Chef inspired by local cuisines

It's a journey down the foodpath

My decision to get into the hotel industry as a 15-years-old was an instinctive one. I didn’t want to be a chef until then — just wanted to be part of the hotel business.

However, over the years, I have worked on my strength — cooking and served in various five-star hotels globally.

I started off with Oriental cuisine and specialised in Thai. Later, I moved to fine-tuning my culinary skills by learning the techniques of Italian cuisine. Being a Parsi, I try to promote the community’s cuisine too.

For me, onion, tomatoes and potatoes are must-haves in the kitchen. You can make any dish easily. A good chef’s knife is also very important. It has to be perfectly sharpened.

I love travelling and make the most out of my trips by exploring the local cuisine of that place. I enjoy having home-style cooked local dishes. This helps me to know a lot about the food and local culture of that place. So, whenever I travel abroad, instead of eating at the hotel, I visit roadside vendors in search of regional flavours. Bangkok, for example, has some delicious local food you can get on the streets. It is one of my favourite destinations and I would definitely like to explore more.

Having said that, being in the kitchen for most of the day, I go back home to some quick ‘ghar ka khana’ — chappati, dal and sabzi low on oil. This is my comfort food.

The recipe I am sharing today is ‘Seafood Cannelloni’.

Cannelloni is a popular Italian dish made of cylindrical lasagna with stuffing and a generous coating of ‘the choice of sauce’. It is usually baked.

Chef Rayomund Padiwalla
Executive chef, Gokulam Grand Hotel and Spa

Seafood Cannelloni

Ingredients

Prawns - 50 gm

Onion - 10 gm

Garlic - 5 gm

Thyme - 5 gm

Leeks - 5 gm

Celery - 5 gm

Zucchini - 10 gm

Parmesan cheese - 5 gm

Ricotta cheese - 5 gm

Lasagne sheet - 4 pieces (150 gm)

Method

Clean the prawns thoroughly,

Finely chop the prawns, onions, garlic, thyme, leeks, celery and zucchini.

Sauté all the ingredients in a pan and then add parmesan and ricotta cheese.

Blanch the lasagne sheets and then soak in oil and keep aside.

Finally stuff the sautéed ingredients in the lasagne sheet.

Keep the cannelloni in a baking tray with homemade tomato sauce on the bottom and cheese on the top.

Bake it for five minutes and serve hot.