JOIN USIt was at the age of 12 that I made a decision to become a chef. I would often watch my mother prepare something in the kitchen and silently enjoy the aromatic flavours seeping through the house.
Like every mother, mine too had her own way of making every dish taste unique and special.
She used to make ‘dalma’, one of my favourites. It’s an authentic dish of Odisha and very simple to make. It‘s pretty much a combination of ‘harada dal’ and vegetables. You can have it with rice or ‘roti’.
But the day I realised that I could add my own twist to a traditional dish was when I made ‘Aloo chokha’. When I made it for the first time, my mother guided
me through the recipe and the process.
Later I realised that I could add my own twist to it and that‘s exactly what I did! That moment assured me that I could probably become a chef and create dishes of my own.
Being a chef is no easy job though. You are constantly working in the kitchen, making sure everything is going well and tastes perfect all the time.
Having said that, I have my lazy days too. That‘s when I prefer to relax and enjoy my plate of ‘Hyderabadi biryani’.
It‘s my passion for good food that helped me reach where I am today. At present, I’m the South Regional chef at ‘Barbeque Nation’.
So my advice to aspiring chefs is to just keep learning and do your best. Don’t ever give up and realise that the learning never stops. Even at my age and position, I am constantly learning something new — be it a new ingredient or even a new dish. The feedback and suggestions from the guests are what motivate me to work harder and continue doing what I love.
That’s probably why a simple dish like ‘Chilli garlic BBQ Prawns’ wins me over every time. It‘s an oriental dish that everybody will enjoy. Dip those perfectly grilled prawns in the garlic mayonnaise dip and you have a winner!
The dish is sweet, salty and tangy — pretty much a combination of every flavour you want to have in just one bite.
(As told to Anila Kurian)