'Use your intuition in cooking'

Sarah Todd took a brave decision in 2014 by taking a break from modelling, and investing time in her lifelong passion, food. The decision paid off as she went on to become one of the strongest contenders of MasterChef Australia 2014, and has not looked back since then. From starting a restaurant on a picturesque beach in Goa to writing a cookbook, the Australian model-turned-chef will now be seen in a new show Serve it Like Sarah on FOX Life.

“I was modelling for 10 years and one day I realised it was the right time to take a break. Since I was so passionate about cooking, I decided to throw myself completely into it,” Todd tells Metrolife.

The show, which premieres on June 13 will be aired on Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 pm. It will serve as a perfect platform where her two careers will come together. A passionate traveller, she says India has welcomed her with open arms ever since she came to the country a year back. She got to explore Goan culinary culture and its adventurous side while shooting for the show during which she also initiated conversations with locals, “The show will highlight a different side of Goa. You will see how smartly people use local produce and prepare delicious food. Also, I have been to a forest in Goa where only two females live. It was a surreal experience because their house has no doors and they live amidst nature,” she says.

The show, Todd says, also gave her an opportunity to know the coastal state better where she has also opened a restaurant, Antares, last October. “I have been living in Goa for the past six months and it has been extremely fantastic. Because of this show, I got to know Goa better, so much so, that when my friends visited me here, I was able to take them to some really exciting places,” she says.

In each episode, Sara will embark on a journey: starting from crab catching and exploring Goa’s Portuguese heritage, to experimenting with recipes that have been passed down through generations. Based on the day’s learning, she will use her expertise to create a modern dish. “I have prepared Kingfish Pani Puri in one of the episodes; It was my take on pani puri,” she says.

Her restaurant on Vagator beach serves Australian cuisine with an Asian influence; and Todd believes that the trick while fusing different cuisines is to be intuitive.

“The biggest thing in cooking is to use your intuition. Fusion necessarily doesn’t mean you have to follow traditional recipes. It is all about balancing properties like acidity and sourness to present a modern interpretation of any cuisine,” she says.

Todd feels the diversity of Indian culture and cuisines has added to her knowledge and she is amazed by the way Indians apply multiple techniques to cook the same ingredients. “You can use coconut in so many different forms. It is fascinating and a great learning tool,” she says, adding that she loves the smoky flavour of tandoor, a technique she got to know about only after coming to India.