoroughly for 02 minutes.

4. Add the milk and cook till the milk is absorbed.

Add Gulkand and chopped dried rose petals.

Sprinkle rose water. Add the almonds, pistachio

nuts and green cardamom powder and mix well.

5. Garnish with the dried rose petals slivered

almonds, pistachio nuts and green cardamom

powder and serve hot or warm as desired.

Chef Tips:

1. Do not overcook the halwa as it will turn into

brownish in colour.

2. Parboiling helps in preventing enzymatic

browning that occurs in raw peeled potatoes.

3. You may apply Silver Leaf to the halwa, if desired.

56 57

Q- What is life in the kichen for you

A- Constantly trying to keep up with “change”- the

most crucial of all elements in our trade. What is

deemed good today and here may not be the same

tomorrow, elsewhere.

As the world is becoming smaller, we need to increase

our wing span covering as much of local and

international elements. Social media is helping our

trade – making customers more aware. One cannot

afford to lag behind the race.


A- Coming from a small town in eastern most Assam,

there was the desire to break free from the

stereotype where one wanted to mould the careers of

their child towards conservative safer options of

MBBs and B.Tech. I was the first one in my town to opt

for hotel management.



A- Evolution is amazing – you may not notice the

subtle changes; but the metamorphosis is wonderful.

This career has taken me places one couldn’t imagine.

I got to travel almost one-fourth of world and meet

people of so many nationalities.

This profession changes the way a person interacts -

protocols, body-language, human behavior,

managerial skills, administration, confidence.



now?

A- Throughout the 23 years in my career, there has

been several changes. Apart from trends changing,

newer cuisines got popular- Korean, Peruvian,

Vietnamese.

India is finally eating out a lot more- without needing

a reason or an occasion for it. Restaurant culture has

found good roots.

People are moving away from unhealthy, refined and

processed grains, fats and sugars. They are eating

local ingredients, Vedic influences are getting

strengthened - people are beginning to understand

and talk about pseudo health products / diets.

Regional Indian cuisines are here to rule – local grains-

millets, Kadaknath chicken, Suru (smoked cactus

raita), Rhodendron flower, Roselle, Fiddlehead fern,

Atta Chicken, Bathua, Amaranth, Kulfi and fruit ices

from Old Delhi.

Made in India ingredients are gaining grounds –

cheeses like Bandel, Gouda and Toma from Manali,

Kashmiri kalari, Olives(Jalpai) from Assam.

Multiple tasting portions, as opposed to fewer

heavier courses.


the career so far?

A- It is the need to understand the mood and

exploiting the way one needs to be dealt. The choice

of dish/product to be sold – needs to be customized

for every customer. Interacting and knowing all guests 58 59

Raman Preet Singh AhluwaliaExecutive Chef, Park Plaza Zirakpur (a unit of Sarovar

Hotels & Resorts).

has become non-negotiable.

Embracing change and staying updated of currents

trends has become mandatory.



A- I’m a vegetarian by choice, non smoker, no alcohol,

exercise 1 hour- 4 time a week. I try and substitute

refined sugar with Jaggery, Mustard oil for refined,

freshly ground multigrain atta for packed. Clay /

copper pots.

Knowledge that we acquire needs to be put in effect.



A- Eating restricted to 2 meals a day. Soup / milk for

dinner. Abstinence over indulgence.



A- Strong basic techniques followed by practice and

gaining experience- followed by further honing of

skills- and acquiring knowledge at all times




A- Indian cuisine is built on years of knowledge and

principles of eating healthy, fresh and seasonal.

I may be biased in my opinion, but International

cuisine not always relies on principles- it’s more on

availability of ingredients and media helping sell mass

production.

Any restaurant targeting international, cosmopolitan

clientele has to include elements of global cuisine.

Outside these barriers Indian subcontinent has

always responded most appropriately to Indian

vegetarian, family restaurants serving mostly local,

with a garnish of other popular cuisines


cuisine?

A- Eating local, moving away from processed / packed

ingredients- minimizing the reliance on them.

Indigenous grains and produce.

Taking pride in regional cuisines and eating habits.

Finding wisdom in older eating styles

Q- How India is developing its food habits and


business?

A- India in it’s own way is opening up to newer

influences, yet forcing trends to adapt to “Indian-

ness”. In my opinion it has both pros and cons. New

cuisines may getting instant recognition by adapting –

but the whole point of being different dilutes on the

way.

Q- Do you think Chefs have reached a point where



entrepreneurs?

A- Food market has always had cut throat

competition, and chances of failure high.

That apart, the rise of restaurant culture is opening up

newer frontiers for chefs to be a part of either directly

or as consultants. Exponential increase in the number

of chef aspirants passing out and available every year-

is forcing the salaries down. Hence the need to

venture out at some point.



A- I feel “Change” by definition cannot be constant –

hence constantly updating myself with change

towards newer trends is what I try to.




A- Rise of street food culture- further lowering the

average spend.

As chef in a hotel, we need to address the need of

having more casual dining options within the hotel

with relaxed atmosphere- if possible escaping the

entry from lobby

About the Chef

I have been associated with Park Plaza Zirakpur (a unit

of Sarovar Hotels & Resorts) as the Executive Chef

since June 2015. Prior to this, I had worked with Asia

Resorts Private Limited, Parwanoo, Siesta Hospitality

Private Limited, Gurgaon and The Lobby Restaurant,

Chandigarh, as the Executive Chef.

My previous assignments include tenure with Taj

Residency Chandigarh and Holiday Inn Hotel Manali

as Executive Sous Chef. In the early years of my career,

I have worked with Costa Cruise Lines, Genoa, Italy

and Weston Manor Hotel, Oxfordshire, UK. I started

my career with The Trident ‘Oberoi’ Agra, India in

1997 as a Commi.

60

‘Over the years life in the kitchen evolves, from roles

and duties to ability to create manage and lead’


A- If I was asked to imagine what I would be if I wasn’t

a chef, id be absolutely blank. Life in the kitchen is

passion, discipline and perseverance


A- At the welcome group graduate school of hotel

administration where I perused my BHM , out of all

departments , the kitchen was the most demanding .

The heat, the pressure , the ability to create drew me

into being a chef .



A- Over the years life in the kitchen evolves, from

roles and duties to ability to create manage and

lead. From starting as a kitchen Trainee at ITC

Maurya in 2009 , to running two specialty dining

restaurants in New Delhi and Bangkok , life has come

Deepanker KhoslaExecutive Chef, Karma Kismet

61

Kasundi SalmonTikka withPumpkinPureé

a long way



now?

A- The most important change that I have noticed is

the evolution of the palette of the diners. Over the

years with access to larger information, enhanced

travel and knowledge , diners are much more

discerning than they used to be a decade ago .


the career so far?

A- My prime learning throughout my career so far is

that nothing but hard work and conviction takes to

you where you want to be. You can dream and stay in

bed or you can wake up and chase those dreams



A- It is the most integral element. Nutrition defines

80% of your body. To be able to spend all those hours

behind the ranges and stay in fit shape is tough but

what you put in your mouth can make that job 80%

done.



A- As a chef, we are fascinated to create . A tea spoon

of tasting satiates our taste buds . Funny enough at

the end of a 16 hour day, you’re barely hungry .



A- Balance. The ability to create the right balance of

seasoning, acidity , sweetness and mouth feels is

what defines a chefs food.

Q- Indian food and international cuisine. Your take?

A- I am currently running restaurants both in India

and Thailand and Both of Indian and European

cuisines. I have to admit, if Indian food is done right, it

gets you the premium over most other cuisines. Our

ability to define and diner’s perception of Indian food

being exotic gets us the bucks


cuisine?

A- Defining the produce and cooking with locally

sourced produce is definitely the most upcoming

and emerging trend. Trying to fly ingredients over

the 7 seas , and cooking them will soon be a passé.

Indian patrons are travelling globally more than ever

before . The palettes are evolving and that creates

demands of food dishes that didn’t exist before

thereby pressing us restaurateurs to create concepts

and dishes that tantalize for their minds and taste

buds.

Q- Do you think Chefs can become successful

entrepreneurs?

A- Chefs work under immense pressure in a

disciplined environment, expected to create ,

maintain quality and delivery on time . You put that

recipe together in any business it will be successful .

For chefs it’s a part of our being .



A- I don’t follow styles; I try to create my own focusing

on flavors more than anything else. Diners come

to see and click pictures of your food once, they

come back every week coz they loved the taste and

flavors.

Q- What are future challenges do you foresee in the

future?

A- More and more multinationals and moving into the

food and beverage business , with big bucks in the

bank, influencing diners through marketing and

advertisement, making it difficult for us stand alone

restaurants to bring them in , Although that may be

the case, I still firmly believe that if we keep are heads

down and create flavors and textures never eaten

before, diners will flock our gates .

About the Chef-

Deepanker Khosla, one of Bangkok’s most charismatic

young executive chefs, leads the MG The Food By DK

team that owns and creates beautiful, simple top

nutritious food sourced from the most organic and

sustainable sources available around Thailand, with

great care; he personally cooks and inspects every

single dish and side dish that is goes out of his kitchen.

Believing that it is better to take hours to create a dish,

which is utterly extraordinary in every regard, rather

than rushing something that is merely excellent, it is

indicative of his desire for “intense, brilliantly put-

together, uncorrupted cuisine.”

Experience working in busy, intense and high-volume

kitchens of Starwood Hotels & resorts Worldwide, in

his home country and running Charcoal Tandoor Grill

and Mixology to the Top tables 2015 in Bangkok in the

First year of operation also contending in Thailand’s

greatest cooking Show, Iron Chef, gave him the

confidence to search out a uniquely expressive home,

Fly on his own and start projects like Nutrichef and

Haoma, where bottom line is not profits but

sustainability and giving back to the society we live in

by raising the overall wellness of people who live in it

and farmers who benefit by it .

Chef’s Recipe:

KASUNDI SALMON TIKKA WITH PUMPKIN PUREÉ

INGREDIENTS

For Tikka

Salmon 200gm

Kasundi 10gm

Dijon Mustard 5gm

Hung Curd 50gm

Malt vinegar 20ml

Javitri elichi 2gm

Clove powder 1gm

Cinnamon powder 1gm

White pepper powder 2gm

Salt to taste

For Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin 500gm

Milk 100ml

Bay leaf 5pcs

Shahi Zeera 2gm

Green cardamom .5gm

Salt to taste

Black pepper corn 5gm

Method:

• Slice the salmon in 50 gm. pieces , soak in lemon

and water for 30 mins to avoid any smell.

• Mix all ingredients well with hung yoghurt and

rub with your palm on the mixing bowl until

entirely smooth.

• Dress the salmon gently with the mixture and

allow to rest for 4-6 hour.

• Pour milk in a baking tray along with all other

ingredients and place pumpkin on top . Cover the

tray with Silver foil and cook in the oven at 180c

for 60 mins .

• One the pumpkin is tender allow to cool and

blend it in the blender along with milk after

straining out all spices .

• Cook the salmon in the tandoor until charred on

the outside .

• Plate sauce and choice of vegetable as shown in

the image attached along.

6362

Michael Swamy Chef Patron, Nueva


A- Life in the kitchen these days is about creating and

ideating. Creating a unique menu which is a balance

of flavor, technique and flair, creating a team that

delivers perfection, creating a new mindset where

chefs think of themselves as artists more than just

cooks. It’s hard but doable. As a chef one also spends a

lot of time outside the kitchen doing workshops,

training staff and doing culinary promotions as well as

educating people. Inside the kitchen its about

handling staff, seeing to teething problems, talking to

vendors and satisfying the erratic and diverse needs

of customers and business partners. It is about the

smells, sounds, sizzles but it’s also about

communication and creativity – not to mention

stamina!


A- I was always inspired, by TV chefs at a young age.

Coming from a family of media and filmmakers it was

my goal to document food. But my mother said learn

the art and craft of being a chef and follow a dual role.

Which I did and it’s held me in good stead.


years that you are in the profession?

A- Journeys keep changing; a chef’s world is always a

new picture each day. It’s a lonely life at times, as you

have to deal with a kind of tug of war with many

factors that surround one. I travel a lot and that helps

balance things out quite a bit. You deal with people

who are out to get you down to people who are there

to put you on a high pedestal while your ego gets fed.

For me, this journey has been that balancing act

between creating unique food, learning about

cuisines and about who I am as a person. I am

reminded of the quote “Some things fall apart so that

better things can fall together.” – Marilyn Monroe


and food business when you began your career till

now?

A- Chefs are travelling and bringing in the best of the

West to India in terms of new flavors & new

techniques. What’s changed is the level of dedication

for most. When I started out, we never NEVER looked

at the clock or even thought about ourselves as

would-be celebs. Today, most think you will be a chef

overnight. Or even worse, a celebrity overnight. It

doesn’t work that way. The burnout rate these days is

much higher. On one side you have chefs doing

brilliant things and on the other chefs are just

copying. Trends are made and broken by great chefs

and the overwhelming change almost makes one

breathless and it takes one to have a certain degree of

courage to keep on going in order to stay on top of the

65

???????????????????????????????????????????

6766

game.

Q. Which has been your prime learning throughout the career so far?

A- That no matter how much good you do, there always someone

trying to find fault. And you either let that defeat you or take it in your

stride and continue focusing on your work. So I decided to make

moving on and doing my own thing without worrying about the world

my prime learning

Q- How crucial is it for a chef to maintain diet and health during his

work span?

A- Its really crucial, though tough. Hypertension and blood pressure is

rampant amongst chefs. So a healthy diet and some exercise is crucial

for chefs as they have to keep long hours. It’s a demanding public out

there and it’s so important to be healthy not just physically but

mentally too. It’s important to take a break once in a while and go to

some place where you can forget everything work-related.

Q- How do you manage to control your taste buds and eating while

cooking?

A- Avoid smoking and other addictive stuff – including a lot of coffee.

You’re tasting most of the time and it’s important to have a clean palate

through the cooking process. End of the day its discipline, pure and

simple.

Q. What are the important elements in food preparation according to

you?

A- Hygiene is paramount, skill and technique and above all proper mis-

en-place. If this is all in place then all that’s left is skill and technique.

And yes, if one calls himself a chef, it’s important that he or she has his

or her techniques very very well practiced.

Q. How you compare Indian food and international cuisine?

A- Each cuisine is diverse and it’s only when you educate the customer

that your food will sell. The economics is simple. If you don’t explain

your food or what you are doing the food won’t sell. A chef of any genre

of culinary specialty needs to interact with the customer, which is why

it’s important for chefs to also do a lot of reading and research . A server

can only do so much whereas a chef brings a different magic to the

table.

Q. What are the new trends emerging in the world cuisine?

A- Local ingredients being used to create international fare, pairing

food with mocktails or tea instead of just wine, drama at the table, lots

of “DIY” in the way food is served so that a diner can

compile his or her sandwiches or finger foods are

some of the emerging trends. Also, restaurants that

play music softly – that’s one trend I would LOVE to

bring in! People come to dine and chat and enjoy

themselves in a restaurant. It’s not about the DJ or the

loud music, its about experiences, conversations and

memories that are the base of most food trends these

days.

Q. How is the country changing the course of F&B

business?

A- People are more aware of food and are demanding

better food and better ingredients and chefs need to

realize that people are paying a LOT for what is being

dished out. The long Biblical menus are out of the

door, small menus are in. India is expecting chefs to

wow them with new dishes or even with the familiar it

has to be outstanding.

Q. Can chefs be successful businessmen?

A- To be creative and run a successful business is just

not feasible. Most have investment consultants and

financial backers to help them on the way and these

people only have a limited outlook to look at a Chef as

Chef. They are not ready to see that a chef will also

have some business acumen because he has been

designing sellable menus all along. I would say it’s the

luck of the draw, for many have faced failures yet only

talk about the successes.

Q. What is your USP that you've developed so far?

A- I focused on technique, flavor, style and

presentation. It’s a killer combination to have coupled

by the fact that one could walk up to a guest and talk

them through the food being created. The ability to

reinvent a dish to suit a customer’s need and the

flexibility of change is important in creating one’s

unique style.

Q. What challenges do you foresee in the future

regarding food business?

??????????????????????69

A- The scope of doing business is changing rapidly,

every year catering colleges churn out a couple

thousand students. To see them as competition is

wrong, for they have the strength and stamina of

youth. Instead inculcate in them the sense of team

spirit and let them be the change along with one’s self.

The other thing is that food and ingredients will

always evolve and the ever changing palate of a

customer gets more demanding and has to be

satiated. To tackle the demand one has to innovate

and create a niche for oneself and let people come to

you for your cuisine rather than give them what they

way. When they come expecting what they want they

are more critical.

About the Chef-

Chef Michael Swamy is a pioneer in the area of food

media and is a chef, author, food stylist and travel

photographer based in Mumbai, India. A graduate of

the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, London, he has

trained under several Michelin chefs. He, with his

team, has conceptualized and handled major food

shows on several GEC and international niche

channels. His work in the area of food media has won

him accolades in the culinary industry and led him to

founding his own company Cottage Chef Culinaire

which covers food-related work in all aspects of food

media be it books, advertising in both print and

telefilm, television, documentary and the social

media space. He has authored several cookbooks and

is a four-time Gourmand Award winner. As Chef

Patron at NUEVA, India’s first Latin American

restaurant in Delhi, he has set a benchmark for global

cuisines and serves his take on Latin American cuisine

with special emphasis on it’s evolution. He is currently

associated with a leading hospitality university in

Mumbai where he is introducing a new teaching

methodology.

Chef's Recipe-

Tea-smoked Chicken with Spicy Vanilla Sauce

For Smoking the Chicken

3 large pieces Charcoal

50 grams any smoked tea

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 large pieces Chicken (preferably boneless)

For Brine Solution

2 cups Purified Water

½ cup Sea Salt

½ cup Sugar

1 teaspoon Orange Pekoe Tea

2 tablespoons Crushed Black Pepper

4 nos. Dried Red Chillies

2 tablespoons Oil

For the Spicy Vanilla Sauce

1 cup Chicken stock

2 cloves Garlic (minced)

¼ cup White Vinegar

1 piece Vanilla Pod (slit lengthwise)

2 teaspoons Red Chilli flakes

2 pieces Star Anise

to taste Salt

to taste White Pepper powder

2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter (chilled)

For Asian Salsa Dressing

1 cup Sesame Oil

½ cup Vinegar

1 cup Fresh Coriander (roughly chopped)

1 large Green Chilli

6 to 8 cloves Garlic

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Black Pepper

For the Salad

2 pieces Wholewheat Chapaties or Tortillas

(cut into small triangular pieces)

½ cup Broken Wheat (Dalia) (boiled &

drained)

2 medium Cucumbers (diced)

2 large Onions (diced)

1 tablespoon Asian Salsa Dressing

Method:

1. Slice the chicken just breaking the skin and place

the chicken pieces on a grill tray.

2. Heat the charcoal pieces till red hot and place in a

wok. Spoon tea around the coal. Drizzle the coal

with oil and as soon as smoke emanates, place

the grill with the chicken over this. Cover the wok

tightly and keep aside for 20 minutes to allow the

smoke to permeate the meat properly.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine all the

ingredients required for the brine, except oil, and

bring to a boil. Cool the brine solution to room

temperature. Place the smoked chicken into the

brine and keep aside for 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 200*C .

5. Drain the chicken pieces properly after an hour.

6. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and

sear the chicken evenly on both sides. Remove

and place onto a baking tray and bake in the

preheated oven for 10 minutes or till the chicken

is tender.

7. Meanwhile, in the same pan wherein the chicken

was seared, combine all the ingredients for spicy

vanilla sauce, except butter. Deglaze the pan and

allow the sauce to thicken. Add butter and when

butter melts and sauce becomes glossy, strain it.

8. For the Asian Salsa Dressing, combine all

ingredients in a blender and blend coarsely.

Remove and keep aside.

9. For the salad, toast the chapatti or tortilla pieces

till crisp and cool. Toss in a bowl with remaining

ingredients required for the salad.

68

Abdul Rehman QureshiFounder Managing Director and Culinary Advisor

Jafs Hospitality Solutions and Management Services

(P) LTD

"Old-fashioned cooking is simple and deeply flavored.

It fills the kitchen with lovely smells, and like all good,

honest food, it has the power to bring families and

friends together”

Q- When did playing with recipes & spices start for

you?

A- A great deal of time and effort has been spent by

them in researching and developing cuisine’s, from

the corner of the vast sub continent. Encouragement

within the family provided them to try age old recipes

gleaned from ancient manuscripts and also to

innovating with unusual combinations. My culinary

skills were inherited from my family. I was introduced

to the art of cooking when I started assisting my

grandfather, under whose watchful eye my interest

developed. My sense of quality came from my father

who would never compromise on quality, and taught

me how to choose the best ingredients, the best

spices and how to differentiate between was fresh

and what was not. I developed further when I got the

chance to worked in different hotels in an India and

Abroad.


A- I always had a fantasy of being a chef, because

I like kitchen life. I look at the statistics; spend

most of my time in the kitchen. Aside from the

backyard, it's one of my favorite places to

renovate.


A- I think a chef is someone who can cook their face

off, while at the same time, having the ability to

manage, lead and create a successful kitchen

operation?—?restaurant or otherwise. One of the

main problems is that the hands on, technical part of

the job, which most of us enjoy most, requires a

drastically different skill set than the other essential

components of the job. So, yes, there are obvious

hands on skills and techniques required, but a whole

host of others, as well. Chefs are different than just

about every other creative professional, because of

the fact that to express our creative vision, we have to

manage and put so many other entities in place. We

are unlike other artists whose work directly links back

to the work they create?—?a writer, writes?—?a

painter?—?paints, and an actor?—?acts. We have a

slew of variables that are ever changing that affect

what we put out that arr essential to properly

manage. With that being said, these are the talents

and skills



A- I love the educational aspect. I like to be able

to influence the people who eat with us, the people

who work with us, and learn with us. I enjoy

motivating my staff and it’s really nice to see them

develop and grow up in the kitchen. It’s very

satisfying.

71

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now?

A- Old-fashioned cooking is simple and deeply

flavored. It fills the kitchen with lovely smells, and like

all good, honest food, it has the power to bring

families and friends together. but now Culinary rules,

conventions, and traditions must be understood, it

should be allowed to hinder the development of

creative new dishes. Ingredients originating in food

science and technology, such as hydrocolloids,

enzymes, and emulsifiers, are powerful tools in

helping to produce dishes that would otherwise be

impossible.


the career so far?

A- The financial pressure that comes with having your

own restaurant without business partners



A- I do. I think it naturally happens. I’m personally very

conscious of nutrition and health, so I think that gets

integrated into the ideas that I do. I think there are so

many things going on as far as health and nutrition

that I think if you’re a chef, you can’t help but think

about nutrition when you’re working on ideas. When

putting together a menu, I typically consider the

season that we’re in. In the winter, people tend to like

heavier things and warmer flavors, so obviously

there’s more fat in those [dishes]. In the summertime,

people tend to want to eat a little less, and so I do take

that into consideration. I try not to overload things

with butter or fat, but I also don’t shy away from it. As

they say, fat is flavor.



A- We get to the taste buds, though, let's start with

the organ directly above them, the nose. That's right,

folks, while the tongue's taste buds are responsible

for detecting basic tastes (salty, bitter, sour, sweet,

and savory), it's the nose that detects the specific

flavors of foods through olfaction, or smell. Ever

wonder why food just doesn't taste as good, no

matter how great it looks, when you have a stuffy

nose? Of course, we smell our food as we prepare our

bite and put it into our mouth. But did you know you

were inhaling the aroma at the same time we were

chewing our food? When we chew, volatiles (odorous,

gas-like substances) are released from the food and

pumped up to the olfactory receptors located behind

the bridge of the nose. Pretty efficient!



A- Food quality is an important food preparation,

besides ingredient quality, there are also sanitation

requirements. It is important to ensure that the food

processing environment is as clean as possible in

order to produce the safest possible food for the

consumer.

Q- How do you compare Indian food and

international cuisine? How do you compare them on

the basis of selling proposition (economics)?

A- Indian cuisine is magic of masala and Flavor and

Western Cuisine not so Spicy and playing with herbs

and presentation. Most of country Indian food is

popular, The factor or consideration presented by a

seller as the reason that one product or service is

different from and better than that of the

competition.


cuisine?

A- Practical: Prepare, cook and present three different

contemporary world dishes, in a safe and hygienic

manner, cooked to a high standard and quality which

demonstrates creativity and are suitable for paying

customers.



business?

A- Now-A-Days, The Young generation Prefer Burgers,

Hot Dogs, Fried Chickens, Momos Etc. They Like To

Hang Out In Decorative And Air-Conditioned

Environment With Variety Of Foods On Their Plates.



have helped them to become successful 7372

entrepreneurs?

A- “I think the key ingredient to any successful

business is passion. It's what keeps you going,

even when nobody else believes in you.” Passion

and Motivation. Not Afraid to Take Risks.

Self-belief, Hard Work and Disciplined Dedication.

Adaptable and Flexible. Product and Market

Knowledge. Strong Money Management. Effective

Planning (Not Over-Planning) Skills. The Right

Connections.



A- Food presentation art of modifying, processing,

arranging, and decorating food to enhance its

aesthetic appeal.

Q- What are future challenges do you foresee

in future emerging in food business? How as a

chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- Food business is a high-risk proposition. Got a lofty

level of competition and a lot of details to perfect.

Analyze new competitors immediately to identify

potential drains on your business. Adjust your

restaurant to compensate for meaningful shifts in

nearby competition.

Chef's Recipe:

Grilled Salmon Honey Cured on Cold Soba Noodle

Salad with Thai yellow Curry Reduction

Ingredients

For The Grilled Salmon Honey Cured

Fillet salmon, skin on : 250 gm

Dijon mustard : 05 gm

whole-grain mustard : 01 gm

Honey : 15 gm

Horseradish, drained : 05 gm

Chopped fresh mint leaves : 02 gm

Chopped Parsley : 02 gm

Kosher salt : 01 gm

Freshly ground black pepper : ½ gm

sherry vinegar : 01 ml

canola oil : 10 ml

extra-virgin olive oil : 20 ml

75

For The Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Bundle of soba noodles

(about 4 ounces, uncooked) : 50 gm

Scallions, sliced on a bias

(white and green parts) : 10 gm

Crusted Peanuts : 01 gm

Sesame seeds : 01 gm

Dressing:

Soy sauce : 05 ml

Rice vinegar : 02 ml

Fresh ginger, grated : 01 gm

Sugar : Sugar : 01 gm

Salt : 01 gm

lime, juiced : 10 ml

Hot sauce : 02 gm

Sesame Oil : 10 ml

For The Thai Yellow Curry Reduction

Ground coriander : 05 gm

Ground cumin : 05 gm

Ground turmeric : 01 gm

Minced garlic : 02 gm

Chopped shallots : 05 gm

Dried red chili peppers : ½ gm

Stalks lemongrass : 01 gm

Salt : 01 gm

Ground cinnamon : ½ gm

Ground pepper : ½ gm

Minced fresh ginger : 01gm

Water : 100ml

Coconut Milk : 50 ml

Oil cooking : 10 ml

Method

1. For The Grilled Salmon Honey Cured

2.Combine together the mustards, honey,

horseradish, mint and 1/4 teaspoon of salt & 1/4

teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Allow to sit for at

least 15 minutes before using. Can be made 1 day in

advance and refrigerated do not add the mint until

just before using. Bring to room temperature before

using. Ignite the grill to high. Brush the salmon w/ the

oil & flavour with salt and pepper. Position the salmon

on the grill, skin side down, and grill until golden

brown and slightly scorched, about 3 mins.

3.For The Cold Soba Noodle Salad

4.Cook noodles according to package directions, rinse

under cool water, and set aside. Prepare the scallions

and set aside as well. For the dressing, whisk together

all ingredients and pour over the noodles. Add the

scallions and toss to combine. For a richer flavor,

refrigerate for a few hours before eating to let the

flavors combine, or enjoy right away, garnishing with

the peanuts and sesame seeds when served.

5.For The Thai Yellow Curry Reduction

6.Remove the chilies' stems and thinly slice them.

Soak them in a bowl of warm water for about 15

minutes or until soft. Drain well. Set aside. Prepare

lemongrass .Toast coriander and cumin together in a

dry frying pan over medium heat. Stir constantly for

about 1 - 2 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant

and slightly darkened. Remove from heat and stir in

salt, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon. Blend all the

other ingredients and toasted spices in a small food

processor until smooth. Put the thick coconut milk

into a wok and fry for 3-5 minutes. Stirring

continuously, until the coconut oil begins to separate

out. Then add the yellow curry paste and fry for 1-2

minutes.

7.Assemble:

8.32”inch White Round plate. Place Soba Noodle

salad Place on top Grilled salmon and drizzle Yellow

curry reduction garnish with wonton crispy bungles.

Amritsari Macchi sushi roll Spicy Fish finger & Brown

rice filled in roomali roti with house chutney

Category : Appetizers & Snacks

Style: Indian

Servings: 1-2

Description:

Spicy Fish finger & Brown rice filled in roomali roti

with tomato caulis and mint coriander emulsion.

Modern Indian Fusion Recipes

Ingredients:

For Amritsari Macchi

Cod Fillet : 200 gm

Lemon juice : 30 ml

Ginger paste : 10 gm

Garlic paste : 05 gm

Carom seed : 01 gm

Chili paste : 10 gm

Chick pea Flour : 50 gm

Corn Flour : 05 gm

Saffron : 05 drop

Salt : To taste

Oil : for fried

For Brown Sushi Rice

Short-grain brown rice : 100 gm

Water : 150 ml

Rice Vinegar : 25 ml

Sugar : 10 gm

Kosher salt : 05 gm

For Roomali Roti

White Flour : 100gm

Salt : 02gm

Cooking oil : 10 ml

Water : 60 ml

For Tomato caulis

Tomato : 50 gm

Butter : 10 gm

Chopped Shallots : 05 gm

Chopped Garlic : 02 gm

Shredded Basil : 01 gm

Salt : to taste

White Pepper : 01 gm

For mint coriander emulsion

Fresh coriander : 100 gm

fresh mint : 50 gm

jalapeno peppers : 10 gm

onion; chopped : 25 gm

fresh ginger : 05 gm

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lime juice : 10 ml

sugar : 02 gm

salt : to taste

Olive oil : 50 ml

mustard seeds : 01 gm

cumin seeds : 01 gm

Directions:

For Amritsari Macchi

Marinate the fish in the lemon juice for 15 min. make a thick batter with

all the other ingredients except the oil adding water as necessary

ensuring which there are no lumps. Heat the oil in a deep Dip each

piece of fish in the batter and deep fry till crisp.

For Brown Sushi Rice

Place the rice and water into a medium saucepan and place over high

heat. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat

to the lowest setting and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the

heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Combine the rice vinegar,

sugar and salt in a small bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30

to 45 seconds. Transfer the rice into a large wooden or glass mixing

bowl and add the vinegar mixture.

For Roomali Roti

Sift together flour and salt. Add oil and mix in with a fork until flour is

crumbly. Mix in water until the dough pulls together. Turn dough out

onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about

8 minutes. Knead dough again until smooth; divide into six equal parts.

Form each part into a round. Roll out each round as thinly as possible;

dust with flour to keep from sticking. Invert a heavy cast iron pan over

burner and heat. Spread roti over pan and cook. Roti will cook in 40 to

50 seconds. Tiny black spots will appear when it is finished. Fold Roti

and serve hot.

For Tomato caulis

Drop the tomatoes for 30 seconds into boiling water. Remove from the

water and peel them. Chop coarsely.

Melt the butter in a heavy pan and sauté the chopped shallot and garlic

until golden but not brown. Add the chopped tomato and cook over a

medium heat until the caulis is thick. Turn off the heat and stir in the

shredded basil. Season to taste and set aside to cool.

For Mint Coriander emulsion

Coarsely chop coriander, mint, and peppers. Process first eight

ingredients in a blender, adding enough water to make a coarse paste.

Transfer to a nonmetallic container.

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add mustard seeds and let

them splutter. Add cumin seeds and stir until fragrant.

Remove from heat and add to chutney.

For Amritsari Macchi sushi roll

Start by putting the Roomali on the rolling mat.

Spread a thin layer of rice on the Roomali. spread a

thin strip of Tomato caulis on the rice. put the fish

finger on it.

Pick up the rolling mat on the side nearest to you and

slowly roll the Roomali Roti with the rice and the fish.

Make it becomes a firm, compact roll. Cut into four

pieces. Sushi Roll drop on top tomato caulis and mint

coriander emulsion.

About the Chef

Self-motivated professional with outstanding skills as

a Chef. Superior leadership and interpersonal skills;

ability to build rapport with customers and

colleagues; innate ability to interact effectively with

people of various cultures and backgrounds and

succeed in high-pressure challenging and deadline-

driven environments. Seeking to bring strong

supervisory food prep and organizational skills to the

table with a respected organization that values hard

work commitment and vision.

7776

???????????????

‘The five elements are reflected in nature, in the

seasons and in the human body. When we

understand how energies move and transform in

nature, we have a better idea of how our bodies

work and we are more able to live healthier and

balanced life’


everything?

A- Every opportunity I got or change I went through

gave a boost to my career in some way. I was lucky to

get my first break early in age with 5 star chain

hotels which was a dream for every hospitality

student in that era. The kind of exposure I got there

changed everything. I was in the opening team of all

day dining restaurant.


you?

A- I started with hotels then moved to cruise liners

where I have travelled almost the whole world. It

helped me in understanding the styles & cooking

creations globally. But for me, the real creations and

playing with the ingredients started when I joined

Jaypee Hotels as a Sous Chef. It was at that time

when I started experimenting and creating a lot of

new & innovative recipes.


A- I spend almost 12-14 hours in kitchen every day. I

just love the aroma of flavours and the environment

of the kitchen. It is like a laboratory for me where we

research & create something new each day.


A- I used to constantly eat out and try new things. I

would come home cook myself the exciting dishes I

tried with a twist of my own. My love for cooking &

food inspired to be what I am today.



A- I started my career as a DCDP with Oberoi Hotels

then moved to cruise liners and currently I am

working as Executive Chef with Jaypee Residency

Manor, Mussoorie. Summing up my career, Exposure

and Growth have travelled side by side in my culinary

journey.



now?

A- There has been a lot of change from the time I

started my career. Today, the food has gone to the

level where eye appeal, presentation & cost

effectiveness are an important aspect. Availability of

Tanuj Nayyar

Executive Chef, Jaypee Residency Manor, Mussoorie

79

Chilli coriander crusted sole with pineapple andpepper couscous

ingredients is much easier than it was before and cuisines have

developed a lot from the past. It involves merging modern concepts

with authentic recipes to create something new.

Q. Which has been your prime learning throughout the career so far?

A- Ingredient is the king and as a chef you should have in depth

knowledge of them


work span?

A- It becomes tough as so much of tasting and delicious food is around

you but yes a healthy balanced diet is must. I eat lot of salads and

balance my meal knowingly that I have to do food tastings. I combine it

with a strict daily exercise regime which includes walking, yoga,

running total combined to 90 minutes daily which keeps you energetic

and fit. I think for a chef it’s very important that you eat well and stay fit

and healthy.


cooking?

A- Tasting is part of cooking process. I keep a glass of warm water with

me when I cook and whenever I feel like eating I drink it to avoid eating a

lot. However, tastings should be done in moderate amounts.

Q. What are the important elements in food preparation according to

you?

A- The five elements are reflected in nature, in the seasons and in the

human body. When we understand how energies move and transform

in nature, we have a better idea of how our bodies work and we are

more able to live healthier and balanced life. Through the art of food

preparation we harness the power of the elements and transform food

into everyday medicine - we enhance the quality of food to fuel our

dreams by creating health, balance, vitality, pleasure and happiness.

The key elements of food preparation are: Water, wood, fire, earth and

metal.

Q- How do you compare Indian food and international cuisine? How

do you compare them on the basis of selling proposition

(economics)?

A- Today International cuisine is getting popular but Indian food will

always be a favorite one. Indian food is preferred by most of the guests.

The cost involved in preparing international cuisine is higher because of

the availability and cost effectiveness of the ingredients, whereas on

the other hand the raw material cost is lesser in Indian cuisine.

Today Indian food is still the high seller in comparison

just because of the reason being the acceptability of

the taste by most of the volumes.


cuisine?

A-

• Slow food, raw food, fair-trade food

• Impossible food—meatless burgers

• Fermented and pickled veggies

• Heritage meats

• Hawaiian food

• Ancient grains

• Plant based protein food

• Hyper local food



business?

A- These days the people are more aware & have

varied tastes & preference. Therefore they want to go

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out and try new things each day which in turn has

made the F&B business more innovative &

aggressive. In today’s time, the key to success in the

F&B industry is to bring out the lesser known

ingredients in a modern avatar.




entrepreneurs?

A- Yes chefs are successful businessmen today. As a

chef you know all the economics and logistics

involved in food business. The costing, overheads and

labor involved are analyzed in detail which helps as an

entrepreneur.



A- I always loved to use seasonal and local ingredients

in my cooking. Currently I am located in a region

where I get lot of fresh farm produce which is so pure

and organic in nature. It gives me immense pleasure in what I cook as

my style of cooking is rustic, simple and homely at the same time

flavorful.

Q. What future challenges do you foresee in future emerging in food

business? How as a chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- With so many food chains and hotel chains coming up, the F&B

industry is very competitive. One has to be different and should have

the ability to bring something new & innovative to the table. Or I would

say one has to think out of the box.

Chef’s Recipe:

CHILLI CORIANDER CRUSTED SOLE

WITH PINEAPPLE AND PEPPER COUSCOUS

Ingredient

Sole fillet 350-400 gms

Whole coriander seeds 50 gms

Chilli flakes 10 gms

Fresh mustard paste 5 gmns

Lemon juice 20 ml ml

Baby spinach 100 gms

Crushed garlic 10 gms

Couscous 50 gms

Pineapple 50 gms

Assorted capsicum 100 gms

Cherry tomatoes 20 gms

Fresh basil 5 gms

Fresh mustard sprouts 5 gms

Orange juice 100 ml

Brown sugar 10 gms

Beetroot puree 10 ml.

Olive oil 20 ml

Salt 5 gms

White pepper powder 3 gms

Olives black 3-4 nos.

Chopped garlic 10 gms

Chopped onions 15 gms

Butter 50 gms

Method :

1. prepare the fish by marinating the fillets in mustard paste , lemon

juice ,seasoning and little olive oil.

2. keep the fish aside allow it to absorb the flavours of the marination.

3. prepare couscous by adding lemon juice and seasoning with some

chopped pineapple and chop peppers in this,keep aside.

4. makea beetroot coulis with fresh beetroots and keep aside.

5. for the sauce reduce orange juice,lemon juice with some brown

sugar, ,sautee onion and garlic in olive oil and little butter now add the

reduction and rest aside adjust the seasoning accordingly.

6. now coat the fish with coriander and chilli crust and grill it.

7. sautee some baby spinach in a anon stick pan.

8. assemble the dish by arranging all the components of the dish as

shown in the picture.

About the Chef

Combining vast culinary talent and formidable cooking knowledge, the

Executive Chef Tanuj Nayyar, Jaypee Residency Manor, Mussoorie is

extremely focused in the kitchen, loved by his loyal staff and respected

and liked amongst his peers.

A multi faceted Chef with over 17 years of rich and cross cultural

experience, he graduated from Hotel Management and Catering

Technology from Nagpur University and began his career as a trainee

chef at Le Meridien, New Delhi. He has climbed the success ladder over

the years and has earned recognition and association with the

prestigious properties of the hospitality industry. With versatile and in-

depth knowledge in the art of cooking, he still continues to impress his

patrons.

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' Indian cuisine has its own charm of “sharing meals”.

The array of spices that it carries in its repertoire and

its history as to how it came into existence'


A- Any professional’s life is very monotonous, unless

and until he enjoys his job. It is not “Life in kitchen” but

“Kitchen is LIFE” for a chef and he really enjoys it

thoroughly or else he would have left the trade before

becoming a chef. I remember when I started my

career, we were 12 Chef trainees who started

together but before the completion of the 2 year

programme, we were left with only four. A chef’s life is

full of crazy things happening through the day and he

tackles them in his own format. My team never finds

me screaming or being annoyed in the kitchen as I

firmly believe that if the team has messed up

something then the major reason would be that they

have not been instructed well enough. I maintain my

calm and temper well. Many people think that a chef

is always behind the cooking range churning out

dishes, but that is not completely true as he has to do

various tasks simultaneously. In a nutshell, Chef is a

perfectionist who would like to keep things in order.

He is a passionate individual who loves to be creative.

A chef desires to be appreciated like any other artist

would prefer.

The other day I was going through a quote which read,

“A Chef must think like a Scientist,

Organize like an Accountant, ?Inspire & Motivate like

a Warrior,?Move like a Track Star, Plate like an Artist,

And Cook like a Grandma

It a very well said statement but to add on a few more

traits that the chef needs to take care are Human

Resource management, Time Management, Stress

Management, Store management and the list goes on

and on. Chefs over a period of time have proved their

mettle in various above mentioned fields including

cost controlling which is one of the very important

aspects of running a successful business.


A- I have been asked this question a few times but I am

not very sure of the answer. We were a joint family

and my mother was much appreciated for her food

and cooking techniques. She would grind her own

spices and make dish specific garam masalas.

Probably, that is where I got intrigued.



now?

A- Its world of a difference. In those days, the

food habits were very different. The guests

preference was on the classical and seasonal

preparation. Now people have become more

experimental with food. They are well aware about

different cuisines.


the career so far?

Gautam Chaudhry Director, Demiurgic Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

85

Rara Soya

A- Life is a journey where every day is a learning. It always feel as if

yesterday there were a few things missing in your repertoire and today

you have learned something new. There are many such learning curves

that I can recollect through my journey. Opening of 360 degrees at “The

Oberoi New Delhi” was a great learning. Conceptualization of

“Tanzore” in the heart of Beverly Hills gave me a good insight of

American food habits and culture. Probably, one of the great learning

curves was initiating my own venture in 2015. Running your own

business actually teaches you to be independent.


work span?

A- There are a lot of challenges in a chef’s life in order to upkeep with his

healthy eating and exercising regime. From tasting every dish before it

leaves your kitchen to standing for very long hours to stress and heat

but the most difficult issue is eating your meals at a particular time. A

chef does not have any fixed time to have his meal. Majority of the

times chef’s miss their dinner as they have come pretty late in the

evening. You have your dinner very late and then shortly go to bed post

that. It is difficult but with changing working conditions, it is advisable

to maintain a good work-life balance.


cooking?

A- Tasting is important for a chef but we at times tend to overeat. The

only way to do it is to be strict with yourself and have a good routine.

Q- What are the important elements in food preparation according to

you?

A- 1. Having the right recipe.

2. Selecting the right ingredients and the understanding of its usage.

3. Ability to handle your stress and cooking with your heart.

Q- How do you compare Indian food and international cuisine? How

do you compare them on the basis of selling proposition

(economics)?

A- Indian cuisine has its own charm of “sharing meals”. The array of

spices that it carries in its repertoire and its history as to how it came

into existence. It has always been human nature to strive for something

which you do not have easy access to. Today, East is craving for west and

vice-versa. I feel that selling price is never linked with cuisine but the

location and the aura that you create around food is what commands

the price.

Q- Which are the new trends emerging in the world cuisine?

A- 1. Healthy food is becoming a Swag statement.

2. Packaged food is on a rise.

3. Herd of Food delivery companies are mushrooming up.

4. Fast food and quick meals are a solution to day to day stressful busy

lives.

Q- How is India developing its food habits and simultaneously

changing the course of F&B business?

A- Indian is a sub-continent and hence has huge population. People

who usually dine out often are getting divided in 2 segments. One lot is

getting acquainted to healthy eating habits and is focussed on selecting

their food wisely. The second lot is suffering through a lot of stress and

do not have time to eat so either they skip meals often or consume fast

food. The numbers of both categories are increasing at a good pace.

Q- Do you think Chefs have reached a point where they are successful

business? Which characteristics have helped them to become

successful entrepreneurs?

A- As an Entrepreneur, you require certain skills and vision which chefs

are trained well in. it is only the fear of leaving a secured earning source

that doesn’t let them take up the challenge. The key characteristics that

chefs possess and which helps them to be a good entrepreneur are,

1. Quality check. 2. Cost Control. 3. PR & Media management.

4. Concept Curator. 5. Efficient Planning 6. Human Resource

handling.

Q- What essential changes did you bring to your style of cooking to be

different from other chefs?

A- I started as an Indian chef and worked on getting the spices

and recipes correct. But while training in the cuisine, I always felt

that there are certain aspects of the cuisine which needs a change as

when the recipes were made then work schedules used to be heavy

duty and hence we required a lot of carbohydrates and fats but over

the last few decades our physical work load has reduced and hence

eating habits need a little change. Over last decade I have worked

extensively on making the cuisine lighter without changing the flavour

of a classic.

Q- What future challenges do you foresee in future emerging in food

business? How as a chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- The problem with our cuisine is that it was never written down and

standardized. Every chef has his own way of making a particular dish

which he has learned from his source. Hence, the way forward is not

going to be easy. It is important that we make an effort to retain our

culture, our heritage and our recipes.

8786

Chef's Recipe

RARA SOYA

Ingredients

Soya chaap : 250gms

Soya granules(Small) 150gms

Green peas 50 gms

Coriander 15 gms

Ginger 15 gms

Garlic 10 gms

Onion 25 gms

Tomato 100 gms

Green chilli 1 gms

Turmeric powder 4 gms

Cumin powder 4gms

Coriander powder 5 gms

Yellow chilli 4 gms

Degimirch 3 gms

Desi ghee 20 gms

Yoghurt 50gms

Salt to taste

Garam masala 5gms

Oil 20 ml

Method:

1. Soak soya granules in water. Separately, marinade soya chaap with

spices &yoghurt

2. Drain soya granules & sauté it in a pan after ginger, garlic, onion,

tomato, green chilies and green peas.

3. Add spices to the mix & cook it well.

4. Cook the marinated soya chaap in a clay oven till a fine crisp layer

comes on it.

5. Spread the bed of soya granules mix and top it up with soya chaap.

6. Garnish it with fresh coriander, ginger juliennes.

About the Chef:

Chef Gautam Chaudhry represents the exclusive group of creative

chefs who pioneered the trend of Progressive Indian Cuisine. Having

started his career with the Radisson Group, Chef Gautam went on to

work with The Oberoi’s. He was instrumental in launching Threesixty

degrees at The Oberoi’s New Delhi, before heading to Tanzore

Restaurant & Lounge in the very glamorous Beverly Hills, USA.

He came back to India and rejoined the Radisson Group briefly. He

followed this with a long and successful stint with the Hyatt Group

through their Hyderabad and Bengaluru properties. When in

Bengaluru, he conceptualized the award-winning restaurant The Pink

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Poppodom wherein he reshaped the perception of Indian Cuisine with

his bold & contemporary cooking.

Chef Gautam had ventured into a catering company “Gourmet Aura”,

which was well recognized. Currently, he owns a chain of restaurants

under the parent company called “Demiurgic Hospitality”. He is as well

the operating partner in “Giant Foods LLC, a catering company in Dubai

and an operating partner in “38 Barracks”, an army themed restaurant

in Connaught Place, Delhi.

Achievements:

1. Chef Gautam has been awarded with the prestigious “Silver Hat

Award” by “Indian Culinary Forum”.

2. “Tanzore Restaurant & Lounge”, which has been conceptualized and

launched by chef Gautam got recommended by Michelin.

3. “The Pink Poppodom”, was as well conceptualized and launched by

chef Gautam has won various awards and accolades, including

appreciation for best modern Indian restaurants by “BBC Good Food”.

4. Chef Gautam was bestowed with “The Most Promising

Entrepreneurs” by “The Economic Times” for his luxury catering

venture called “Gourmet Aura Pvt. Ltd.”.

5. “Hotelier India”, covered chef Gautam in “Top 10 chef’s” of the

country. It was an honour to share the space in the article with Chef

Hemant Oberoi & Chef Ananda Solomon.

6. Have represented India in the most prestigious “Milan Festival” for

Indian Cuisine.

7. Chef Gautam in his younger days has been an active athlete. He has

won many titles and awards including the national level “Gold

Medallist” in “Arm Wrestling”.

8. Chef Gautam has been an active face on media publications and has

been covered by various publishing houses. He has as well been

actively presented various cookery shows.

9. He is a columnist and writes regularly for magazines Hospitality Talk,

Restaurant Biz and Incredible Chef.

10. Chef Gautam has been a speaker at many places like “Indian

National Congress’2017”, “Food & Hospitality Talk, Bangalore’2014”,

etc.

11. Chef Gautam has attended WACS certified Judging Seminar in 2017.

Panellist/Mentor:

1. Chef Gautam is a mentor on the panel of “Rasoi Queen”, an initiative

by COWE for women empowerment.

2. Chef is as well the Brand Ambassador and consultant for the

equipment giant “Customized Kitchen India”.

3. He works on various formats very closely with ICF and serves as Joint

Secretary.

4. He is as well affiliated with three NGO’s and participates actively in

these forums.

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‘Food business is a booming industry in India, with

more and more number of restaurants opening every

other day. But what is new today will get old

tomorrow’


A- It’s a joy at work, sharing knowledge and creativity,

and at the same time learning from each and every

one. Life in the kitchen, in simple words is that we

have to play with fire, water and air!


A- It was my long cherished desire since an early age

to excel in the field of cooking, so I opted to pursue

this. Sheer perseverance and dedication took me to

where I belong today.



A- Over the years, I have changed as a person and

professional too. Life is more planned, groomed and

polished now and I have learnt to become a leader

who can empathize with people around himself.



now?

A- Change is a vital part of life, and that also applies to

cuisines. Now consumers are moving to quick food

and best service to save time. They want to spend less

time in cooking and eating. This has hugely impacted

food business too.


the career so far?

A- Learning is continuous, and all the prime learning

starts with small learnings. If I have to count, then I

would say “sugar work”.



A- Imagine if you spent all day cooking, thinking

about, and tasting food and still wanted to stay in

shape. We chefs know exactly what that is like,

because we do it every day. We face some unique

challenges, like being around delicious food all the

time. A chef’s job is to taste every dish that leaves the

kitchen to make sure it’s up to standards, so we end

up consuming a lot of calories each day. Add in the

late working hours, and you have a recipe for weight

gain. But we have to find ways around that. Most

chefs taste small amounts of food all day long and

rarely sit down for a full meal. Though it is hard to

have a disciplined health routine, but we have to

strive to ensure a good schedule towards maintaining

dietary balance.


NelsonThe Lodhi Hotel

91

Beetroot Gluten-free Bar


A- Only tasting is allowed, you are not supposed to eat

while working as it is not a clean practice.



A- Quality of ingredients, equipments rightly chosen

for right job, skilled manpower, standard recipes and

hygiene of working area and tools too.




A- I feel there is no comparison between cuisines;

each cuisine is very unique. I take pride in saying

profit percentage is little on the higher side in Indian

cuisine due to the cost of the basic ingredients.


cuisine?

A- Breakfast food is increasingly being served at any

time of day and many guests want ethnic offerings

included on breakfast menus, like dishes featuring

Asian-flavored syrups or items like chorizo scrambled

eggs. Heirloom produce has seen increased attention

recently, with chefs and restaurateurs seeking out

venerable varietals of everything from cherry

tomatoes, beans, apples and compiling with different

species of fresh vegetables. Countries growing with

multicultural and migrant population are behind the

change for more international food.



business?

A- India is known for its versatile culture, including its

huge varieties of distinguished staple diets. Over the

past decades, the country has provided high scale of

goodwill towards its cuisines in food marketing

worldwide. Influenced by new western cultural

habits, people in India are now becoming more health

conscious and focused on their daily meals,

considering about their calories consumption and

dietary plans. A number of fine-dining restaurants

offering well established menus based on gluten-free

and lactose-free dishes have also opened.


they are a successful business? Which characteristics


entrepreneurs?

A- Not all entrepreneurs are created from the same

blueprint. A successful businessman is one who

leaves his footprints behind so that others can learn

and follow him. It is not a secret that the culinary

industry is a cutthroat. Studies have found, for

example, that 60 to 90% of a new business of a

restaurant fails before completing its first few years,

but I believe that the process of success comes from

its failure once. Great chefs are those who are good

planners and well-organized, whatever there are

going to do. If we look at past decades, there are many

examples of chefs who took food to a next level that

one could hardly imagine. Legendary chefs are born

to craft a new art to food and add varieties of infusion

in dishes. These tactics have helped them to become

best classified chefs and come up with numerous

numbers of their own restaurants. With their good

level of confidence, they put their feet into

entrepreneurship which is a beautiful collaboration

which starts from the ‘mind to plate’, and then the

good sound of money.



A- I think a chef is someone who can cook their face

off, while at the same time, having the ability to

manage, lead and create a successful kitchen

operation, restaurant or otherwise. One of the main

problems is that the hands on, technical part of our

job requires a drastically different skill set than the

other essential components of the job. So yes, there

are obvious hands-on skills and techniques required,

but a whole host of others, as well. Chefs are different

than just about every other creative professional,

because of the fact that to express our creative vision,

we have to manage and put so many other entities in

place. We are unlike other artists whose work directly

links back to their creations, like a writer writes or a

painter paints. We have a slew of ever-changing

variables that affect our work. I believe these are the

things you need to adapt to, if you want to be different

and stand out as a chef. In terms of my cooking style, I

have worked with new techniques to come up with

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innovative dessert concepts for guest events, like

‘Makkhan Samosa Stuffed with Rich Khoya and Dry

Fruits’ which is prepared live over an ice block, and

‘Fried Ice Cream’ served with an array of condiments

which is an exciting visual treat for guests.

Q- What future challenges do you foresee in future

emerging in the food business? How as a chef do you


A- Food business is a booming industry in India, with

more and more number of restaurants opening every

other day. But “what is new today will get old

tomorrow” - this really filters down the very essence

for new concepts need in the food industry.

Consumers want to opt for new experiences, so

owners and chefs do not want to offer concepts which

are stale and old. A unique, out of the box concept is

utmost needed to keep you in a different league in the

market. Darwin once coined the concept of “survival

of the fittest”; likewise, if you want maintain business

leadership and distinguish your brand, you need to

constantly look into the needs of customers and keep

up with the trends. To cater to the increasingly

different demands of today’s consumers, like gluten

free, sugar free and lactose free, we chefs need to

constantly innovate and come up a wider variety of

offering for guest of all ages.

Chef’s Recipe:

BEETROOT GLUTEN-FREE BAR

Ingredients

• Beetroot Puree - 225 gm (3 medium beets roasted,

cubed for an hour 400°C)

• Almond Milk - 120 gm

• Eggs - 04 no (room temperature)

• Coconut Oil - 113 gm melted

• Vanilla - 01 teaspoon

• Salt - 03 gm

• Raw Cane Sugar - 100 gm

• White Chocolate - 90 gm melted

• Baking Powder - 08 gm

• Flax Meal - 24 gm

• Rice Flour - 170 gm

• Peanut Butter - 125 gm chips or butterscotch

• Vanilla Ice Cream - 01 scoop

Method

Preheat oven to 375°C (degrees).

Make the beet puree by blending the beets and

then add almond milk.

Add the eggs and using a whisk, mix the eggs till

well incorporated.

Add the melted coconut oil and mix well.

Add the melted white chocolate and whisk till well

blended,

Then add the cane sugar, vanilla, baking powder,

flax, salt and rice flour.

Sprinkle the white chocolate chips and peanut

butter chips/butterscotch on top.

Bake at 375°C for 28-30 minutes.

Let cool completely and then divide into pieces.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

About the Chef:

I was born and brought up in Mumbai, the financial

capital of India. It was my long cherished desire to be a

chef and with the support of my family, I joined the

certification course of food production from the

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. I

started my career in 1988 in Mumbai, and after that I

never turned back. I got the opportunity to work with

Ambassador Sky Chef which was the first big platform

of my journey that took me to the Middle East. I got to

work with some of the finest European Chefs which

really helped enriched me as a professional and as an

individual. Gathering a wealth of elaborated

knowledge on confectionaries and bakery, I came

back to India in 2004 and pursued my interest further.

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‘Everyone today strives to bring out something new to

stand out the daily basic routine. Multiple trials, new

creations on a daily basis has given birth to

innumerable inventions, thereby these inventions

changing into trends’


A- Kitchen is a place that is very close to my heart. Life

in the kitchen for me is where we make food with love,

passion and simplicity. Every day is a challenge in

kitchen when you have to serve the same taste and

quality.

Start to a new day comes with Soul satisfaction.


- While I was studying at boarding school, I used to

crave for outside food. But there weren’t any healthy

options available outside. I used to wait for vacations

to have good food. I was so fond on trying new dishes

when at home. Gradually the cravings turned into

interest for cooking and I love it today.

Q- Describe your journey.

A- My journey with this profession has changed a lot

as well as helped me to enhance my skills. I began

with, my knowledge in European cuisine while

moving forward with a lot more on my plate. With my

intensive interest in food helped me rediscover my

inner chef while having to try my hands on and

A

learning about new cuisines like oriental, Indian &

contemporary cuisine. Also with some Progressive

food.



now?

A- People are focusing on presentations, crockery,

food has evolved big time these days.

Earlier it was classic, now food is the new trend that

speaks volumes about different cultures,

presentation and styles of cooking.


the career so far?

A- Stay focused and calm. Cook good food and earn

smiles is my mantra.



A- It’s hard to control your temptations, especially

when you are amidst lots of food. I have to taste a lot

of food items, desserts etc. on daily basis. And

considering health I have started to restrict myself on

tasting and following strict regimes.



A- Cooking needs a lot of patience. A chef has to be

Ashish Singh Corporate Chef, Cafe Delhi Heights

?????????????95

Chicken Shish Touk

very focused while preparing a dish. Chef has to try

the dishes before it gets served on the table. Hence

we get into a habit of just creating the dishes and at

the same time we perfectly manage to control our

taste buds.



A- In my perspective, the most important element in

the preparation of food is the effort and with the set

of mind we prepare it. It is very important to keep a

perfect balance of all the ingredients to create a dish

from method to combining the technique and finally

the taste.


international cuisine on the basis of selling

proposition (economics)?

A- Indian food is emerging in global markets these

days. There is honest demand of Indian cuisine

globally. Ofcourse, each cuisine has its own flavors

and value but Indian food is graduating and going

places.

Likewise Chinese, Mexican, Italian, American, and

other world cuisine have great demand in metro cities

and people are more enthusiastic to try foreign

cuisine in India as well.


cuisine?

A- Everyone today strives to bring out something new

to stand out the daily basic routine. Multiple trials,

new creations on a daily basis has given birth to

innumerable inventions, thereby these inventions

changing into trends. In my knowledge, with a lot of

fusions emerging, the on-going trends are Fusion,

Molecular Gastronomy, Slow Cooked-food and not to

miss Japanese is super in these days.

Q- How is India its food habits and simultaneously

changing the course of F&B business?

A- Adapting the Western food habits, Indians have

emerged out of the basic Dal-Roti trend and have

started looking beyond. Growing awareness about

food & its trends have also started to reflect upon the

market as a whole. With increasing awareness,

has come increase in competition, pushing the

businesses to curate something new every day.

Therefore, eventually changingits course in F&B

business as well.

Q- Do you think Chefs can be successful

businessmen?

A- In my opinion, Chefs today have evolved as

entrepreneurs, having to cook something that will sell

is not the only aspect they look upon.

Having to work beyond kitchen, requires a Chef to

come out in order to understand the customer needs,

the on-going trends which helps them with their

entrepreneurial skills.



A- As a Chef, my immense passion for cooking and

overwhelming curiosity had always driven me to

experiment with my food. With ever-growing food

trends, one thing I believe that the love I put into my

food has me distinguished from other chefs, just as a

mother cooks food for her child with love.

Furthermore, infusion of contemporary ideas to my

cooking with reproducing Comfort food helped me

stand out and evolve as a Chef.

I feel that it’s the passion that drives us to innovation.

Q- What are future challenges that you foresee in the

future?

A- To be in ‘trend’ is trending the food business. One

needs to cope with the demand of customers. These

days my guest is well travelled and would expect a

world class experience from me. So to copy with the

trends operationally is sometimes a challenge for

commercial kitchen.

I try to keep reading to be updated. Also speaking to

guests and food enthusiasts keeps me updated. Social

media is also very helpful to keep a tap.

About the Chef

Ashish Singh is a passionate Chef who believes in

plating the best from his kitchen for the food lovers in

the city. With every new thing that is introduced Chef

Ashish Singh cares about just one thing and that is to

earn love for his food. Chef has traveled across the

globe which helps him understand the intricacies of

the global kitchen. He has not only strengthened his 9796

roots in India but has also ventured across the globe. In the past, he has

worked with the Ilaichi kitchen and Bar (United Kingdom) as a Sous

Chef. He has also worked at several other places, performing his duties

and has involved himself actively in various sections of the kitchen,

menu planning, inventories and many more.Singh has also been an

active participant in various culinary competitions. He has also given

demonstrations on various TV channels and been culinary judge.

Currently he is the Corporate Chef for Cafe Delhi Heights and has

recently won the Best Chef award in the Top Chef Awards Season 3.

Chef’s Recipe

CHICKEN SHISH TOUK

Ingredients

• 750 gms Boneless chicken, cut into3-inch cubes

• Zest of 2 Limes

• Juice of 2 limes

• 15 cloves garlic, crushed to a coarse paste

• 1/3 cup of yogurt

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 ½ tsp white pepper powder

• 1 heaped tsp red chilli powder

• ¼ tsp finely chopped fresh parsley

• Salt to taste

• ½ tahini sauce

• 15 – 20 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Method :

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken with all the other

ingredients except the tahini sauce. Rub the marinade well into the

chicken pieces; cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

2. Drain the bamboo skewers and thread 4 to 5 pieces of marinated

chicken on each skewer.

3. Heat a well greased grill pan over medium heat and place the

skewers on it. Grill the chicken basting the skewers with the

marinade for 3 to 4 minutes, and turn at regular intervals to ensure

even cooking.

4. Serve hot with tahini sauce.

‘I would describe myself as a creative and versatile

human being, whose interest lies in spending quality

time with friends and family.’


A- The Kitchen is my second home. I end up spending

more time in the kitchen than I spend with my

family.So, in that sense I see my co-workers in the

kitchen as my second family. And spending time or

being with family is always fun.


A- It is not something which I always wanted to be, I

was initially aspiring to be a Doctor, but unfortunately,

I didn’t get through. So, my second option was Hotel

Management.

It was not until I moved to Australia in the year 2005

that I developed my interest in the pastry & baking

field. While I was in Melbourne, working with some of

the finest chefs, who are very passionate about their

work, I was inspired every day to develop the focus &

vision required to be a chef.



A- It is, as many things in life, a roller coaster ride with

its ups & downs, where satisfaction ebbs and flows

and in which the only constant is change.



now?

A- Fortunately, I began my career in Australia where I

had the opportunity to see a lot more advancement in

the product offerings as compared in India back then.

But I must say India has caught up big time;now, after

12 years of my Career in the industry, things have

rapidly taken off. The offering is so vast with the same

quality one could find at any European top-notch

place. Even some Michelin star chefs & MOFs

(MeilleurOuvrier de France – a highly reputed French

distinction for excellence in the field) are brought to

India for training purposes.

Now you can find any cuisine with the best quality

product offerings in the Metro Cities. Chefs in India

are extremely talented and are trying real hard to

make India a world-class destination as far as cuisine

is concerned.


the career so far?

A- Throughout my career so far, I have learned to be

patient, have Vision, teamwork, creativity,meticulous

attention to details, and being a perfectionist.

Lastly, I must say, find where you shine and perfect it!



Amit SinhaLA L'opera

99

The Royal Chocolate Cake

-It is very crucial for a chef to maintain a proper diet

and be healthy, especially when you are a Pastry chef

and incontrovertibly surrounded by the best available

products.

You get tempted by the beautiful products around

you, but you need to exercise self-control not to eat

them each and every day. Too much of anything is not

good. And as the saying goes, “Chef tastes, doesn’t

eat!”. I try my best to follow the adage.



A- It is not necessary to eat what you create,but you

may have to taste what you make. For me it is pleasing

and enjoyable enough that my creations be

appreciated by others, rather than consuming them

myself.



A- I would say focus because most tasks, especially in

the high-end field, are time sensitive; any misstep,

albeit seemingly insignificant, can be disastrous.

Moreover, dedication and perseverance are essential,

given the demanding and often unforgiving nature of

my profession.




A- The both are altogether different from one

another; unique in their own ways. It may seem easier

to markup international cuisine in India, due to its

prestige factor and distinctive nature, but it is also

risky; many also get it wrong by trying to amateurishly

“Indianize” a Western dish, or “Westernize” an Indian

dish instead of focusing on quality and operating

under the umbrella of a clear vision and counting on

basic knowledge of the food industry.


cuisine?

A- Healthy/ dietary desserts

These days consumers are more health conscious

than ever before and we will keep on seeing an

increased demand for affordable healthier baking.

Consumers ask for low sugar, low fat or even gluten 101

free while seeking more nutrition in the form of

cereals and seeds that are rich in protein. (and other

“superfoods”)

Natural/Premium Quality

Today more than ever before, consumers want to

know what’s in their cake, how it’s made and where it

comes from. The trend clearly points towards

ingredients coming straight from nature. The

consumer cares for that and is more than ever

concerned about quality. They are willing to pay more

if they can understand and see the quality in the

baked goods. It is also becoming more acceptable that

convenient solutions can come at a premium.



business?

A- Indian marketing is adapting to the European and

other foreign cultures when it comes to food, and

customers are appreciating the versatility in world

cuisine. These days the food industry business is

booming, with the help of well-travelled food

enthusiasts in the market. Spending is on the rise

when it comes to quality food. Modernisation and

easy access to the best raw materials have enabled

chefs to more easily re-create the foreign experience

on the homefront.

Q- Can chefs become successful entrepreneurs?

A- I believe that in order to run a successful food

business, one must be good at both cooking and

marketing. They both go hand in hand: if you can cook

masterfully but cannot market it well, or cannot reach

out to your target audience, then the business can

never be successful or vice a versa, if you are good at

marketing but there is no consistency in the product

you create, you will lose outon the market share. So,

for me you need to be proficient in both skills in order

to be a successful entrepreneur in the food industry.



A- Being consistent and authentic is the only style any

chef should follow to be successful. And of course,

adding your personal touch which keeps the

customer coming back for more.

Q. What are future challenges do you foresee in future emerging in

food business? How as a chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- Given the increasing purchasing power of India’s middle class and

more awareness about international cuisine, the exigency of

customers is only going to increase, just as their tolerance for mistakes

will decrease. I welcome this challenge as it will encourage the industry

to up its ante and keeps us on our toes. What is more, there will

undoubtedly be more competitors in our industry, but it is only through

industriousness, resourcefulness and steadfastness that one can

surmount this challenge.

Q- About the chef’s profile in 100-150 words.

A- I have been working in the field of Bakery & Pastry from the past 12

years. This includes working at some up-market hotels, French

Patisserie & Boulangerie, fine dining restaurants and the world-class

Pastry Institute in Asia Pacific (AUSTRALIA, INDIA, MALAYSIA &

PHILIPPINES).

I would describe myself as a creative and versatile human being, whose

interest lies in spending quality time with friends and family.

This is the only career I have ever known; to be in the industry I had

taken up a 3-year course of Hotel Management at IHM, Bhopal and

then moved to William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne, Australia

for an Advanced Diploma in Hospitality (Patisserie).

Below are some of the accomplishments so far in the journey:

1. Best Bakery/Pastry Chef of the Year 2016 at INDIAN RESTAURANTS

AWARDS 2016, Delhi

2. Best Pastry/Bakery Chef (Standalone Restaurants) at TOP CHEF

AWARDS – Season 3, Delhi – NCR 2016

3. 2nd Runner Up (Bronze Medal) at ASIAN PASTRY CUP 2016,

Singapore

4. Best Chocolate Display at ASIAN PASTRY CUP 2016, Singapore

5. National Pastry Champion 2015, India

Chef’s Recipe:

THE ROYAL CHOCOLATE CAKE

Chocolate Mousse

Whole Eggs 125gm

Water 30gm

Caster Sugar 112.5gm

Dark Chocolate Couverture 275gm

Whipping Cream 500gm

Method:

1. Whip the whole eggs in table top Kitchenaid, at the same time 100

bring the sugar and water to 118 degrees Celsius and pour in the whole

eggs slowly. Continue whisking till the temperature comes down to 50

degrees.

2.Mix the cooked egg mixture with the melted chocolate.

3.Fold the semi whipped cream to the above mixture. Pour in the

desired molds to set.

JOCONDE

Almond Powder 1.260

Icing Sugar 0.810

Whole Eggs 1.530

Egg Whites 0.900

Caster Sugar 0.450

Flour 0.360

Melted Butter 0.360

Method:

1.Whisk together almond powder, icing sugar and whole eggs till light

and fluffy.

2.Make French meringue with egg whites and caster sugar, by

whipping the egg whites and adding the caster sugar in three stages.

Whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

3.Fold the meringue with the almond, sugar and egg mix followed by

the flour and lastly the melted butter.

4.On a baking tray with a silicon mat spread the batter about 5 mm and

bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 9 minutes.

COCOA SPRAY

Dark Chocolate Couverture 70 % – 100gm

Cocoa butter – 100 gm

Method:

1.Melt the cocoa butter and add the chocolate to it.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1.Cut out the joconde sheet of 5-inch round and spread over 100gm of

Callebautcaracarakin mix.

2.Let it set in chiller for 10 minutes

3.Take a 6-inch round ring.

4.Take out the base and place in the middle of the round ring and top

up the round ring with the chocolate mousse and freeze.

5.Once frozen de-mold it from the ring and spray with cocoa spray

using a spray gun.

103102

Priyam Kumar The United Group

“The F&B industry is one of the most exciting spaces

to be, in most places across the globe, because of the

vast amount of innovation and thought behind it.”


A- The kitchen is my happy place, my zone where I feel

in control of everything that is happening around me.

Despite the mayhem of a busy commercial kitchen, I

always enjoy the bustle and energy that each new,

different day brings.

Q- What inspired you to be a chef in the first place?

A- One of my fondest childhood memories was

definitely watching the most popular cooking shows

that would come on TV at that time. I used to immerse

myself in the recipes and later spend time with my

mother in the kitchen, as she cooked. The passion for

recreating recipes and cooking thereby started at an

early age, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that I

had to turn my passion into my career.


years that you are in the profession?

A- I began my journey at the age of 17 when I entered

the industry and since then my experience has

changed and evolved tremendously. From being a

trainee and learning different roles and

responsibilities within the kitchen, to steadily working

my way up and gaining the confidence to juggle those

responsibilities with many more added along the way,

the journey has been extremely exciting and I

continue to look forward to gaining more knowledge

and experience within this space.



now?

A- When I first entered the industry, European food

trends were all the rage, with huge demands for

French and Italian food. However now, what seems to

be gaining a lot of acclaim and attention is going back

to basics – our own humble Indian cuisine, but

elevated and crafted to perfection; creating a food

journey that is innovative and delicious, yet homely

and comforting.

Q- Your suggestion for any chef?

A- One of my first executive chefs in the beginning of

my career advised me to always remember that I must

continue to have the curiosity, the innate need to

continue learning; no matter my age, skills,

experience and achievements – you’re never to old to

keep learning and keep growing. This has stayed with

me throughout and continues to do so.


105

Beetroot & Curry Leaf Risotto


A- As in any other profession, to optimize one’s

potential and skills to the maximum, staying healthy

and fit is integral. Since we work long hours, getting in

a workout can often be difficult; sometimes it means

sacrificing that one extra hour of sleep. However, it is

absolutely indispensable in order to cope with the

various demands of the job – both physically and

mentally.



A- Most people assume that one of the biggest perks

of being a chef is constantly being surrounded by

great tasting food! While that is the case, the novelty

value and excitement wears off eventually, and soon

it becomes a part of a routine, not a temptation that

one has to fight to resist every day.



A- One of the most important elements in preparing

great food is using high quality local ingredients.

However, just using these ingredients in not the end

goal in itself; but preserving the integrity of the

ingredients, making them shine through with skilled

cooking and the right technique is a key element of

food preparation.


International cuisine? How do you compare them on


A- Indian food and International cuisine are both

immensely popular amongst diners who choose to

eat out at a restaurant – the former because of the

familiarity, comfort and emotional connect that it

offers; and the latter, due to the exciting, innovative

and unique flavours that it presents. In terms of

selling proposition, both have their extremely loyal

patrons; however even though global food is trendy

and popular, it is the Indian cuisine that the large

general population mostly resorts to.

Q- What are the new trends emerging in the world

cuisine?

A- The F&B industry is one of the most exciting spaces

to be, in most places across the globe, because of the

vast amount of innovation and thought behind it.

There’s always new trends that end up creating a

revolution – we have seen the rise in popularity of

fusion cuisines and molecular gastronomy; along with

a surge in plant based and vegan foods. Finally, many

cultures all over the world are going back to choosing

local ingredients instead of picking exotic, imported

ones.



business?

A- The average Indian living in a cosmopolitan city is

well aware of food and cuisines and is exposed –

through television and social media – of everything

that is out there. The knowledge of this is creating a

bigger market and more potential for pushing the

boundaries beyond conventional food that earlier

generations were satisfied with.

Q- Chefs as businessmen. Your take?

A- Chefs can be successful entrepreneurs, but the

core of this success must necessarily be based in the

quality of food they offer, the detail and thought that

goes behind each dish and whether or not it strikes a

chord with their guests. Great chefs are artists in their

own right.

Q- How would you define your style of cooking?

A- My style of cooking has been significantly inspired

by people that I observe around me – people who are

not necessarily from the same industry but have a

deep fondness for cooking and food; people who

convey the idea that food is a force that brings

communities together. I have learnt of familial

cooking styles that has continued since generations,

been inspired by the stories behind them, and

hybridized dishes in a contemporary manner.

Q- What challenges do you foresee in the future in

the industry?

107106

A- With the growing awareness of food trends, easier

access than ever to travel and cuisine and a

significantly sized disposable income, the most

challenging part to be able to survive this industry is to

be able to constantly reinvent, ceaselessly push the

boundaries of innovation, and not just meet but

exceed the expectations of guests.

Chef’s Journey-

I started off my training at the Systematic Training and

Education Program by the Oberoi Hotels, and went on

to spend the next five and a half years with the Group,

working in three of their properties. After spending

this duration in hotels, I wanted to switch to the

restaurant landscape and worked under the

leadership of celebrated chef Sabyasachi Gorai as a

part of his consultancy. Through the consultancy I was

deputated as the Executive Chef of a restaurant –

Devang House. Currently, I am working as the Outlet

Head Chef as well as the R&D Chef for United Coffee

House Rewind. At UCH, my job responsibility is to

develop the brand’s new avatar under the leadership

of Mr. Akash Kalra, as per his mission, vision and

dharma.

Chef’s Recipe-

BEETROOT & CURRY LEAF RISOTTO

Ingredients

White butter (20 g or 1.5 tbsp)

Onions, chopped (60 g or 4 tbsp)

Idli rice (200 g raw or 1 cup)

Salt to taste

Coconut oil (15 ml or 1 tbsp)

Curry leaves (10 pieces)

Mustard seeds (1 tsp)

Whole red chili, dry (3 pieces)

Beetroot, peeled and

chopped roughly (100 g or 1/2 cup)

Mascarpone cheese (20 g or 1.5 tbsp)

Method:

Serves 2-3 people

1. In a pan over medium flame, melt the butter. Cook

onions in butter until golden brown.

2. Add the idli rice, and toss in the pan for half a

minute.

3. Add 1.5 cups of water, and add salt per your taste.

Let the rice cook for 30 minutes and continue

adding small quantities of water as the rice dries

out.

4. While the rice is cooking, heat another pan over

medium flame. Add coconut oil.

5. Once the oil is hot, crackle 8 curry leaves, mustard

seeds and 2 chilis together. 6. Once done, add

chopped beetroot to the pan and cook through,

adding a little water to allow the beetroot to cook

through.

7. Puree the beetroot mixture in a blender.

8. Add the beetroot mixture to the rice as it is just

about to be cooked through, cook for another five

minutes.

9. Once the rice is cooked, add the mascarpone

cheese and remove from flame. Mix well.

10. Plate the risotto and garnish with 2 curry leaves, a

pinch of mustard seeds and the remaining red

chili.

BharatCorporate Chef ,The Citrus Hotels & Head of Operations (North India)

" Remember, Cooking is an Art, unless it is completed

you should not spoil it"

Q- What is life in kitchen for you?

A- ‘Foodie-ism’ is the new trend and ‘ism’ - which is

uniting the whole world and is loved and explored by

people all over the world. Food combines culture &

humanity and is a best healer. Life for me in the

kitchen is like completing a circle, full of cutting edge

recipes, spread with love while cooking and served

with a smile.

Q- What has inspired you to be a chef at the first

place?

A- Childhood experiments, Punjabi roots and being a

Delhiite, who is well versed with exposures of

different varieties of food presented before you at the

time of marriages, celebrations, festivals, carnivals,

etc, is quite enough to tingle your taste buds.



A- My journey of being a chef is an ever growing and

never ending learning experience. Food culture of our

country has changed a lot, as people love to hangout

more these days. Travelling has overwhelmingly

impacted the taste, texture & presentation of the

food around the globe. We, gastronauts are bringing

the richness of Indian culinary diversity into the

limelight.



now?

A- I have seen many significant changes, since the

time, I became a part of this prestigious industry. It

has undergone a sea change. All due to globalization,

adapting of new technologies, availability of high

quality raw materials, ideas generated through travel

and internet. Earlier people led a simple life, now

their spending power has enhanced. People are

fascinated towards cookery shows of various TV

channels, food magazines, chef competitions and

loved to meet and learn from celebrity chefs.

Q- What has been your prime learning throughout

the career so far?

A- Chefs comprises an integral part of tourism

industry. Learning is an ongoing process. My prime

learning is to keep your heart and mind open for

adopting new ideas, arms open to maintain cordial

relations with guests and colleagues. A never-say die

attitude is crucial in a chef’s life.



109

Coconut Fish

A- A strenuous regime of a chef keeps him always on

toes, in love for his passion of cooking leaves no time

for him. So, eat simple, live simple.



A- Remember, Cooking is an Art, unless it is

completed you should not spoil it. With experience,

you learn how to control your hands and tastebuds.

The balancing comes out automatically. What goes in

your mind is being reciprocated by your hands. Smile;

that your food brings on guests face – fills your heart

and stomach.



A- Follow the basics, tradition, latest trends, maintain

proper balance between health and taste, passion to

cook and serve, a genuine interest in art of learning,

the science of food are the important elements.




A- Indian food industry is very dynamic and it is

following the latest trends with latest technologies,

without forgetting its roots. Whole world is

witnessing the change. India’s vast culinary offers a

valuable asset for our heritage. International chefs

are also seeing the growing fascination of Indian

cuisine all over the world. Indian spices speak volume

and that is the major USP of food. Delicious food is

cooked, all over the world and every region has its

own characteristics. Whatever tickles your taste buds

and make your mouth waters, just go for it... as Indian

diet uses less processed and more natural products.


cuisine?

A- Fusion cuisine, (combines elements of different

culinary tradition) taste of florals, use of spices from

the Middle East countries, bubbly beverages, etc. No

food should be left behind i.e food waste is on the

decline. Nose-to-tail butchery and it’s vegetable

equivalent (using the entire fruit or vegetable

including the leaves and stems) are on the rise. Thanks

to the funky recipes.

Q. How India is developing its food habits and


business?

A- Indian diet remains primarily vegetarian. Now-a-

days, consumption of meat and animal based

products has also increased a lot. Diets vary & evolve

over time. Income, food prices, individual preferences

and beliefs, cultural environment factor are bringing

many influential changes in diet. To satisfy people,

F&B professionals keep themselves abreast with the

latest knowledge and varieties to boom their

business.




entrepreneurs?

A- Yes, Chefs have become great Entrepreneurs and it

takes a lifetime of learning to become a good chef.

They have creative edge to create something new. As

in the Modern Age, new ideas sell. Many good cooks

have the business savvy to open multiple franchises,

expand brands and are becoming great

entrepreneurs. One has to climb step-by-step ladder

to develop a personal style that expresses his

individuality.



A- Extensive travelling which is a part and parcel of my

present job gives me enough scope to explore various

locales and it’s regional and authentic cuisine styles.

Also, various hidden unexplored arena of food and

ingredients which are certainly adding feathers in my

cap.

Q- What are the future challenges that you foresee in


you prepare yourself to brace the challenge?

A- There is an ongoing global dietary transition

happening where great numbers of people are eating

fewer cereals and large amounts of meat, fruits and

vegetables & the processed food intake is much

higher. Climate change is also affecting different

aspects of food production. Chefs should come

forward to safeguard the future of food through

innovations and transforming wasted - by products

into flavorful ingredients. Rethink waste initiative.. to

start and various competitions to be planned to

create awareness.

Chef's Recipe

COCONUT FISH

Portion weight : 220 gm

Preparation time : 15min to 20 min

Ingredient

Basa Fish 0.18

Coconut Milk Powder 0.05

Coconut Fresh 0.2

Black Pepper Powder 0.002

Lemon 0.002

BananaLeaves 2

Vegetable Garnish 0.05

Spinach 0.5

Potato Wedge 0.05

Chop garlic 0.05

Method:

Fish marinate With coocnut milk,pepper powder,salt,

Banana Leaf fresh coconut,fish fiiet,top put same

coconut,folld it rapped . Cook in tawa grilled

Saute spinach,fried potato wedge,

Coconut & spinach sauce hot

About the Chef:

Chef Bharat Alagh, a culinary innovator, having

experience of more than 24 years in the hospitality

industry is consistently contributing to revenue

growth of the hotel. Successfully, demonstrated his

effective ability to leading chains of hotels, like Le

Meridien, Lemon Tree, The Hans, New Delhi and

presently adorns the hat at The Citrus Hotels as the

Corporate Chef and the Head of Operations (North

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India) for more than 4 years. Responsible for opening

of various hotels, restaurants, clubs and organized

various regional and international festivals.

Presented a vast variety of delicacies in hotels and

diverse food culture, my journey of discovering and

creativity in the culinary world is expanding. Already

done various food previews for well – known

publication groups like The Times of India, Hindustan

Times, Pioneer, Women’s Era, Food and Beverage,

Food & Nightlife amongst others. Featured in food

shows for various National channels, visiting faculty

at several management colleges and universities

across India. Judging events and competitions at

National and International levels. Joint Secretary at

the Indian Culinary Forum and ‘B’ level judge at the

WACS, my journey goes on with commitment,

dedication and sincerity in this prestigious culinary

profession.

Lakpa TamangHead Chef, Last Call Restaurant

113


everything?

A- My first big break was when I got a chance to work

in this restaurant (last call) as the kitchen head. It

really helped me to boost up my confidence.


you?

A- Tasting the dishes for the first time when I got my

position, it changed the way I think about the food

because of the boldness in flavours. That exact

moment I decided to play with recipe and spices.


A- Being a chef I spend 10-12 hours in kitchen and

kitchen is my second home.


A- I used to help my mom cook when I was younger

and it left a lasting impression on me. I fell in love with

cooking then and it certainly inspired me to become a

chef.



A- The way I think about food today is different than

when I was first starting out.



now?

A- Food now means the future for me today. I look at

food differently than when I started my career.


the career so far?

A- The year 2016, my last restaurant Qla.



A- For chefs to maintain diet and health is most

important, standing whole day and night under

pressure, fire and sweat so for chefs it's very

important thing to maintain diet and health.



A- First of all respect for the ingredients is essentials.

The most important elements in food preparation

according to me is water, wood, fire, earth and metal.




A- No one can resist the mouthwatering delicacies

offered by both the cuisine.


cuisine?

A- Examples include doughnuts with unique fillings,

untraditional cuts of meats, fermented vegetables,

meat alternative, ancient grains, soft serve and edible

flowers.



business?????????????

Bhupender Singh RawatPastry Sou Chef, Hotel Radisson Marina

A- A new kind of Indian cuisine is blossoming, one

which melts traditional spice and flavors with modern

technology and ingredients.




entrepreneurs?

A- Chefs have that ability to look at raw ingredients

and bring something to life, such life an artist who

uses plants to create a masterpiece. They see

something- a menu, a restaurant are a gap in the

market, and then pursue that vision relentlessly.



A- I try to serve produce in its context. If it's peas, it

will be in a green, springtime setting. if it's wild

Mushroom, there will be an autumn atmosphere. I

give light to my cuisine with things that have meaning

for me.

Chef's favorite: SOLE- BEET

Sole Fillet

Poached sole fillet in herbs beurre Blanc seasons with

olive oil , lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Beet root emulsion:

Roasted Beetroot Puree

No Egg Yolk

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Lemon Juice

Charred Baby Onion:

Baby Onion

Garlic Oil

Salt

Crushed Pepper

Roasted cauliflower puree:

Cauliflower Puree

Ellie & vire cream

Butter

Truffle oil

Salt

pepper

Garnish:

Edible flowers

Micro Greens.

: 180gm

: 20gm

: 1

: 60ml

: 20gm

: 50 gm

: 2 tbs

: 1/2 tbs

' My kitchen has become my sweet, safe haven, and

cooking has become one of the most joyous activities

in my life'


A- Cooking has been one of the greatest teachers in

developing my character. It can be instantly rewarding

— a grand celebration of flavor. Or it can turn quickly

into a life lesson, keeping you humble with lots of

opportunities to learn about loss, imperfection,

acceptance, perseverance, grief, willingness and

ultimately a simple forgiveness that leaves you with a

choice to either throw in the dishtowel or try, try

again.

My kitchen has become my sweet, safe haven, and

cooking has become one of the most joyous activities

in my life. As a matter of fact, I can put these life tools

to use more easily in the kitchen than I sometimes can

in real life. So don’t be surprised if some of these

guidelines not only help keep your kitchen running

smoothly but also help you out of a real-world jam or

two.



when I started in this industry. When I was first

starting out, I was hungry to learn as much as possible,

and I would go to work eager to learn about different

ingredients and spices to complete menus, growing

my knowledge to be a better cook. It was difficult for

my mind to process all the ways to cook, and it wasn’t

even cooking yet. I found myself hooked when my

days in the bakery turned into nights, and I spent all of

my time just trying to learn as much as possible and

keep progressing to the next step. I would stand in the

walk-in fridge and just be curious about all the

different products and processes–pieces. I looked up

to my chefs as teachers and masters of their craft.

Today, I look at food differently than when I was

younger. Food brings balance to my life–this is not

only my career but what best describes who I am.

Food now means the future for me. I do everything

now for one person: my daughter. She has taught me

more than any chef that I worked for and she just five

but strangely enough we can understand each other

as if we are old friends. Food has changed its meaning

to me; just like the seasons, it is ever-changing in so

many ways and will continue to be throughout my life.

Food, and the industry itself, made me into a different

person – there are a lot of growing pains in this

industry, and it takes a lot out of you. This career path

is for people who are go-getters who want to create

and keep creating every day, and who want to share

their love of food with family and friends or even a

stranger that they will never meet.



A- In the past, the path for both the pastry and the

pastry chef just happened to be a bit more restricted.

Today, changing consumer habits and inspiring risk

taking chefs are transforming our culture and

showcasing that pastry and pastry chefs really belong

woven into every facet of the food industry. It’s about

the creativity and the way they choose to impact the

world and make it sweeter. I see my own personal

evolution in the industry, my responsibility is to now

hopefully inspire the next generation and to shine a

light on their successes.” Desserts have always held a

place in the world, but the carefully crafted and

gourmet side that pastry falls under has managed to

lead a rather unpredictable existence.

While the traditional route for a pastry chef may have

been limited to staying in a restaurant/hotel job

forever, or opening one’s own shop, I think there now

exist many more models and platforms to pursue,

more and more students are enrolling into culinary

schools with various food careers in mind, including

food writing, styling, food science, education,

entrepreneurship, sales and consulting. All of these

are realities because many of the successful pastry

chefs from the traditional restaurant and hotel worlds

are finding success branching out, giving hope that

pastry chefs can have unique and lifelong careers.

My path was to study from the top pastry artists in our

field, research and archive pastry trends actively and

contribute original pastry recipes and techniques to

the field through media outlets and competitions.

With so many avenues available, a broad-based

understanding of the field combined with a clear

vision of the type of chef one wants to become

ensures the best chance of a successful career as a

pastry chef.



A- Imagine if you spent all day cooking, thinking

about, and tasting food and still wanted to stay in

shape and being a pastry chef it all the more difficult

to cope with all the sugar and related calories. we face

some unique challenges, like being around delicious

food all the time.

it’s a requirement of a chef’s job to taste every dish

that leaves the kitchen to make sure it’s up to

standards.

It possible to eat all the time and still be hungry? Most

chefs say they taste small amounts of food all day long

but rarely sit down to a full meal. I follow following

tips

• POWER WALK – Any time that you are able to walk

instead of ride is great therapy. Walking clears your

head, it allows you to breathe fresh air and enjoy

everything that surrounds you outside of work.

• SPORTS AND GYM WORKOUTS – Any kind of sport or

exercise demands your attention away from the

range. Team sports, in particular, add the dimension

of camaraderie and even a little healthy competition.

Build this into your weekly routine.

• TAKE THE TIME TO EAT WELL – Cooks and chefs

typically do not practice what they preach about

nutrition and well-prepared food. We are always in a

rush to eat; we oftentimes eat standing up while

working and fail to create the balance of a healthy diet

into our routine. This is our fuel that can build a body’s

strength or slowly tear it apart.



A- No stage is more or less in food preparation, What I

115114

117116

look and believe in is a happy gut and satisfactory

smile which says “Chef I will be back” and all the

element needs to work together to reach at that

stage.




A- Indian cuisine is one of the favorite cuisines of the

people in countries. With the combination of

different spices, vegetables and technique, the taste

of the dish is highly elevated. Indian food is heavily

influenced by cultural and religious choices. Indian

cuisine is evolving due to the nation’s cultural

interactions with other societies.

Indian cuisine reflects 5000 years of history of various

cultures interacting within the subcontinent, leading

to the diversity of flavors and regional cuisine found in

modern day India. An Indian diet consists of fruit,

vegetables, eggs, diary products, milk and meat. Over

time, people have embraced vegetarianism.

The staple food of this cuisine includes bajra, rice,

wheat flour and variety of lentils, especially massor,

toor and moong. Lentils are used extensively. Indian

dishes are cooked in vegetable oil, but peanut oil is

more popular in the north and south regions,

whereas mustard oil is commonly used in the eastern

regions. Cuisine differs across regions, as a result of

diversity in local culture, location (nearby to sea,

deserts or mountains) and economics. It also varies

according to the season, and the availability of fruits

and vegetables. A few examples:

The cuisines of Western countries are pretty diverse,

there are a few characteristics that help distinguish

western cooking from Indian and Asian cuisine.

Compared with traditional cooking of Asian

countries, meat is more prominent and substantial.

Steak is a common dish across the west. Western

cuisines put a substantial emphasis on sauces as

condiments and seasoning. Many dairy products are

utilized in the cooking process. Wheat-flour bread is

the most common source of starch in this cuisine,

along with pasta and pastries, although the potato

has become a major starch product in the diet of

Europeans. Maize is not common in their diets.

Cornmeal or polenta, is majorly found in the foods of

Italy and the Balkans.

In terms of selling proposition there is not much of

difference now as with the growth of globalization,

people all across the globe have started to get

accustomed and to enjoy the different variety of

cuisines available.



business?

A- Globalisation has changed different aspect of the

Indian Society in the last two decades, including the

food habit of the Indian people, Indians currently in

the late 30s, used to ask their parents to buy “jhal-

muri” or “mumphali” for them during their childhood.

Times have changed and multinational fast food

chains become quite familiar with the younger

generation. Now-a-days, the young people prefer

burgers, hot dogs, fried chickens, moms etc. They like

to hang out in decorative and air-conditioned

environment with variety of food on their plates, with

growing number of food restaurants chains offering

different recipes at the comparatively ‘cheaper’ rates.

The changing scenario has not only helped the food

and beverage (F&B) industry strengthen its position in

the Indian market, but also created job opportunities

for a huge number of people. It has further allowed

producers to get the right price for their food grains. It

seems that a country like India, which is heavily

dependent on the agriculture sector, is the ideal place

for the F&B industry to boom.




A- I would call them as future trends rather than

challenges and only way you can tackle them by

holding the bull by its horns and keep oneself abreast

with the changes.

1. Technology has impacted all aspects of food service

industry from sourcing to reservations to on-demand

delivery. It has led to the emergence of new business

models, such restaurant aggregators, cloud-based

kitchens that support home cooks and online food

delivery.

2. The Indian food service industry landscape, which is

dominated by the unorganised sector, is experiencing

a gradual shift with the expansion in the market share

of organised players.

3. Social media as become integral part of the young

population’s lifestyle. It has become an avenue for

them to express their views and opinion, compare

and evaluate choices, and share feedback. Since the

youth with increased disposal incomes, constitute a

large part of the customer base for the food service

brands, social media has become one of the most

important medium to connect with them.

4. Evolution of the Indian food menu with changing

lifestyle, expansion in tourism (both inbound and

outbound) and increased focus on health have

compelled Indian and foreign players to introduce

innovations in their food menus, necessary to

outperform the competition.

About the Chef-

I have 13 years of experience with hospitality industry

as Pastry Chef in Hotels, ITC Maurya, The Leela Palace

Chanakyapuri and now working at Radisson Blu

Marina since five years

During my career I worked with great chefs like-

Chef Noel Nalin Fonsela(Srilanka)

Chef Martin Luedeke (Germany)

Chef Andrew Whitley(England)

Chef Gilles Faurve(France)

Chef Avijit Ghosh (India)

I won few awards during my journey as a Bakery Chef

such as

1. Silver Position at Mango Culinary Contest 2007 held

by Delhi Tourism

2. Bronze Medal for Artistic Bakery Showpiece 2007

held by Indian Culinary Forum and Hospitality First.

Chef's Personal Favorite:

CARAMELIZED STAR ANIS BAVAROISE AND PEACH

SYRUP

Water

Sugar

Star Anis Syrup

Sugar

Star Anis

Water

Syrup

Caramelize the sugar then pour the Star anis inside to

caramelize it.

Add the water then bring to the boil then add sugar

syrup.

CARAMELIZED STAR ANIS BAVAROISE

Sugar

100 Gm

100 Gm

50 Gm

50 Gm

250 Gm

100 Gm

125 Gm

Star Anis

Milk

Egg Yolks

Gelatine Leafs

Whipping Cream

Caramelize the sugar then pour the star anise inside

to caramelize it add the hot milk then infuse for 15

Mints mix the egg yolks and sugar pass the milk then

infuse for 15mint mix the egg yolks and sugar pass the

milk into a stainer then boil again. cook like ans

English sauce add the gelatine pass into stainer then

cool down then add the whipping cream.

MACADAMIA JACONDE BISCUIT

INGREDIENTS-

Almond Powder

Macadamia Nut Paste

Iceing Sugar

Flour

Eggs

Butter

Chopped Macadamia

Egg White

Caster Sugar

Directions:

1. Process the almond powder with icing sugar in a

food processor and flour

2. Beat the egg white until foamy and add the sugar.

Continue beating for some minutes until you get a

firm and glossy meringue

3. Add eggs to dry mixture in a large bowl.

4. Mix well until smooth

5. Gently fold the egg white meringue into the

mixture.

6. Do it in two steps, i.e. adding 1/2 of the meringue at

a time.

7. Add the melted butter and gently mix with a

spatula.

8. Evenly spread the batter in a thin layer (1/8 – 1/4

inch thick = between 3 and 6 mm) on a silicone liner or

parchment paper in the baking pan.

Bake in your pre-heated oven for 10 or 13 minutes at

425°F. This cake bakes very fast. It is done when you

can touch the top and it bounces back.

Allow it to cool on a cooling rack for about 5 – 10

minutes then its ready to serve.

100 Gm

0 1ltr

320 Gm

11

1ltr

150 Gm

25 Gm

175 Gm

50 Gm

250 Gm

50 Gm

10 Gm

325 Gm

80 Gm

???????????????????????119


A- Sometimes I work 20 hours straight and my days

bleed into each other. Sometimes I worry if what I'm

doing is right, and how much longer I will have the

energy for it. We are chefs and bartenders, servers

and dishwashers, owners and entrepreneurs,

craftsmen and women. We are obsessed with

perfection, being on-trend, good press, and being on

top ten lists. We are an industry of food professionals

working more than 12 hours a day to survive while

others are vacationing. We're working to keep a

business going; we're working to stay sane.


A- I was most influenced at the point of my career

when I got exposed to food of different ethnicities

around the globe and saw how food can have a big

impact on our lives and health. I was fortunate to

work for a global hotel chain, and I could bring

together different cuisines and techniques to create

dishes, which we never thought of before. We were

one of the first restaurants to bring together

international and local kitchen. We brought talent

from all over the country to this kitchen and I was the

lucky chef to be a part that group of multicultural

chefs for five years.



A- Being a chef today is very different than it was even

just a decade ago. Chefs used to be invisible

workhorses hiding behind a stove, churning out

glorious dish after glorious dish without much

recognition from their diners. Today that whole

dynamic has changed. Chefs are the reason to go to a

restaurant. They are celebrated like rockstars. They've

even become household names.



now?


when I started in this industry. When I was first

starting out, I was hungry to learn as much as possible,

and I would go to work eager to learn about different

ingredients and spices to complete menus, growing

my knowledge to be a better cook. Today, I look at

food differently than when I was younger. Food brings

balance to my life–this is not only my career but what

best describes who I am. Food now means the future

for me. Restaurants will have to start thinking of

options in health-based food as India moves from

occasion-based dining to convenience-based dining.


the career so far?

A- My primary learning throughout the career so far

was “Wildflower Hall Shimla, where I was given the

opportunity to acquire in every section of the kitchen

world. The exposure that I got there was one of the

most learning experience for me by far.



A- How is it even possible to a) be creative b) think

about taking care of myself? Even if I want to, what are

my options? How can we live healthier lives as chefs

and work in an industry that praises and— in

fact—rewards sleepless nights and crazy work hours?

I recognized that my own emotions were starting to

affect not only how I did my job but how the people

around did theirs. Getting upset or frustrated did

nothing for anyone. When I took a step back and

reevaluated my approach to situations, I was able to

be more creative in the kitchen and get more positive

results from my staff. As food professionals, we need

to recognize that "that's just the way it is in our

industry" isn't a viable response anymore. Being a

manic chef ended up making me physically ill. I was

stressed, overweight, depressed, and I felt like shit all

the time. When I started drinking broth, I realized it

was not only delicious and great to sip on, but also

really healing



A- As I started to make health more of a priority, I

found myself drinking a lot of broth, without a spoon

and simply straight from a bowl. Not only was it

delicious and great to sip on, but it also felt really

healing. It filled me up and gave me energy without

the jitters or crash that I got from caffeine. I really

think of broth as the world's original comfort food. It

has been around for ages. It's tasty and warming. It

reminds me of being a kid, eating bowls of broth with

Ronzoni pastina and Parmesan cheese. Italian broth-

based soups (escarole, stracciatella, tortellini en

brodo) were a big part of upbringing and my

‘I was most influenced at the point of my career when

I got exposed to food of different ethnicities around

the globe and saw how food can have a big impact on

our lives and health’


everything?

A- It was indeed the most amazing thing that could

have happened to me as a fresher in this industry. My

first Job at Taj Palace New Delhi. It was surely the best

break in terms of leaning & the platform that I could

perform under the industry’s top Chef’s.


you?

A- As a child I use to accompany my father & uncles to

Hunting. Post that we use to cook our win in the bear

minimum resources in the wilds itself. I being the

youngest, it was my responsibility to carry & arrange

all the ingredients and then cooking in the wilds.

Experimenting with the minimum spices & other

ingredients were the moments that I developed the

love culinary.

Manpreet SinghExecutive Chef

Holiday Inn Chandigarh Panchkula

118

Indian-Spiced Leg of Lamb Recipe

121120

definition of comfort.



A- Nutrion in regards to diet focused recipes and in

control of vitamins minerals and stable calories.

Hygiene and environment. Its important to know

how to prepare food safely and hygienically in the

home too There are four important elements to good

food hygiene, cleaning storing, preparing and

cooking.Recieving practices are too essential in food

handling safety and personal hygiene. Food Cooking

and preparation in keep in a note of their correct time

and temperature.




A- Indian cuisine encompasses a variety of regional

cuisine native to Indian soil. International is a

generalized term collectively referring to cuisines of

Europe and other Western countries. With the

growth of globalization, people all across the globe

have started to get accustomed and to enjoy the

different variety of cuisines available. Indian cuisine is

one of the favorite cuisines of the people in countries.

With the combination of different spices, vegetables

and technique, the taste of the dish is highly elevated.

Indian food is heavily influenced by cultural and

religious choices.


cuisine?

A- We are what we eat – and we are nothing if not

adventurous, endlessly chasing the latest trends

emerging from kitchens around the world. The latest

ones that have us drooling in anticipation is

Innovative Food Pairings. Hotels are being inspired by

roadside eateries and home cooks, rather than the

other way around. Food like millets will be cool again.

We are beginning to look at things that have been

always in our backyard. Small plates are happening in

small patches, but I think you will see more of it, it

allows the chef to showcase more.



business?

A- Eating out is a serious pastime. The food industry

has so much to offer that we can spend a lifetime

trying it all and still have a lot left over (pun

intended!). No longer does an a la carte menu cut it

for a restaurant. From buffets to prix fixe meals to

curated menus, food and wine pairings, bento boxes

and the rise of the cool quotient of street food, just

about everything has a demand. Every new restaurant

opening is eagerly looked forward to and every food

walk is dissected down to the last hole-in-the-wall

eatery. Gradually, we all seem to be looking inwards,

at the food we have grown up with, at ingredients that

our grandmothers deemed healthy long before an

organized industry did. The food industry in India is

going back to its roots and that is just one of the trends

being forecast. I picked the minds of some of the top

guns of the food industry right now and here is what

they have to say




entrepreneurs?

A- Life as a professional cook isn’t easy, in fact?— it’s

damn hard. I take comfort in knowing the chefs that

have trail blazed the way for the current generations

have had to deal with the same challenges and

struggles that we all do as professional cooks. If you

want to become a great chef & a successful

entrepreneur, you will have to work with great chefs.

One should not believe that he is a chef. He should try

to be a storyteller. Although the skills aren't hard to

learn, finding the happiness and finding the

satisfaction and finding fulfillment in continuously

serving somebody else something good to eat, is what

makes a really good entrepreneur.



A- In today’s world of innovations & experiments I

have tried to keep the Authenticity in my way of

cooking with a bit of twist in presentation & style. To

my love for innovation I decide to keep the basis of

cooking techniques & flavors to the authentic world &

instead give it a new face to create that want of having

it.




A- Ingredients play a major role and the technique of

cooking is very must essential . Proper utensil for

appropriate cooking .With self proeffeciency in

cooking which leads to enhance your skills to

perfection.

Chef’s Recipe:

INDIAN-SPICED LEG OF LAMB RECIPE

•Prep Time: 1 hour

•Cook Time: 3 hours

•Serving Size: 8 to 10

Ingredients

•2 legs of lamb

•8 tablespoons rock salt

•4 tablespoons red chili powder

•1/2 cup ginger paste

•1/2 cup garlic paste

•1 cup malt vinegar

•8 bay leaves

•3 sticks cinnamon, broken into 1-inch pieces

•2 tablespoons black cumin seeds

•2 tablespoons butter

•2 tablespoons lemon juice

•1 tablespoon kebab masala

For the kebab masala

•3 teaspoons dried raw mango powder

•1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

•1/4 teaspoon rock salt

•2 teaspoons fenugreek powder

•1 teaspoon black salt

•1 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder

•1 1/4 teaspoon garam masala

Method :

1.Clean and trim the fat from the lamb leg. Gently

loosen the meat from the bone at the top of the leg

to season well.

2.Rub salt and red chili powder on the leg, then rub

on ginger and garlic pastes.

3.Arrange in a roasting tray; pour over malt vinegar

and water till the lamb legs are almost covered.

4.Add bay leaves and cinnamon sticks; sprinkle black

cumin on top. Cover and braise in the pre-heated

oven at 350 degrees for 2 to 2 ½ hours.

5.Turn off the oven, and let the lamb legs cool in the

oven at 300 degrees. Remove legs from the liquid

and let them air-dry for 10 minutes.

6. Skewer the braised leg, and roast on charcoal or in

the oven at 350 degrees. While roasting, baste

with a little clarified butter. Continue roasting until

the meat gets a nice roast-brown color.

7. Remove, drizzle with lemon juice and a little

butter, and sprinkle with kebab masala.

About the Chef-

‘The way I think about food today is different than

when I started in this industry. When I was

first starting out, I was hungry to learn as much

as possible, and I would go to work eager to learn

about different ingredients and spices to complete

menus, growing my knowledge to be a better cook.

It was difficult for my mind to process all the ways

to cook, and it wasn’t even cooking yet. I found myself

hooked when my days in the restaurant turned into

nights, and I spent all of my time just trying to learn

as much as possible and keep progressing to the

next step. I would stand in the cooler of whatever

restaurant I was working in at the time and just

be curious about all the different products

and processes–pieces of Meat hanging in coolers,

drying for house cured salamis; meats dry aging

for 40oz, dry aged tomahawk rib eyes, fish curing

on bottom racks for a house-made salmon gravlax

for a Sunday brunch. I looked up to my chefs as

teachers and masters of their craft.

Today, I look at food differently than when I

was younger. Food brings balance to my life–this

is not only my career but what best describes who

I am. Food now means the future for me. I

do everything now for one person: my Son. He

has taught me more. Food has changed its meaning

to me; just like the seasons, it is ever-changing

in so many ways and will continue to be throughout

my life. Food, and the industry itself, made me into

a different person – there are a lot of growing pains

in this industry, and it takes a lot out of you.

This career path is for people who are go-getters

who want to create and keep creating every day, and

who want to share their love of food with family and

friends or even a stranger that they will never meet’,

quotes Mr. Singh.

Raheman Mir Hafizur Executive Chef, juSTa Hotels & Resorts

'Chef’s have become brand and media impact. Also

business evolve them to learn the sustainable

business modules.'


everything?

A- The Journey started 12 years back when I met a

Person Called Salil Panigrahi and his Company Eon

Resorts Maldives.He is the person who changed my

life and then onward I never looked back.


you?

A- It was year 2006 when I started understanding the

real world of Chef’s with Eon Resort Maldives Holding

a position of 1st step of Chef.


A- The profession known to be next to the Army life,it

is rewarding when you win over the mission, which is

my Guest. That comes through lots of hard

work,passion,detailing,sleepless nights and

discipline.


A- The place I grown up no one can think about there

is a profession called Chef’s, beside Doctor, Engineer

or Teacher. I Wanted to be someone with rewarding

but, do not had much option.15 year back when I

started hospitality Industry started booming. I Met a

person from the industry during my journey to

Kolkata whose inspiration brought me here today,

thanks Chef Sovan.



A- It was different phase in last 15 years,But the first

5 years was really crucial and decisive, should I able

to survive in the industry or not.I Started my career

from a café, next few year was just learning basics,

and middle 5 years just sharpen knife and from

2012 started branding myself and left with some

amount of foot marks with complete passion and

hard work.



now?

A- Its a huge revolution in last ten years, more evolve,

innovative and fast.


the career so far?

A- I did not keep apart myself from the basic of any

123

Beetroot Honey Ginger Risotto with Ratatouille

cuisine, have done so much of experiments but,

always kept the basic intact.



There is a myth, lean Chef can not be trusted for tasty

food. But the time has been changed. Chef’s have

become brand and media impact. Also business

evolve them to learn the sustainable business

modules. To keep hold all together health is one

things to maintain on daily basis. So I do with my

restricted Diet.



A- Its called Naturopathy, for me each time I taste

drink a sip of water to keep my pale clean and this is

the most healthy way.



A- Passion for Cooking, love for food and a pinch of

Salt pepper.




A- India food are getting popular in world wise, todays

date UK’S national food is Chicken tikka (hahaha).That

means we already exported our food tradition in to

business, and it has been changed drastically in last 10

years. The number of Indian restaurants we have in

London itself may be we do not have that many in our

smaller town. Indian foods are no more behind at

International Food business.


cuisine?

A- Fast phase life making us exhausted that’s pushing

us to create’Ghar ka yaad dila dey”



business?

A- People are more health conscious now a days.

Everyone knows what exactly they want, so that way

F&B business also become more precise but high in

volume.




entrepreneurs?

A- Of course, Chef’s are become brand today. It is a

pure business module for any food business now a

days. The way we start checking before we go for a

movie who is Actor and actress, Same way social

media is so active to tell you about the Chef’s through

the food review.



A- Before I am a good manager or a leader I always

consider myself as a excellent cook.Thats my core

Mantra.

125124

Chef’s favorite:

Beetroot Honey Ginger Risotto with Ratatouille

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot Risotto

Beet Root : 100gm

Lemon Juice 30 gm

Salt 7 gm

Pepper 5 gm

Freshly Chopped Ginger 20 gm

Honey 30 ml

Risotto Rice 70 gm

Butter 40 gm

Grated Parmesan 40 gm

Chopped Parsley Handful

Ratatouille

Chopped White Onion 1 small

Chopped Garlic Cloves 2 pcs

Olive Oil 15 ml

Salt 5 gm

Pepper 2 gm

Small Diced Eggplant 50 gm

Diced Zuchhine 50gm

Mixed Bell Pepper 60 gm

Tomato paste 30

Black Olives

Basil Leaves

RISOTTO COOKING PROCEDURE

• Wash and peel the beets. Cut in to dice shape to

ensure it will cook faster and cook.

• Once Beets cooked strain and make a smooth

puree and preserve beet stock for cooking.

• Sauté Chopped onion, garlic, thyme in a sauté pan

in a medium-low heat until onion get soft.

• Add Risotto rice and stir for 1 minute and then add

White wine.

• Add 150 ml of Vegetable stock and cook in very low

heat for 5 Minuit and then add another 100 ml of

Beetroot stock, Beet Root puree until it absorbed

all liquids and gives creamy texture

• Add Chopped Ginger, Honey, Lemon Juice. Remove

pan from the fire and finish with lots of parmesan

and butter.

:

:

:

:

:

(Arborio or Carnaroli) :

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

:

RATATOUILLE COOKING PROCEDURE

• In a small sauté pan take some Olive oil and sauté

Onion, Garlic and Thyme

• Stir until Onion get soft then add Tomato paste

followed by Zucchini, Eggplant, Mixed Peppers and

satay until it cooked properly. Seasoned with salt &

pepper.

• To finish adding Chopped Basil leaves and Olives.

NOTE: Do not keep your pan on fire when you are

finishing with Butter and parmesan Cheese.

You can skip White Wine if you are Non-alcoholic.

Ratatouille will be serve on top of Risotto and

garnished with Parmesan.

About the Chef

Age-35 years, Native-Bhubaneswar,Orissa

Education-Diploma in Hotel Management

Prior Work Experience

- Ja Manafaru Resorts Maldives

Royal Orchid Hotels & Resorts (bangalore) Bay

15 By Justa Hotels & Resorts (goa)

Atmosphere Kanifushi Resorts & Spa (maldives)

Xtreme Sports Bar & Grill (bangalore)

Constance Halaveli Resorts & Spa ( Maldives )

Lily Hotels & Resorts & Spa (maldives)

Eon Resorts (maldives)

Achievement- best World Cuisine Restaurant Award

By Time Food @bay 15 By Justa Hotels (Goa)

•

•

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Vaibhav Bhargava Molecule

"Journey as a chef is always exciting because it keeps

you on your toes to do things better every day”


A- My kitchen is my first home as I spent maximum

time here and my team is my family and we work

together to achieve our goals.

Although a person who holds the job title of "cook"

probably does spend most of each day simply

cooking, a chef's life involves much more than the

culinary arts. Depending on where he works, a chef

may quite easily be a part-time personnel manager,

businessman, public relations specialist and special

events coordinator.

The executive chef role can be a demanding one that

combines the pressure of living up to the high

standards of a world-famous boss with a dizzying

array of daily responsibilities. The hours typically

include grueling 12-to-14-hour shifts that begin with

the early morning process of devising menus and

ordering ingredients, ending only after the last dinner

guests have left the restaurant.

But at the same time, executive chefs often report

gaining a strong sense of fulfillment and satisfaction

from a job well done

Daily Duties

On any given day, executive chefs oversee a broad

array of activities, including:

• Plans the menus for the day

•

•

•

•

•

Checks inventories and orders necessary items and

ingredients

Maintains strict control over the use of in-stock

food items

Ensures that ordering practices remain within

budget

Manages the kitchen and ensures compliance with

all standards of best practices

Collaborates with the chef de cuisine to ensure

consistency in management practices


A- I would have to say my love for food n passion

inspires me to cook. I know that sounds cheesy but

really for me I tend to cook for those people I love.

Cooking, for me, is an expression of my feelings for

others. I always cook with others in mind, like how my

food will affect them and how their feelings change

what I want to cook.

The live interaction with my guest and understands

his needs and then you create the food as per their

needs is the most satisfying thing for me and their

appreciation makes your day. So when I was doing my

training and I got the opportunity to work in live

kitchens there I decided that I will choose this

profession.



A- Journey as a chef is always exciting because it keeps

127

Spicy Wok-fried Chicken With Chilies (chongqing Chicken)

you on your toes to do things better every day.

We keep experimenting our ideas from the start of

the year and works along with the seasonality of the

ingredients so that we are always thinking our

thoughts and synchronize our ideas with it.

Responsibilities keep changing as the time passes

through year in terms of finalizing the new menus,

keep yourself updated through new trend for which

sometimes we travel also.

We have to maintain a work balance between the

work and social life.

Make sure that team is also happy and highly

motivated throughout so that the results are perfect

for which we keep doing training or picnic sessions

etc.



now?

A- When I started my career the choices are very less

and very limited cuisines were offered in restaurants

and 5 star hotels like Chinese, Indian and Italian are

the prominent faces of any restaurant. People used to

come for the same and enjoy the legacy of it but

Now in the last few years cuisines have evolved from

various parts of the world as chefs and customers also

travelled a lot these days so they want to offer new

cuisines and customers also want to have cuisines.

these days you will find many cuisines like Korean ,

Japanese , Armenian , Himalayan etc. which people

hardly know and currently the trend is promoting

local regional cuisines of India like assumes , Tibetan ,

Nepalese , Gujarat , Garhwali etc. .

Food business also has various options now as

compared to earlier one. Now people have started

their own small venture from small milk shakes

companies to ice cream parlors or waffle shops which

are specialized in one kind of offering with multiple

options.

Earlier there was no such option of individual

products which were offered to customers and that

are why these days people are keep coming into this

food business line.


the career so far?

A- Learning is a continuous process and as chefs every

day is a new day of learning.

Learning can be of different ways as for me when I was

doing my training at Noma (a Michelin star restaurant)

it was learning for me about Nordic cuisine but when

we do experiments in our kitchen to understand

flavors is also a type of learning. Various learning’s are

How to read a recipe.

Patience in the kitchen

Learning of new technology of equipment’s



A- It’s a very important integral part of a chef’s life that

he maintains his health and diet so that he is

physically and mentally fit for his work and then only

he can produce the output which is required.

A fresh mind will produce the fresh ideas and if he

knows the basics of well-balanced diet than only he

can contribute the same in the cooking.

As a chef you have to work long standing hours which

varies from 12 to 14 hours a day and if you are not

physically fit than you can’t survive in the profession.



A- I would say that when we cook the food it’s very

important for us to taste the final product but you

make sure you control yourself and don’t start eating

because we have to taste each and every dish which

comes from the section. We need to keep our palates

clean while cooking so that flavors don’t get mixed.



A- There are 5 food elements which must be there

when you are cooking the food.

In the 5 element system, it is important to balance

these elements within and without for optimum

health. Learning to balance the five elements of food

helps ensure that you receive enough nutrients from

what you eat and supports the corresponding organs.

One of the best ways to create balance in the body is

to eat more foods that correspond to all the five

flavors: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and savory, pungent

or umami in a way that most suits your personal

needs.



A- Indian cuisine encompasses a variety of regional

cuisines native to Indian soil. International cuisines

are a generalized term collectively referring to

cuisines of Europe and other western countries.

Definitely Indian cuisine is one of the favorite cuisines

of the people in countries across the globe which

results in better results of economic selling

preposition against international cuisines.




A- According to me, the new trends emerging in the

world cuisines are

- People are exploring new cuts of meat

- Street food inspired dishes to be made gourmet

- Faux meat

- Sustainable seafood

- House made condiments

- Heirloom fruits and vegetables


cuisine?

A- Indian food is as diverse as the Indian culture with

as many cuisines as the number of states. The eating

habits of Indians have been evolving recently and

Indians are adapting the global eating culture.

In India, eating habits also reflects the religious beliefs

of the country.

Previously it was always at home that people used to

eat at home with families which happens today also

but now people have started moving out to diners,

malls and specialty cuisine restaurants on special

occasions and weekends . The number of working

women has increased in India which additionally has

resulted in the increase of home delivery orders.

So F&B also has shown a great potential in the last few

years which is a good sign for the industry.




A- It’s a debatable topic as per me because there are

few examples where chefs have shown positive skills

for a business whereas there are few fall downs also.

Sanjeev kappor is the greatest example of a successful

129128

chef turned entrepreneur.

Characteristic to become a successful entrepreneurs

are

- Passion and motivation

- Not afraid to take risks

- Self-belief, hard work and disciplined dedication

- Product and market knowledge

- Adaptable and flexible

I am a firm believer of using fresh ingredients and

produce dishes which are close to nature. I don’t

believe in too much of fusion and changing the

classics but try to create new flavors depending upon

the seasons what nature has provided us. Simple and

technology based cooking are my strengths which

keeps me apart from other chefs.

Q- What challenges do you forsee in the future?

A- Future challenges which are going to emerged in

food business are

- More competitive market

- Keep the food standards as per the norms

- Climate change results in loss of ingredients

- Changing diets

Chef's Recipe:

SPICY WOK-FRIED CHICKEN WITH CHILIES

(CHONGQING CHICKEN)

INGREDIENTS :

450gm chicken boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups peanut or vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon for

stir-frying

8 to 10 dried red chilies

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced

1 small piece ginger, minced

Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

2 egg whites

Sauce:

2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar, or substitute good-

quality balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper

Method:

Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the

soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken

with the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.

Mix together the ingredients for the sauce: chili garlic

sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock or water, Chinese

black vinegar, cornstarch, and Sichuan pepper. Set

aside.

In a large bowl or plate, mix together the cornstarch,

salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken in cornstarch

mixture and shake off the excess cornstarch.

Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok

until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil

thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches add the first

batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on

the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5

minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon

and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the

chicken.

Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for

discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to

remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.

Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add

another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base

and sides. Add the dried chilies to the wok and and

stir-fry until just they start to blister, about 30 to 60

seconds. Add the leeks, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry

for 2 minutes. Stir in sauce mixture and simmer until

slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add the fried

chicken, toss to combine, and remove from heat.

Serve immediately.


A- Kitchen is a chemical laboratory for me involving

air, fire, water and the earth. Its almost 8.5 yrs in the

industry so the basics are done well enough now it’s

time for the experiment with the ingredients and do

research about the new techniques.


A- Cooking was my passion since childhood I still

remember 1st time I cooked Gajar ka halwa for my

mother when she was coming back from my

grandparents house after 15 days and I forgot to put

sugar, I was in 5th standard. My father’s choice was

engineering for me but I chose Hotel Management as

my career in 2006 and in 2008 I decided that I will

become chef.



A- I started my career with a fine dine restaurant who

was specialized in Mughlai and Punjabi food so my

base was this cuisine only. I continued working in

same cuisine for 4 years after that I joined another

chain of restaurant where I learned the Modern

Indian food and use of molecular Gastronomy. Life

was completely changed after seeing all the modern

techniques of cooking and plating styles.



now?

A- What I feel people are still stick to the basics but the

look and feel of cuisines have been changed. Today

you are getting the authentic old dish with a new look

and unique plating.


the career so far?

A- I’ve learned a most important thing of my life

before becoming a good chef first become a good

human being. My kitchen has a zero abuse policy

nobody can abuse any one in my kitchen even it’s me

also who follow the same and because of the same

reason my core team is with me from last 6 years and

without your core team you cannot become a good

chef because they are the people behind your

culinary success.



A- It’s very difficult to maintain diet because you have

to taste the food which is going out of the kitchen for

guests which is high in calories but you can’t help this.

So in daily routine we eat the staff meals which is

again a simple food with less calories and have to do

some exercise in the morning to keep our self in a

good shape.



A- After so much of experience we can smell the food

and judge its tastes but on a regular basis best thing is

to have a sip of water after every tasting which keeps

your palate clean. I’m very fond of Black coffee which

keeps me stimulated and also helps my palate.



A- As per me the basics should be perfect, right use of

technology and complete knowledge of ingredients

are the main elements in food preparation.




A- Both the cuisines can’t be compared as they have

their own charm and era. Everyone like almost all the

cuisines, it’s all depends on your palate and taste

buds. We are in India so the selling proposition is

more of Indian cuisine because this is the food which

is eaten on daily basis. One cannot eat Pasta, Pizza,

Burger, Noodles, etc on daily basis as compared to our

preparations of Dal, vegetables, rotis, biryani, etc.

Gaurav RaghuvanshiExecutive chef at Philtre, The Bistro

131130

Ghee Roast Lamb

Chops, Garlic Pickle Cream


cuisine?

A- Today people have become more health conscious

and particular about their taste buds. Nowadays you

get many guests who are Gluten, Wagon allergic

earlier such types of queries were never raised but

now we have to create these dishes also which

becomes a centre of attraction and giving a new

direction to the F&B business.




entrepreneurs?

A- Yes of course today’s generation chefs are well

educated and full of enthusiasm and the best part

they are young so the approach is very sharp and

clear. We are working in this industry from long time

and we have seen and learned the practices which are

followed to run a restaurant then after working for so

many years for others why can’t we open our own

brand and we can run it with more success because

we know what to target, what to serve and how to

serve.



A- I don’t want to compare it with anyone because

comparison shouldn’t be done. It’s not an easy job

everybody is doing a fantastic job in their respective

areas. For me it should be different from what others

are doing and if you do different then only people will

come to your place so my approach is to serve Indian

Soul Food with a Global touch which means the

authentic recipes to be served in a modernized way.




A- Challenges as per me will be again the same that

how will you be different from others because today

everyone is doing molecular gastronomy, modern

food, fancy crockery’s so for better business you

should be different from others. As chef I’m preparing

myself from today only, It’s all about the R&D, thought

process. So everything is in pipeline and focus is clear

for our future projects.

About the Chef

The Chef quotes: 'My name is Gaurav

Raghuvanshi, I’ve persuaded my hotel

management from Banarsidas Chandiwala

institute of Hotel management, New Delhi. It’s

been 8.5 years working in the food industry and

last year in April 2017 I was the winner of Nearbuy

Food Food Awards in the category of Best Chef

(Standalone Restaurants), Bangalore. Now I’m

working as a Chef cum Owner with Philtre The

Bistro, Gurgaon. Our aim is to open 4 more Bistro’s

in next two financial years.'

Chef's Recipe:

GHEE ROAST LAMB CHOPS, GARLIC PICKLE

CREAM

Ingredient

red chilli whole 2 no

mustard 3gm

urad dal 5gm

star anise 1 no

fennel seed 3gm

garlic chopped 15 gm

curry leaf 6gm

fresh coconut 2 pics

desi ghee 300gm

oil 1 liter

onion 5kg

garam masala 50gm

jeera powder 50gm

coriender powder 50gm

chettined masala 40gm

coconut milk 300ml

star anise powder 5gm

Method :

1.heat the oil and ghee add red chilli , mustard ,

urad dal, star anise, fennel seed, cracked it.

2 add curry leaf and garlic cooked it until garlic

look golden brown.

3than add onion chopped cooked until when it

become golden brown.

4after that add grading fresh coconut and cooked

it.

5add garam masala, coriander powder, jeera

powder, chettinaed masala.

6add coconut milk powder and cooked until

when oil flote that gravy than add star anise

powder and switch off flame.

‘Food is memory, the art of cooking a meal for people

who are neither your friends nor a family person but

still you feel connected to them. It’s the thought

which inspires me the most’.


everything?

A- After completing my Diploma in Hotel

management from Rizvi collage I got an opportunity

to work with the Olive Bar & Kitchen Bandra.I was the

2nd person to join the kitchen team under the

leadership of Executive Chef Dev malik .It took almost

3- 4 months of food trials to open the the first outlet in

Bandra.I think that was the first big break I got as I was

completely raw and eager to learn new things.


you?

A- While working with Carnival Cruise at the last day

of the ships itinerary we have grand gala buffet laid for

the Cruise shippers. For that particular night a special

Buffet menu is prepared wherein all the chefs get an

opportunity to make a dish, be creative, play with

ingredients and spices. I think that concept made a

deep impact on me to develop my culinary skills with

recipes, ingredients & spices.


A- I will be very honest and straight up its hard &

difficult. There is always a chaotic dance of a dinner

rush, constant personality clashes, as thick as blood

camaraderie, coded language; long working hours

and at the last but not the least work has to be

completed.

But once u get used to it then the fun part starts. Only

if you have passion for your work you will survive and

grow in any industrial kitchen.


A- Eating good food, traveling, meeting new people &

their culture inspired me to be a chef.

Food is memory, the art of cooking a meal for people

who are neither your friends nor a family person but

still you feel connected to them. Its the thought which

inspired me the most.

I was most influenced at the point of my career when I

got exposed to food of different ethnicities around

the globe and saw how food can have a big impact on

our lives and health.



A- In my last 19 years of journey from a Chef trainee to

an Executive Chef I have seen so many changes in

culinary profession .Right from a regular gas burner to

an induction plate there has been so many good

changes in the culinary department. 19 yrs ago a

there use to be only regular fridges and deep fridges

Ruffy ShaikhExecutive Chef at Peninsula Redpine

133132

Grilled Lamb Chops

with strawberry mint salsa

Grilled Lamb Chops

with strawberry mint salsa

but now days even a small 200 sq ft area kitchen will

have a blast chiller and an rational combi oven.

Technology has played a vital role in bringing up good

changes



now?

A- When I started my career people where not that

open minded when it came to food. They preferred

their regular meat with some starch and veggies But

now a days it’s the world of Diet conscious people

where vegan food, non dairy milk have taken over.

Customers are more open to try and taste world

cuisine .Contemporary style of cooking has taken over

the food business. It’s the era of Modern style of

cooking and food presentation where Molecular

gastronomy has been the back bone.


the career so far?

A- Every single day has been prime learning period for

me in my career. Not even a single day went without

teaching me something new .But my most important

days were at the Brasserie restaurant in Grand

Cayman Island. Under the leadership of Dutch

Michelin star Chef Jurgen.For Almost 2 year we never

had an ala carte menu. There was a Bon Vivant

concept of 13 course food menu .It was our daily

special menu where the chef never repeated its

dishes.



A- Long working hours doing physical activity needs

lot of energy especially when you are working near

heat and fire. Your body should be well groomed to

adapt such kind of working conditions. Your body

should be well hydrated all the time as you will be

sweating it out .Regular cardio work out is must.



A- You always have to cleanse your palate after you

taste the food. It could be a citrus flavor fruit, bread,

plain or salted crackers or just a glass of water to get

the flavor of one food out of your mouth



A- Quality of fresh produce, meats, fish etc

Storage area and temperature of food ingredients,

Cleanliness and Hygiene

Proper cooking methods and process, holding

temperature

And last but not the least avoid raw & cooked food

contamination




A- Indian food is one of the favorite cuisines of the

people but due to globalization people all across the

country have started to get accustomed and enjoying

the international cuisine .In Mumbai itself if take a

survey of hotels and restaurants you will find world

cuisine has completely taken over India cuisine. There

are more buyers in market for international cuisine

compared to Indian cuisine


cuisine?

A- Innovative food parings

Molecular gastronomy

Take away, flying food, food truck

Cooking with sous vide, smoking food & meats

Plate presentation & garnishes of dishes. These are

some of the trends emerging in world cuisine



business?

A- People travel a lot now a days. F&B business is just

not limited to hotels and restaurents.You will find an

Food & Beverage outlet almost everywhere say it a

mall, clubs, business center or even at food trucks.

There is a 100% boom in market because of demand

and supply.




entrepreneurs?

A- Yes, Chefs now days are definitely recognized as

successful businessmen. You have to be self

disciplined, dedicated, innovative, and creative, be an

open minded person to try out new things.

Invest money by going out to good restaurant and

having good meal. Cooking in between four walls is

not a trend anymore, having a live and open kitchen is

the key to a successful entrepreneurs



A- Be simple and creative while choosing any style of

cooking.Dont complex it in a name of fusion.

Patrons are not fools they know what they are being

served. I always try to use fresh local produce.




A- Global warming will come in effect in terms of

growth & productivity of agriculture of crops. Climatic

variability and change, and the consequent rise in

abiotic and biotic further stresses the challenges.The

outcome will be hunger and food insecurity.

In order to not to break the chain of demand and

supply, as chef wastages, over production has to be

controlled. Seasonal vegetables should be used.

Q- A synopsis of your profile in 100-150 words.

A- A self motivated, constantly curious person who

thinks global but eats local

I have been traveling whole my life for culinary

experiences.

After completing Hotel management from Rizvi

collage started my career with Olive Bar and Kitchen

Bandra.I was involved right from pre opening. Was

working with carnival cruise lines for 2 yrs

Worked and lived in Cayman island for 9 yrs.It is one of

the most beautiful place and famous for fish and

seafood

I have Total 19 yrs of work experience. My last work

was with Bellona Hospitality under the leadership Mr.

Romil Ratra.It was a very good learning experience.

Chef’s Recipe:

Grilled Lamb Chops with strawberry mint salsa

Ingredients

Newzealand Lamb Chop 400 Grm

Fresh rosemary 5 Grm

Fresh garlic 10 Grm

Olive Oil 10 Ml

Salt 5 Grm

Black Crushed pepper 5 Grm

Fresh parsley 5 Grm

Method :

• Marinate Lamb chop with chop rosemary, parsley,

garlic, salt, pepper & olive oil.

Grill the lamb from both the side till you get nice

grill mark and finish it off in oven for another 10

mins

For Strawberry Mint Salsa:

Ingredients

Fresh Strawberry 100 Grm

Fresh Mint 50 Grm

Fresh Coriander 50 Grm

Fresh Onion 20 Grm

Fresh Tomato 30 Grm

Lemon 1 Pcs

Salt 3 Grm

Pepper 3 Grm

Method

Chop strawberry, parsley, coriander, mint onion

and tomatoes.

Toss all the chopped ingredients with lemon juice

salt & pepper

Served the along with the lamb chop

For Barley& Pumpkin

Ingredients

Barley Rice 50 Grm

Fresh Pumpkin 50 Grm

Fresh garlic 10 Grm

Olive Oil 10 Ml

Salt 5 Grm

Black Crushed pepper 5 Grm

Fresh parsley 5 Grm

Method:

1) Soak the barley rice & boil it till it is cooked

2) Peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes and toss it

with oil, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-20

mins till it is cooked properly

3) Heat olive oil in pan sauté onion, garlic; add boiled

barley rice to it. Add roasted pumpkin to make a

ragout while adding all herbs & seasoning

4) Serve hot barley pumpkin ragout on the base of

plate. Put grilled lamb chop on top of it and top it

up with strawberry mint salsa

•

•

•

•

135134

Paul Kinny212 All Day Bar


A- Cooking has been one of the greatest teachers in

developing my character/personality. Beyond the

importance of checklists, large amounts of caffeine or

tea for that matter and comfortable footwear, It can

be rewarding to another level or on the other hand it

can quickly turn into a life lesson which can make you

humble & feel grounded – but at the end it leaves you

with a choice – either throw in the towel or try again.

I’ve learned a lot from my experience over the years.

Some lessons learnt were not necessarily new but at

the end – it’s guided me both in and out of the kitchen.


A- During my adolescent days I was exposed to

different varieties of food of different ethnicities and

understood on how food has impact on bringing

people together and on our lives as a whole. That

along with helping my mum to cook in the kitchen has

left a lasting impression on me. I fell in love with it

instantly and it inspired me to become a chef. Also

there are not too many jobs in the world which pay

you to eat food.



A- The way I think about food today has completely

changed since when I first started out in the culinary

world. Starting out, I was eager to learn as much as I

could grasp and long to work with ingredients, spices,

tastes and techniques. It was a tedious process but I

was hooked in the restaurant and spend as much time

just trying to hone my skills and to progress to the

next step.

Nowadays, food is a different aspect for me

altogether – it brings out the balance in my life, not

just in my career and the food I cook today best

describes who I am. Overall, food means the future to

me. It’s a career path for people who are passionate,

go-getters and who have the flare to create

something new and refreshing every day. At the end

it’s meant for those who want to share the love of

food with people.



now?

A- Over the past two decades what not has changed!

When I started training at the Zodiac Grill in 1992, red

and yellow peppers, zucchini etc were imported and

handled like gold; today these vegetables are

available at the local Bhajiwala.

Right from the concepts of what restaurants used to

follow earlier and in terms of food trends, I’ve seen a

complete 180 . During the past 5 years, the

advancement in technology and communication is

increasing the patron’s awareness of the food

industry and the ways they find, eat and dispose of

their food. Similarly food deliveries have skyrocketed

over the years and now play an integral part in the

food business as well.


the career so far?

137

Spaghetti Aglio Olio

A- Patience. Throughout my career I’ve learned that I

can’t rush things. Just like everything else, it takes

time and planning to get things done the right way.

Sometimes, pushing or forcing something that isn’t

ready is probably the worst thing to do. Also for the

fact that success is temporary and a chef is as good as

his team so you better train them right.



A- Extremely. Now-a-days many chefs are finding the

ways around weight gain and tackling it with ease. At

the end – even with unique challenges like being

around delicious food through the day and a stressful

job which involves late hours, we need to stay fit for

our own betterment and lifestyle. I ensure that in the

day depending on my schedule I find an hour to

workout.



A- Taste small amounts of food all day long but rarely

do I eat a full meal, there are times when you think not

a morsel more but then you have to do what it takes to

ensure consistency. Unless its dal and rice at home

with some fried fish.



A- Three prerequisites: seasonal & fresh and local

produce, uncomplicated flavours and high on visual

appeal with sublime textures.




A- In today’s time there is nothing local or

international. With the ease of travel and the

internet, borders have shrunk, this has made

available various options for the guest to choose

from. Today’s guest is knowledgeable of the

internationally available cuisine and he is unwilling to

accept anything which is mediocre.

While in dinning out options Asian and “Continental”

are the first two options, Indian cuisine follows a close

third. It is difficult to sell Indian food at high price

points unless you sex it up and use international

ingredients or go down the Modern Indian Route.

Having said this a Good traditional Indian Restaurant

will never go out of fashion.


cuisine?

A- 1. Healthy food options will continue to grow in

2018. 2. Delivery platforms in India will do way better

than the previous year. 3. Unpretentious food menus

will make a way back.



business?

A- As one of the fastest growing economies, there are

a few factors that have really changed the F&B

business and how one interprets it in India now:

- A large share of the young population prefer eating

out, visiting new restaurants and have started

exploring foreign cuisines. This is due to the

convenience factor with their current lifestlyes.

- With increasing disposable incomes, it’s completely

changed the number of times people visit restaurants

/ cafes.

- Consumer Lifestyles have changed over the past

decade – people are more focussed with the brands

they associate with and tend to exert more emphasis

on a healthy lifestyle – which in turn has caused a

change in food habits.

- People have been exposed to new experiences –

both regional as well as global which has also

emphasised a shift in food trends

- The use of social media: Hands down the biggest

medium which people use to share their experiences

and influence others as well.




entrepreneurs?

A- Chefs because of the nature of job they do always

follow a thought process of a business man.

They have attributes of creativity, handling work

pressure, adapting to various work pressures, cost

management, leading and working with a team and

good market knowledge.

I only reason I wouldn’t want to get to that is I rather

work in a hot kitchen with lots of action then get

bogged down by spread sheets.



A- Change is constant for growth even when it comes

to cooking , when we worked on the concept for 212

all good it was about clean eating and I have adapt a

completely different cooking style opposite to a

commercial chef. While at the fine dining restaurants

we were used to imported ingredients, the challenge

here was to use everything local. Also the use of

alternate grains and flours was eye opening.

There was also the learning of using slow juicers,

dehydrators and fermentation gadgets which was

encouraging.

My core philosophy of seasonal local produce,

sublime taste, texture and eye appealing food won’t

change.




A- Challenges have always been a part of a chef’s life

and experience teaches you to use them to your

advantage. The challenges 25 years back when i

started my career were different from those today. I

have been a chef in the pre internet era so won’t be

bogged down without the net.

In today time finding the right company who

understand your style of cooking and lets you flourish

with that is rare. I will always work on a recipe first and

then the cost and never vice versa. Though I have to

confess that I have been lucky most of the times. If

you’re able to surprise your guests, teach your staff

and make profit for the company it can be a win win.

Holding on to trained staff who understand your

philosophy is a challenge as good staff is always in

demand. The magic is to hold on to key team

members which them can ensure a smooth operation

ensuring proper processes, training and monitoring,

About the Chef

Chef Paul Kinny’s passion for innovation along with his

witty yet humble approach has given him quite the

name in the culinary world. He is a respected name in

the culinary circles who is known for helming award-

winning restaurants, has cooked for celebrities such

as Bill Clinton, and worked with Sachin Tendulkar to

set up his restaurant.

With a career that spans over two and a half decades,

Chef Paul Kinny has quite a few accolades to his credit.

After spearheading the award-winning restaurants at

both Intercontinental and The Palladium Mumbai,

Chef Paul Kinny or fondly known as PK is at the helm of

the culinary activations at Phoenix Mills and is

139138

spearheading the functioning of Bellona Hospitality,

the food and beverage arm of Phoenix Mills, and

oversees the kitchens of nine restaurants across

Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru.

His passion for different cuisines from all over the

globe is what got him into the culinary business.

When it comes to food, he swears by these three

prerequisites; seasonal & fresh produce,

uncomplicated flavours and high on visual appeal

with sublime textures. As much as he likes his food

fancy, back at home he indulges in yellow dal with

handful of spinach in it.

Chef's favorite:

SPAGHETTI AGLIO OLIO

INGREDIENTS

Spaghetti Pasta 160 grams

Olive Oil 40 ML

Garlic 20 grams

Celery 20 grams

Chilli Flakes 10 grams

Butter 10 grams

Basil 20 grams

Parmesan 15 grams

Parsley 5 grams

Method:

1.Boil the pasta in salted water for 9 minutes. Cook it

till its al dente and drain it.

2.Take a sauce pan; add some olive oil, garlic, onion,

celery, salt and pepper to taste and chili flakes.

3.Sauté the mixture and add the al dente pasta to it.

Mix it thoroughly.

4.Garnish with parmesan and parsley and serve.

Diwas Wadhera Executive Chef – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Mayur Vihar

141

' Being a Chef is not easy as one has to have fire in the

belly to choose this profession as career'


everything?

A- Well I started my career with The Oberoi and ever

since then, I moved to various other organisations and

it was always breaking the ice with new expectations.

But my current role (Crowne Plaza Mayur vihar) had

different challenges and opening up Banquets is not

easy task. Blessed to have my mentor as Mr. Vikas who

not only assisted me but also made us learn the

importance of each and every bit of planning. Journey

was not like walking on cake but crossing the hurdles

every day.


you?

A- I was very innovative and cooking was started at

the age of 8 years in my case did few funny mixing by

alloo bhujiya and tomato ketchup combinations to

various variations in noddles. Bread was one of key

ingredients in my child hood. and never looked back

once got a chance to step in this profession.


A- Life is not easy one has to have fire in the belly to

choose this profession as career. Also it is this

profession that chooses you but you don't. Hence

only who could sustain the pressure and enjoy the

smell of various ingredients over any other essence of

life stick to the arena.


A- Well food was my choice at an infant level and

white uniform was always driving me to be there.

loved to watch khanna khazana and Mr. sethi cooking

on TV hence I made my mind to get into this

profession. It was my hobby (cooking ) which turned

into profession.



A-The journey has 360 degree changed from Ancient

cooking to fast food, healthy, convenient, popular,

organic, molecular and now indigenous.



now?

A- In the beginning of my career, we used to focus on

authenticity and originality of the dishes. The

experience in the kitchen was considered to be of

highest level. but now it is changed to innovation,

creativity, options and that is the reason that young

generations have come up to driving seat. Murgh Ki Chaamp

143142


the career so far?

A- Working with leading brands and quality of chefs,

inculcating knowledge from books, seniors, internet

and travelling have been prime reasons for me to

learn and grow. Sometime parting knowledge also

adds up vast to your archery.



A- Well it is famous that we eat for others hence we

have to be fit and of course reliable for our clients. The

operational hours are longer hence the fitness needs

to be considered on priority.



A- Well it is always keen to control and manage the

taste of dishes as per the guest preferences. Some

time a little tweak to the originality can also play

wonders.



A- Fresh ingredients, quality of equipment, great

skills, pleasant mind, and soothing environment.




A- Indian food is of great connoisseur challenge as it

involves various ingredients and one needs to

understand the role of each of them. It is the major

reason that the taste buds needs to be active. I mean

dal makhani could be a dal makhani at various

restaurants but one needs to understand what stands

out the dish from the league. in terms of commercials

and economic we are far preferred and soothing to all

major competitors of our cuisines.


cuisine?

A- Modern Indian cuisine/ fusion is still in and

preferred for the moment.



business?

A- Well the younger generations at various levels in

MNC's and corporate world have courage to dine out

frequently at various food joints with or without

occasions. the social connectivity is also a reason for

the boom in this profession.




entrepreneurs?

A- Chefs are always preferred and manage the show

above all others as they have considerably better

understanding of timings and importance of

delivering the products. They manage the expense

and other overheads better. also because the

professional requirement is to be versatile hence they

understand things better.



A- Simplicity and going back to roots, Cooking it

indegeniously. Minimizing the complications at

cooking.

Chef's Recipe:

MURGH KI CHAAMP

Ingredients

Chicken Thigh (with Bone) 800

Ginger chopped 10

Salt 15

Garam Masala 25

Ginger Garlic Paste 30

Curd 100

Mace Powder 6

Elaichi Powder 6

Oil 50

Leetuce 30

Cucumber 100

Tomato 75

Onion 100

Mint Chutney 100

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Ml

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Gms

Method:

Clean and wash the chicken thaigh and marinate with

Ginger garlic paste and add salt, Lemon juice and keep

for 30 min. Add hung curd and all the spices and keep

in refrigerator. Cook inside tandoor by applying oil as

and when required.

About the Chef

'I have 19+ years of solid experience and association

with luxury and upscale hotel chains including Oberoi,

Hyatt, The Claridges, Radisson, and The Taj

Chandigarh, Wild Flower Hall at Shimla, Eaton Smart

Hotel by Langham Hospitality, Mosaic Hotel and IHG

Crowne Plaza mayur vihar. Also I bring a combination

of finesse, variety and functionality.

As a chef I am specialized in Indian and Continental

cuisine, Born and brought up in Delhi. I started

learning cooking at the age of 14 which was an

interest turned into hobby and finally profession in

the later years. Regional specialties have been my

passion and driving force which has now become my

forte.

In constant pursuit of perfection, I am continuing to

drive changes in professional food with the latest and

updated trends in gastronomy techniques and fusion

cooking styles.

With the rising focus on hygiene and quality, as a Chef

i believe that in today’s context, it is important, as the

taste and presentation. All aspects constitute the

base ingredients in the kitchen at Crowne Plaza.

I am delighted to have an opportunity to be with

Crowne Plaza hotel which presents various avenues

for learning and development under the banner of

IHG', quotes Mr. Wadhera

Dheeraj BhandariCelebrity Chef

‘Life in a kitchen requires dedication, patience and

exceptional mental strength and passion. This is a job

that is both physically and mentally demanding,

where you are expected to give 100%, day in and day

out without compromising from quality’

Q-Tell us about the first big break that changed

everything?

A- My Life is full of twist and turns. I never thought of

becoming a professional chef. But my passion and

hard work leaded me towards my destiny. My first

appearance at TV Show Quick Cook for Care World TV

channel turned to a celebrity status and I became a

well known face of charming Indian hotel industry.

After that I never looked back. Now I am associated

with different international brands, publication house

and hotel management schools. Since childhood and

till now I always remember the sentence that my

parents used to tell me “To be a better person in life

and to get success you must work hard, the result of

hard work is always rewarding, so you have to work

hard.” Hard times make you stronger to face different

situations.


you?

A- My Father is my biggest inspiration to become chef.

He was a chef for the National Carrier Indian Airlines. I

always love to cook together with him. I had learnt

basic Indian food from him. After enrolling in Hotel

Management Diploma, I started learning basic of food

production and different cooking technique. After

some years of experience together & with passion of

cooking, it started reflecting on my culinary skills.

That is why everyone use same recipe and ingredient,

but the outcome is different.

The child inside me is always keen to play with

ingredients and innovate a new dish.


A- Whenever I enter in my kitchen it is very important

to me feel a sense of respect and a sense of love for

my work. You should feel proud to cook for someone

because everything starts from stomach: birth &

hunger. Tasty and healthy food always brings blessing

for you. But on the professional side, cooking food is

just one small aspect of a chef’s job. Its combined with

managing team, planning, budgeting, sales,

purchasing, training and many more. For me, life in a

kitchen requires dedication, patience and exceptional

mental strength and passion. This is a job that is both

physically and mentally demanding, where you are

expected to give 100%, day in and day out without

compromising from quality.



now?

145

Fusion Indian Caesar Salad

A- Changes are mandatory for development of any

cuisine and food business. Cooking techniques and

food culture need to be upgraded time to time for the

betterment of any cuisine. The comparisons between

my starting stages to now, I can proudly say chef

communities are doing a fabulous job to promote

food business or any cuisine. In recent years, chefs are

focusing on health, usage of local ingredients, new

cooking technique, regional cuisines etc.



A- Chefs who work in different shifts sometimes skip

meals, eat irregularly, eat unhealthy food, sleep less

or more and may find it hard to keep up a regular

exercise schedule. Shift workers are at higher risk for

weight gain, weight loss and heart disease as well.

Healthy eating and exercise help improve your sleep

and your overall health.

Below are a few tips for chef’s community to stay

healthy.

1.Control your caffeine consumption. Limit caffeine

intake to four to five hours before the end of your shift

(caffeine stays in your body for many hours) to help

your body wind down for home and relaxation.

2.Drink plenty of water. Your body often signals

hunger and thirst in the same way. Bring a water

bottle to work and fill it often. Not only you save

money on bottled drinks, but you infuse your body

with water, fruits or a citrus slice for an added flavor

boost without the calories.

3.Exercise moderately. Try to take walk up and down

stairs, stretch before or after your shift or during your

breaks. People who exercise not only burn more

calories during the day, but they sleep better as well.

4.Get the sleep you need. Chefs who sleeps they

recommend seven to nine hours each day are

healthier, fitter, and less likely to suffer from obesity

or other health issues than those who don’t sleep

well. Remember that you can space out sleep with

naps, if a single period of rest isn’t possible with your

schedule.



A- Taste buds are sensory organs and allow you to

experience tastes that are sweet, salty, sour, and

bitter. Controlling your taste buds is an art and learnt

by only experience. As a chef I continuously taste my

food before serving to my valuable guests. I love to eat

sweet but excess sweet quantity can kill my salt taste

buds. So, I always taste food in small quantity. Big

portions or heavy meals can destroy your eating

healthy habits.



A- Cooking is a combination of imagination and

creativity. Apart from these points, Concentration

while cooking, timing of using spices and freshness of

ingredients matters to me. You should be happy while

performing cooking and it will reflect on your dish.

Fresh ingredients can be an essential secret key for a

dish. It gives natural colour, improved taste, firm

texture and flavour to the food. The third major thing

in food preparation is timings for using spices for

example, we cannot use turmeric powder in last. we

should cook it with other spices to get proper colour

and flavour.


international cuisine?

A- In today’s world there’s three cuisines which are

very famous among people — Chinese, Italian, and

Indian. If you are in India you would find food stuff like

Momos, noodles, pizza and pasta in every corner of

India. Same with the Indian food you will find

everywhere in the world. Even British national dish is

tandoori chicken belong to our Indian cuisine. Before

people used to think Indian food was only spicy and

does not having any taste and flavors. Now this myth

is breaking and people are understanding difference

between spiciness and flavors of Indian spices.



business?

A- The eating habits in the Indian culture are largely

based on religion and tradition. A high-vegetable diet

with no beef and generally no pork is common in

India. Now Indian are shifting towards English culture

and trying to explore different cuisines. In metro cities

you will find every cuisine like Japanese, Mexican,

Thai, Italian etc.

Even you can find fast food restaurants, take away,

formal dining, Bistro experience in India.


they are successful businessmen? Which

characteristics have helped them to become


A- As a chef, take pride in what you are doing and

believe in what you're doing. You can do anything you

want. If you believe in what you're doing, you can do

anything.

My advice is not fearing making mistakes. I’ve made a

lot. It’s how you learn. If you’re going to be an

entrepreneur, you need to accept that you’re going to

make mistakes from time to time. As a creative person

and working in a creative industry, I’ve also taken a

few risks, which haven’t always worked out. The point

is to learn from them and take those lessons forward –

they help make you the entrepreneur you are.



A- After years of experience, I believe in the

philosophy of keeping the taste and flavor of food

authentic but aim at representing it in a modern way

to compete with current culinary trends. While

cooking, give extreme importance to concentration,

timing of using spices and freshness of ingredients

towards the preparation of the perfect dish. I also try

to influence people around me to eat healthy food

and stay healthy.

Q- What is your favourite dish?

A- Always people ask me about my favorite Dish and I

always keep it simple. Dal rice khichdi with curd, ghee

and raw onion prepared by my mother always bring a

big smile on my face. Truly a simple dish but made

with lots of love.

Q- Your Favourite ingredient?

A- Balsamic vinegar is my favourite ingredient. It is

very dark, concentred and intense in flavour. Its sweet

and sour taste is always attracting me toward himself.

Its only among few ingredients can be used in both

sweet and sour dishes. There is a lot of scope to play

around with balsamic vinegar.

Q- What are your social future plans?

A- I never make future plans. I Love to follow my

passion and rest leave on my luck and hard work. As I

belong to Uttaranchal state of India, my dream is to

bring underrated Uttaranchal food in front of the

world. These is lot of pure, healthy, and unknown

ingredients in the valley of Uttaranchal remaining to

explore. Hopefully through this social platform my

voice will go our related state authority. I wish I can to

represent myself as a food brand ambassador of

Uttaranchal government in arena of food and culture.

Q- Role of social media in today’s industry for chefs?

A- I personally feel that it’s easier these days to let the

world know who you are and what you do because of

Social Media. He says, “With the help of social

platforms, one can be easily being recognized by their

hard work hard and when one is doing something

different from the regular work. When I was working

for Care World TV channel, the legendary Chef

Sanjeev Kapoor wished me best of luck for my new

project. It was a great motivation for me to do new

things without the fear of failure.” Chef Vikas Khanna

is his role model and one of his biggest inspiration in

the culinary world. His journey from a small town of

India to a world class Michelin star chef inspired him

to keep working towards his goal. Itruly believe in the

thought, " Where there is a will you will find your

way."

Chef’s Recipe:

FUSION INDIAN CAESAR SALAD

Serves 4 people

Preparation Time 10 to 15 minutes

Ingredients

Iceberg lettuces 01 round, hand plugged into small

bite size

Broccoli florets 30 grams, blanched in salted water

Baby corn 30 grams, diamond shapes blanched in

salted water

Zucchini 30 grams, roundels shapes blanched in

salted water

Black olive 8 no’s

147146

Cherry tomatoes 8 no’s, cut into half

Yogurt 250 gram, lightly beaten

Mixed pickle 30 gram, pureed

Cumin powder 5 gram, roasted

Parmesan cheese 20 grams, shaving

Bread slices, for croutons

Parsley 20 grams, finely chopped for garnish

Garlic 4 clove, finely chopped

Fresh mint 10 grams, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to love

Method

1.First we start with salad dressing, in a bowl take

yogurt add pickled puree, cumin powder, garlic,

mint salt and peppers.

2.Mix them lightly with help of whisk and you will get

smooth Indian Italian Caesar dressing.

3.In a large salad bowl take hand plugged lettuces,

zucchini and broccoli, and Caesar dressing.

4.Toss them with lightly with wooden spoon, and

Divide salad into four equal portion.

5.Keep some vegetables for garnish on top of salad.

6.Pick a fancy salad bowl; neatly arrange salad leaves

in a bowls, topped it with vegetables, cherry

tomatoes, olives and parmesan shaving.

7.Garnish with chopped parsley on top.

8.Serve instantly Accompaniment with garlic bread

croutons.

9.Enjoy my twisted salad treat

About the Chef:

Chef dheeraj bhandari is Indian celebrity chef,

Traveller, blogger and food photographer. He is

regular columnist with Amarujala Rupiyan magazine,

Mussoorie Times newspaper, Incredible chef

Magazine, Femina Hindi Magazine, culinary Tales

blogs, plattershare and many more. He is also hosted

tv show Quick cook for care world tv channel. Over

the years he had worked for some of the world’s most

recognised brand such as Ambassador Sky chef, the

Claridge’s hotels, the Eros intercontinental hotels,

star cruise, the royal Caribbean cruise liners, the

Google Gurugram and Mosaic hotels. My philosophy

of life is cook tasty food and share happiness through

it.

‘This quest brought me here and my passion made me

a chef’


everything?

A- I feel that to become a good chef one needs to be a

foodie, only then we can get exposed to numerous

tastes and variety of dishes that exist. Being a Delhite I

was exposed to numerous cosmopolitan tastes. For

me, my visits to old Delhi and the nearest Choley

bhature shop in Karol Bagh left me wondering as to

how and from where did they get their taste to the

dishes. This quest and the subsequent following years

led to my passion for being a chef.


you?

A- It was very early for me. I was lucky to have meal

planning classes in my school in class 8. We were

taught simple dishes like an omlette which I wanted to

bake rather than fry or a vegetable poha biryani. This

was my first interaction with ingredients and it was

enjoyable indeed. But yes once you are into the

industry you should only experiment once you

get the proper knowledge of all ingrediants and their

uses.

Q-What is life in the kitchen for you?

A- I would put it the other way round, Kitchen is life for

me. Yes we do have long working hour and early

morning wake ups but it’s the passion to cook good

food that fuels us as Chefs.


A- I come from a Brahmin family, where we never use

to eat non vegetarian food. We would go outside to

have, so it was something which I could only taste and

not see how it’s cooked. This quest brought me here

and my passion made me a chef.

Avinash JhaExecutive Chef, Jaypee Vasant Continental

149148

Firecracker Shrimp Waffle Sandwich



A- In the course of my career there have been a lot of

changes. There have been major technological

advancements. New techniques and presentations

have been changed or improvised. New Cooking

styles such as ageing of meats, suave have replaced

the traditional braising and broiling. Also with

professional growth, more emphasis is on the need to

concentrate on various other issues of costing,

staffing and management other than just cooking.



now?

A- When I started my career in 2000, food used to be

more of a passion, but now it’s a huge industry. With

the technological advancements and the ease of

approach to the internet, the world has become very

close. The availability of new and imported

ingredients has increased, of which some are grown

indigenously now. Earlier we opened restaurants with

emphasis on authentic food and cuisine, now it has

been taken over by restaurants with different F&B

concepts and approach. Fast food and quick service,

buffet restaurant culture has evolved tremendously.

The way F&B is sold today is very different to what it

was way back in 2000. Now it’s sold all through the

internet in terms of packages and deals, initially it was

a lavish A la carte culture. New machines have

evolved; chefs in India have very good international

exposure. Cuisines that were not known much, have

come up drastically and are being appreciated by the

guests. Hence there has been a complete turnaround

in the last decade.

Q7- Which has been your prime learning throughout

the career so far?

A- Patience & attitude to learn has been my prime

learning. By implementing them, I have gained my

expertise in Indian cookery, namely Rajasthani and

Khad cuisine.

Q-How crucial is it for a chef to maintain diet and


A- As a chef you are exposed to various strenuous

schedules and untimely eating, which can make you

ill. One needs to do daily exercises and maintain a

healthy balanced diet to maintain oneself.



A- It’s a very complex situation when your are cooking

salt and spice and your are asked to taste sugar. The

solution lies in small tasting bites and rinsing the

mouth before tasting two complex foods. Oral

Hygiene also plays an important role. Red wine, green

tea and coffee is also a very good platte cleanser.

Q-What are the important elements in food


A- The most important elements while food

preparation are :-1. Availability of fresh ingredients ,

2. The cooking medium , 3. The skill of the cook and ,

4. Passion and patience.

Q-How do you compare Indian food and



A- Indian food is very diverse. It has vast ingredients

and their uses differ from state to state and region to

region. In Indian cuisine one cannot just follow one

recipe as it varies from house to house, the

acceptability is on how good or tasty one can make it.

Whereas in international cuisine the ingredient base

is more defined and the recipes are all standardized as

per their origin. Variations can only occur in style of

plating or presentation. Indian food is more whole

sum as the grains always supplement the pulses and

the meats where as in international food they are

separate meal courses accompanied by either starch

or roughage. Selling and storing international food is

more feasible as this involves a minute cooking where

as Indian food needs prior cooking and proper

storage. Cost involved in Indian food s are towards the

higher side as the preparation methods and

ingredients are more complex. In international food

the preparation are basic and simpler. Indian

restaurants always operate on a higher cost as

compared to international cuisine restaurants.


cuisine?

A- New style of plating food using indigenous

ingredients and fusion cookery are the new factors

influencing food today.



business?

A- In India, people have been exposed to various

international flavors and ingredients, which have

been developed and appreciated over a period of

time. Healthy food and its uses have vastly influenced

the eating habits of a common Indian. Now in hotel or

restaurant, customers look for a healthy, tasty and a

quick meal, which was not the case earlier. Staple

diets, Vegan, Fusion, and Grills are all gifts of the

changing ‘F&B around the world.


they are successful businessmen? Which

characteristics have helped them to become


A- Yes, Chefs have become very successful

entrepreneurs. It’s their knowledge of the right

ingredient, its usage, storage and the technical

knowhow of producing a dish consistently makes

them the best bet to be good restaurateurs.



A- I am a learner. I constantly evolve myself by

knowing and experimenting with my food. I try to

infuse authencity with modernity keeping in mind my

customers and their preferences.

Q- What future challenges do you foresee in

future emerging in food business? How as a

chef do you prepare yourself to brace that

challenge?

A- With the flourishing of standalones & new

concept restaurants, the food business has become

very challenging. There is cut throat competition

amongst small and big players, each challenging their

own counterparts. The key to a successful and long

lasting F&B operation is to evolve & change the

restaurant in terms of the complete product.

Different tastes and cookery methods should be

evolved to get the fun and surprise element in the

food.

Chefs Recipe:

FIRECRACKER SHRIMP WAFFLE SANDWICH

INGREDIENTS

Waffle 1 Port

Prawns Black Tiger 35 To 40 Pc (3 Nos Cut X 2)

Salt 1kg Pk 2 Gms

Crushed Black Pepper 2 Gms

Chilli Paste 5 Gms

Farm Egg Golden 55gms (1 No)

Panko Crumbs 50 Gms

Refined Oil 50 Ml

Lettuce Iceberg Base 30 Gms

Tomato Salsa 20 Gms

Fried Noodles 20 Gms

Cilantro Lime Aioli Base 50 Gms

METHOD:

1. Make the waffles.

2. Season butterflied prawns with salt & pepper, add

chilli paste, crumb & fry.

3. Spread half the aioli on tortilla. Spread lettuce,

fried noodles & salsa.

4. Place prawns on the above. Cut into two.

5. Serve with lettuce head & fries & remaining aioli.

Note: 2 pcs waffles to be made in the smaller machine

with same amount of batter.

About the Chef:

With more than 16 years of experience from different

domains of the hotel industry, the Executive Chef

Avinash Jha at Jaypee Vasant Continental brings an

exquisite culinary experience to your table. A master

of taste and flavors, his passion for food is reflected in

his creations and his eagerness to stand and deliver.

The kitchen in particular witnesses his expertise in

both Indian and International cuisines.

After completing his graduation from Institute of

Hotel Management, Applied Nutrition and Catering

Technology (National Council), Bangalore in 2000,

Chef Avinash Jha started his career with the ITC hotels

and was associated with leading hospitality groups

in the country. His desire to learn and excel makes

him the perfect ingredient for any concessioners

delight.

151150

Shivanand KainExecutive Chef, Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort, Greater Noida

‘Kitchen is the place I begin & end my day with an aim

to produce something more creative & more

innovative than yesterday’


everything?

A- My first big break came when I got my first job in

the kitchens of a five star hotel in the year 1984.

During my tenure there, the restaurant had been

rated among the best 10 in the world and Best 50 in

Asia.


you?

A- Initial years were about learning basics and try to

learn what other chefs were doing. The break through

happened once the responsibility as Restaurant chef

came on me. Also, while doing the trials for new

menus I realized that even during my sleep after a

tiring day I was dreaming of the same plate, colors,

textures, heights, and trying my best to draw a lovely

combination. Next day, I would implement the same

ideas which I dreamt. The pleasure of replicating the

same on plate is beyond imagination. Creativity,

innovation and smile on the face of your guests, are

the things that keep you going in this industry.


A- Kitchen is the place I begin & end my day with an

aim to produce something more creative & more

innovative than yesterday. My zeal for cooking &

seeing my guests’ content post their meal assures me

that Kitchen is the place I belong.


A- I have always been fond of experimenting with

different ingredients & bring some new flavours. My

love & passion for food has inspired me to be a Chef.



A- It’s like love after marriage. The more I got involved

in kitchen the more I started to enjoy the work. The

zeal to do something creative each day became a way

of life. The chefs who keep themselves busy in

learning new things on regular basis do well in this

industry.



now?

A- A lot has changed in terms of cuisines & F&B

business. The changing tastes & preference of the

people due to awareness & knowledge has led to

major growth in the F&B industry. It is a very

competitive market with increased number of

standalone restaurants & hotel chains opening up. To

stay ahead in the game one has do extensive research

& bring innovation to the table.


the career so far?

A- To keep yourself going in this industry one should

153

Mix Lentil Dumplings

never stop cooking and learning, playing with

ingredients, flavors, colors, texture and taste will give

you maximum satisfaction. To keep a track on your

guests smile will keep you happy.



A- It is very important for chefs to stay health & fit. The

nature of the work is such that the Chefs are bound to

face health problems. These issues range from

problems due to job itself like back pain and arthritis,

stressful environment in the kitchens, standing for

long hours can cause swollen feet’s, night or split

shifts brings sleeping disorders. Therefore, to remain

fit & lead a healthy one should follow a strict diet

routine and exercise regime.



A- As we are surrounded by the food at all the times, it

gets difficult to control the taste buds. One has to be

more aware & have knowledge about the side effects

of overeating to live a healthy life.



A-

• Hygiene and safe food.

• Taste and good flavour of food

• Right texture

• Keeping food nutrition balanced while cooking.

• Maintaining natural colors of food while cooking.

• Using right equipment’s and utensils for cooking.

• Using right ingredients.

• Serving and storing food in right temperature.

• Using right method of cooking.




A- Indian cuisine is getting popular day by day as

world is discovering the depth of regional Indian food,

learning and understanding the different cultures and

food habits of Indians. As more and more Indian

people are traveling abroad they are also discovering

the cuisines the world has to offer. Cuisines like

Italian, Thai, Mexican and Chinese are getting popular

all over the world. Selling proposition directly depend

on the clientele you get in your hotels more foreigners

means more demand for Indian food in the hotels.

Italian, Thai and Chinese are more frequented with

Indian clientele when they go out to eat.


cuisine?

A- Healthy food, Vegan, World cuisine on a plate, and

regional home style food are some of the trends that

will get more popular in the world this year. World

cuisine on plate means no boundaries in terms of

using ingredients, sauces and taste on a plate.



business?

A- Indian food market is poised for a major growth in

the coming years. Our country has one of the

youngest populations. They spend major portion of

their income on food and traveling. I see lots of hotels

and stand alone restaurant coming up in all Indian

cities and international restaurant brands opening

their outlets in small cities. Indians are experimenting

with new cuisines and demand the best the world has

to offer. I see a major shift coming in terms of food

safety and hygiene standards across India with the

kind of initiative FSSAI is taking.




entrepreneurs?

A- Yes most of the chefs who have opened their own

restaurants are doing well. Some of the key

characteristics I see in chefs, which will help them to

become successful entrepreneurs’ are-

•Passion and motivation to do differently.

•Not afraid to take risks

•Self-belief and hard work

•Discipline and dedication

•Adaptable and flexible for change

•Good food knowledge , planning and management

•Ability to change the product.

•Manpower management and cost control



A- One has to change as per the demand and then

come out with something extraordinary which you

think will succeed. There is no recipe of success in this

industry; you have to keep experimenting with all the

food elements & bring out something innovative.




A- It’s going to be more competent with lower profit

margins in this business in the future. Fresh, healthy

and organic raw material procurement will be a

challenge and food delivery through e-commerce will

pose a major competition to the restaurants.

Urbanization and climate change on large scale will

have its effect on raw material availability. By adapting

to these changes and by innovating as per the

demand can prepare us to brace these challenges.

Chef’s Recipe:

MIX LENTIL DUMPLINGS

Ingredients

Channa Lentil 50gms

Arhar Lentil 25gms

Red Lentil 25gms

Red Chilli Pd 5 Gms

Salt To Taste

Roasted Cumin Powder 3 Gms

Coriander Powder 3 Gms

Curry Powder 5 Gms

Chopped Cilantro 5 Gms

Chopped Onion 15 Gms

Olive Oil 50 Gms

Suji 100 Gms

METHOD :

•Mix all the lentils and boil together till half cooked.

•Put olive oil, sauté onion then add boiled lentils and

all the above spices, cook well. Put the mixture in a

Grinder and break the lentils into small pieces and

make a thick mixture.

•Add fresh cilantro.

•Make round shape dumplings.

•Wrap them with sooji.

•Deep fry till golden brown in color.

•Serve with spicy tomato sauce.

FRUIT PANCAKE WITH GULUKAND RABRI

INGREDIENTS

Eggs 2 No.

Sugar 100 Gms

Cream 250 Ml.

Butter Milk 250ml.

Refined Flour 300 Gms

Baking Powder 5 Gms.

Vanilla Essence 5 Drops

Anar 20 Gms

Kiwi 20 Gms

Pineapple 20 Gms

Melon 20gms

Milk Rabri 100 Ml

Gulukand 20 Gms

METHOD :

1 In a machine whisk sugar and eggs until gets

foamy.

2 Slow down speed then add cream and milk slowly.

3 Then add the refined flour, baking powder and

vanilla essence.

4 Make medium size pancakes in a non-stick pan

and cook till golden brown on both sides

5 Cut fresh fruits into small dices and mix all cut

fruits with, one spoon of Gulukand puree.

6 Fill the fruit mixture into the pancake and fold into

half-moon shape.

7 Take a dessert plate and put Rabri on the base and

put stuffed pancake on top, decorate with

Gulukand Puree’.

About the Chef:

An instrumental figure behind some of the finest

restaurants in India and abroad, the Senior Executive

Chef, Shivanand Kain, Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa

Resort, Greater Noida, brings par excellence with 29

years of extensive hotel experience. He holds a

diploma in Hotel Management Catering and

Nutrition from the Institute of Hotel Management

Catering and Applied Nutrition in Pusa, New Delhi.

During the span of his successful career, Chef Kain has

been associated with leading groups of the

hospitality industry and has won several awards and

accolades for his extraordinary achievements.

Over the years, he has earned various recognitions

namely, ‘Best Chef of the year 2013’ by Hospitality

Professionals and has also served as the Vice

President of Indian Culinary Federation from 2008-

2011.

155154

Akshay NayyarCelebrity Chef

'It is rightly said that “Change is the only constant” and

that’s what I swear by’


A- In my kitchens I am not a chef rather a student

because to me I believe that nothing can be bigger

than self learning. A small amount of time dedicated

to creativity is my pedigree. I live to cook and it’s only

because of cooking that I live.


A- I am a teacher’s son and since both my parents

were working, often I was home alone. Thanks to my

hungry tummy and unconditional love for food since

childhood that motivated me to start cooking at the

age of 8. I have burnt countless meals till the my

teenage before excelling into culinary science.



A- It is rightly said that “Change is the only constant”

and that’s what I swear by. I like to be active at all

times and strive hard to keep hunting for new

thoughts. For instance what I try not to do is have one

style of cooking and preference to certain ingredients

rather I am happy to discover new food everyday.



now?

A- “Luckily I entered the F&B industry just when it was

about to be at its peak” but this was just my belief

because now I have realised that no height is high for

Food. Cuisine has changed at a very rapid pace since

then. I remember the age of fusion food which was

considered to be in but then came an era of back to

basics with rugged and vintage styles restaurants.

This throne was then transferred to the onset of

molecular cooking which soon faded to what we see

as Modern Novelist cuisine. In just a matter of 10

years food has taken two 369 degree rotations.

This gave me a huge exposure to face competition at

all levels and this is what I love about my soulmate

“cuisine”.


the career so far?

A- business oriented cook who understands

profitability achieved by exceeding guests

expectation is called Chef. You need to understand

both sides of the table.



A- always tell my team that 1 Restaurant opening

gives u 4 Kilos, so working out and burning out those

excessive calories is important because tasting food is

not a part of ur daily meal.



A- You need do train it! I often do a salt and sugar

degree test by arranging 6-7 glasses and then

evaluating myself. To me eating raw herbs more than 157

Challi Kolmi Pasht Kebabs

usual helps in understanding flavours better.



A- Taste, Presentation, Technique and nutritional

balance are my core focus points.




In comparison to many global cuisines, Indian food

is very intense and diverse. Thanks to our culinary

heritage that offers huge range of ingredients and

cooking methods that we have over 50 regional

cuisines.

Hidden gems of our cuisines, some great techniques

like dum, dunghar, stone cooking etc and certain

premium ingredients help us in selling it at a

premium.


cuisine?

A- As per me Healthy, vegan and stylised forms of

native cuisine is the trend for 2018.

Q- How India is developing its food habits and


business?

A- All credits to travel that our people now do

extensively. People have become experimental and

are open to experience new world cooking. This is a

guiding force for the industry because of you will not

satisfy this need then someone else will do.




entrepreneurs?

A- There are two sides of this coin! Your vision when

you are a chef and when you become an owner

changes to a great extent. Talking about myself, a

chefpreneur serves his dear guests with even more

passion and energy because now customer

satisfaction is directly proportionate to your revenues

and this is something that will guide your future.



A- I never go by a recipe. To me kitchen is a laboratory,

I love mixing and matching various flavours, textures

and techniques to get a new dish every time I cook.

One thing that I ensure is that “Aura” of my dish never

A-

fades away.




Diners today have less time and life is getting

busier. This means less time for leisure and that

translates to less time for experiencing food too. I

believe creating that whole experience with smart

food at a lightening speed is the need of hour. Another

big challenge that might emerge is “Food Physics” and

we are training ourselves by extensive research and

learning combined with development oriented

cooking.

CHALLI KOLMI PASHT KEBABS

Ingredients

1 Cup Cottage cheese (Grated)

½ Cup Colacassia/Arbi (Boiled and Grated)

4 Pcs Bread sticks (6 inch long)

½ Cup American corn (Par boiled)

2 tsp coriander (chopped)

¼ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp green chilly

2 Phyllo Pastry or Wonton Sheet (Shredded)

½ Cup refined flour

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

METHOD :

1. In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except

phyllo pastry sheet, flour and

breadsticks.

2. Mix till the mixture is uniformly seasoned. Divide

into 4 equal balls. Insert 1 bread stick

into each one and keep aside.

Gourmet Restaurant Concepts Private Limited

[email protected]

3. Now mix flour with little water to make a coating

batter. Coat the above breadstick

mixture with this batter and then wrap shredded

phyllo pastry sheet around it by pressing

gently.

4. Heat oil at 180 C and deep fry the above kebabs till

golden in color and crispy.

5. Serve hot with Mint chutney and pickled onions.

A-

Chef’s Recipe:

Hari Nayak'The Pioneer of Modern Cuisine’

'The Pioneer of Modern Cuisine'


everything?

A- The opportunity to go study in Culinary Institute of

America early on in my career paved the way for

where I am now. But I would probably attribute my

first big break to my book Modern Indian Cooking

which was recognized as the Best Cookbook of the

year in 2007 by LA Times.


you?

A- I started experimenting with cooking from the time

when i was around 16 years old. I used to watch street

vendors whip up chaats and chow miens and try my

hand at it in my mom’s kitchen. It was so much fun to

see family and friends enjoying all the street food they

loved at home!


A- Growing up, I was very inspired by the way my

grandmother would cook for the family. She would

wake up at 4am to grind fresh batter, make spice

pastes or prep vegetables that would be cooked

158 159

during the day. We took it for granted that there

would be freshly cooked food ready for every meal.

The happiness she felt when we sat together and

savoured and enjoyed each bite was incredible –

every meal was like a celebration. I draw a lot of

inspiration from the way she cooked from her heart,

of meal times bringing people together and

celebrating food.



now?

A- I began my career more than 20 years back and

things have completely changed in the food business.

The bulk of this fundamental shift in how business is

carried out today results from changes in technology,

social media and the internet.


the career so far?

A- One should never stop learning through one’s life

and career, no matter the education or experience.



A- Chefs fully understand the importance of mise en

place and the consistent organization of every part of

their workday. It is very important that same

organization and management be applied to build in

time for exercise, good eating habits, travel, family,

and outdoor activities. This will only make you a

better chef.



A- I tend to drink a lot of water, eat a good healthy

meal before i start work and skip a meal during a long

day of cooking.



A- Source the best quality ingredients that you can

possibly get , cook seasonal and keep it simple.




A- Even though Indian cuisine is one of the fastest

growing and emerging markets in the West, it still

does not compare to the presence Chinese, Japanese,

Italian or Mexican cuisines have in the Western

market. It might take another decade before it

matches any of the other international cuisines. It is

totally opposite in the Indian market where authentic

international cuisines are yet to gain as much traction.


cuisine?

A- Fine casual dining - more and more top chefs from

around the world are serving fine dishes in a very

casual setting without any fuss. There is a lot of focus

on good clean healthy eating and sustainable

practices.



business?

A- Globalization, social media and television food

shows have influenced different aspects of the Indian

society and culture including the food habits of the

Indian youth. International food and dishes have

become quite familiar with the masses. The changing

scenario has not only helped the food and beverage

industry strengthen its position in the Indian market,

but also created many new opportunities for the

young entrepreneurs with a lot of international

exposure who want to get into the F&B business.




entrepreneurs?

A- I think there are a very few chefs who have reached

a point where they are successful in business. It is very

important to find the right business partner who

understand how to run a business and understand

what the market needs.



A- My style of cooking is spontaneous and

approachable. It is inspired by my travels. I am always

experimenting on how Indian cuisine can be fused

with other cuisines around the world. My dishes are

Indian by nature, but their global flavors help make

them appealing to a wide audience. I want to create a

childlike sense of curiosity for the new and unfamiliar.




A- There could be many potential challenges from rise

in food pricing, increase in labor and real estate costs

to economic instability. We chefs tend to be focused

more in the kitchen and food quality and less in the

business and numbers. It is important to be forecast

and keep yourself informed on the market trends and

tweak your business and be one step ahead.

Chefs Recipe :

OLD BAY MASALA SHRIMP PAPAD

4 plain papads

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1dry red chilli, seeded

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons oil

1/4 cup mustard oil

1 lemon, juiced

500 grams medium size shrimp, peeled, deveined and

cut in half lengthwise

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

2 spring onion, finely sliced

Blend the garlic, ginger, red chilli, black pepper, Old

Bay, oil and lemon juice until well combined. Put the

prawns into a bowl, add the marinade and toss until

they are well covered. Cover and place in the fridge

for an hour.

Meanwhile, roast the papad over the open flame of a

gas burner for approximately 1 minute each, turning

frequently to expose both sides evenly to the heat.

They will crinkle up into beautiful shapes almost at

once. Alternately, deep fry each Papadam, drain the

excess oil and allow them to cool. When you are ready

to serve, sear the prawns in a frying pan over high

heat for approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until they are

pink and beginning to curl. Spread the papad with the

lettuce and spring onion. Divide the shrimps between

the papads. Pour the remaining marinade into a pan

and warm it over a medium heat. Spoon over the

shrimps and serve immediately.

Homemade Seasoning

2 tablespoons ground bay leaves

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon mustard seed powder

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons kashmiri chilli powder

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground allspice (kabab chini)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Combine all the above and mix until well blended and

store in an airtight jar.

About the Chef

Hari started his journey as an international

restaurateur, chef and author in Manipal, India where

he studied at the ITC Hospitality Management school,

graduating in 1994. As his first job, he joined the ITC

Sheraton group of hotels as a kitchen management

trainee, including Bukhara before securing a place in

the very prestigious Culinary Institute of America,

New York.

It was during this time that he wrote his first cook

book Modern Indian Cooking which was named LA

Times Cookbook of the Year in 2007. Since then, Hari

has written 5 more books and has been recognized as

one of the top Indian chefs and cook book authors in

North America.

In the last 8 years, Hari has forayed beyond North

America to make his mark in Asia and Middle East as a

chef patron and consultant, helping investors and

restaurant management companies execute various

restaurant concepts successfully. Some of his global

engagements include Bombay Bungalow & Masti

(Dubai), Charcoza Indian Mezze grill , Riyadh Matt &

Meera (Hoboken, NJ), and Alchemy (coming up in

Bangalore, India).

Today, Hari has his own brand of retail food products

and a quick service Indian concepts in partnership

with Whole Foods Market. He is also the Culinary

Director and Brand Ambassador of ‘Café Spice’ the

largest Indian kitchen in North America, where he

leads the research & development team to create

new dishes- available in major college and corporate

campuses and high-end retail gourmet markets

across the country.

Hari is globally known as a pioneer of Modern Indian

Cuisine and his vision is to bring Indian culture and

cuisine to the forefront on the global culinary map.

Coupled with his western cooking skills, his deep-

rooted Indian traditions, perseverance and hard

work- he dreams and aspires to provide Indian cuisine

an international platform and the recognition of

being one of the top three cuisines in the world.

160 161

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Notes Advertiser IndexAkasa international 67

Allied metal works 53

Ambica sales & services 83

Blue fab 33

Cera hospitality hub 23

Dkg sales pvt ltd 86

Elan professional appliances pvt ltd 15

Food Solution India Limited 21

Hmp engineering private limited 51

Horeca enterprises 37

hotel needs india 41

Indigo metalware l.l.p 87

Js international 59

King metal works 82, 88, 97, 101, 102

Ks hotelware 54, 66, 80, 89

ki glassware india pvt ltd 55

Mahto kitchen care 73

Metinox india 27

Munnilal Tandoors Pvt. Ltd 07

Neeti udyog 17

P lal & sons 103

Parth kitchen equipments 81

Petals packaging company 77

Pushpa international 29

Rajkiran kitchen equipment 76

Rational international India pvt ltd 69

Remington steel arts 57

SnT Hospitality expressions 40

Sky Enterprises 11

U.P. Ceramics & potteries ltd. 45

Uniform unlimited 49

Unitas foods pvt ltd 75

V.k. Mehra & sons 43

Vanya industrial equipments 35

Venus industries 01

Wang professionals private limited 09

CHEF’S PLATTERDavinder Kumar President of Indian Culinary Forum and Head Chef Le Meridien...

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Transcript of CHEF’S PLATTERDavinder Kumar President of Indian Culinary Forum and Head Chef Le Meridien...