It’s been about 15 years since I have joined the culinary industry. And in these years, my perception of food has changed a lot.
Earlier, I used to be sceptical about new cuisines and dishes, and sometimes even fusion versions. But when the changing demographics, people have become more open-minded about food. There are more people going out to dine, looking to try new items and have the eagerness to learn about different cuisines. With even trends like veganism, gluten-free and keto diets, it’s allowing chefs like me to experiment with different kinds of ingredients.
But the one dish that encouraged me to pursue this as a career is when I learnt to make dim sums. It took me some time to perfect the art of making one but it’s one of my fondest food memory.
Having said that, I absolutely love South Indian food, especially dosa. On my day offs, you’ll usually find me trying different versions of it like schezwan masala dosa, oats dosa, soy dosa, green gram dosa and so on.
That’s what I love about this job — the learning never stops. Lately, I have been working on some unique Asian-Indian fusion dishes. I’ve learnt the art of making Nigri’s and with the love for sushi in the city, I think this is a good skill set to have.
Today’s dish, Salmon with Udon Noodles, is a signature dish at Nevermind - Bar and Social, where I am the executive chef. This dish was an inspiration from the streets of Japan’s famous teppanyaki. It’s a staple there but we’ve added a twist by adding the smooth and creamy sauce over the salmon. Topped with crispy salmon skin, it adds a certain texture and flavour to the overall dish.
In case you don’t have access to udon noodles, you can replace it with soba noodles.
--- Chef Som Tshering Lepcha
Creamy Salmon with Crispy Skin and Udon Noodles
Ingredients
Method
For plating