April 2010

In constant search of perfection. Composing and conducting a symphony of flavours, textures and aromas that can only be achieved by the correct preparation and appropriate combination of the raw ingredients. It is with the arrival of these raw ingredients that we begin each day.

After checking and selecting the produce we will decide the preparation required and if menus need to be altered. Nature is different every day, we cannot change this only try to perfect it. This is when knowledge and experience comes into play, the more you cook and practice, the more that you will understand your ingredients.

This is the most important time of the day for us. Having selected our ingredients and decided our plan for the day, the preparation begins. various meats are marinated , the three mother sauces are made, meat is butchered, fish is filleted, salads picked and washed and vegetables prepared The smells from the deserts counter drift through a to silent kitchen while a brigade of three talented young chefs concentrate and hurry about their work. Time is of the essence, as every dish requires many components. They may vary in size but not in importance, they are all essential. Organizing and putting each section “en place” is key when we arrive at service where there is no time for error.

At 12 p.m. each day everything on each section is checked and tasted, from the sauses through to the tandoori items. This gives us the time to make the necessary adjustments to anything we may not be happy with.

At 13 p.m. service begins. This is where everything must come together and roll into one.

The first check arrives and the cooking begins. Each section will have their part to play. Communication and teamwork are paramount to our success. There are no stars in the team, they are for the restaurant only, the customer is the most important person here. As the service speeds up the brigade of chefs move as a well drilled operation, they must cook with energy flare, passion, instinct and military precision. All this is performed at 100mph, the pressure is high. In a kitchen mistakes cannot be tolerated. There is no loud clanging of pots and pans just the communication between the sections to enable all the elements to arrive at the pass at the same time to make every plate as close to perfection as possible

As the last plates are sent and the kitchen cleaned, we begin to do it all over again for dinner!!

March 2010

In this diary I will share with you little bites of what we do, what inspires us; hopefully capture the overall feeling of what it is like to run one of the toughest kitchens. I will take you inside the walls and behind the scenes of rasoi new indian kitchen and share with you my love of food, flavour and cuisine.

I suppose I was destined to end up in this role. I have always been at one with nature. Growing up in India, I learned at a young age the importance of respecting not only the produce but all the love, hard work, passion and dedication put in by the top chefs of the Taj Group of Hotels in order to get that end result. Some of my earliest memories are of drinking fresh milk straight from the tank, eating potatoes dug fresh from the soil that day, picking mangoes from the neighbors’ garden in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa), Last but not least I remember the smell of baking and the amazing food my mother would make.

Sometimes I think I have come a long way from those childhood memories, but perhaps, not really. It is still the freshness, simplicity and those true flavours that I try to lock into my food now, and those flavours and memories of the simplest things are the most powerful driving force behind my creativity today. In a world where technology and possibilities are endless it is always the fresh produce that guides and inspires me.

I have been lucky to have worked with some truly great chefs. They have all guided me and helped shape me in their own unique way. They have helped me to understand great food, how to combine ingredients, how to produce food at this level, how to manage people, basically how to run a kitchen. All of these skills are imperative to my success on a day to day basis, being a talented cook is only a fraction of what it takes to be a great Chef; speed, technical skills, stamina, fitness, operational problem solving, managing staff, finances, health and safety, understanding and patience, and of course the clientele, the rest is sheer hard work and determination. After all, what is the point of having all this love and passion for food if we fail to deliver?

I can still remember the first day I stepped foot in the kitchen at Calle General Goded nº 5, the sounds, the smells, and of course the tastes. Tasting a sauce was revelatory, the balance and complexity of flavour was perfect, it was like silk on my tongue. I knew I was where I belonged.