wholesome, it can be a complete meal and I like to think of it as a hug in a bowl. My hours as a chef can be long and all I want to eat at the end of my working day is something hot, flavourful and easy to make. Dhal (lentils) ticks all the right boxes and not only nourishes my tummy but also warms my soul.
Can you share with us how your passion for cooking began and how it has evolved into your current career? I have always loved being in the kitchen ever since I can remember. It was the heart of our home and where all the action was. I grew up in a foodie family and food has always played a large part in our lives. My grandparents were the founders of Patak’s Foods, an Indian food business they started in the 1950s. They passed the reins onto my parents and most of our recipes were tested out on our family dining table. My mother was a fabulous cook and I fell in love with spices as soon as my senses came alive. Growing up, you would always find me in the kitchen. Whether I was doing my homework on the dining table or cooking with my mother as a toddler, it was my happy place. Having learnt the tricks of the trade from my mother, I followed in her footsteps and joined the family business in product development, creating recipes for the brand. I furthered my learning of Indian cookery on my travels across India and gained a formal chef qualification in French cuisine in London. This led me to work as a cookery teacher for Jamie Oliver, sharing my passion for food education, and then onto Mumbai to build an immersive dining start-up that has now crossed borders over to Dubai. Little did I know but those early cooking lessons with my mother were the foundations for the chef and food writer that I am today. What are some of your favourite dishes to prepare, and what makes them special to you? My favourite recipe is a simple Tadka Dhal. (recipe at the end of this article) It’s not fancy, nor it is complicated, but it is my comfort food. It reminds me of meals at home when I was young and will always carry fond memories of family time. Satisfyingly
Could you walk us through a day in your life as a professional chef?
As a consultant chef, no two days are the same. I start my day with a workout, before having a healthy breakfast. I spend the morning hours with my laptop catching up on emails before heading into the kitchen to test and tweak recipes I’ve written the day before. I also have to create recipe video content for my international clients and I enjoy doing this when the natural light is at its best. In my kitchen, that is late afternoon. The early evening is for the next day’s food writ- ing and ingredient shopping and before I know it, it’s time for dinner and an opportunity to share my recipes with my family and get feedback. After dinner time I try to tick more off my never-ending to-do list. Some days are more successful than others! "I usually create recipes that lean towards the healthier side of eating and I'm happy to see a shift towards mindful dining."
THE LEGAL CORNER MAGAZINE | ISSUE 008 JULY '24 | RESTAURANT, FOOD & BEVERAGE EDITION HB 12
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