Chef by Chance

The whole week when Heston Blumenthal visited was memorable. He is my culinary hero. Though he owns a a three-Michelin-starred restaurant,he is simple and humble. For one of the challenges,I made soya caramel on Maharashtrian modaks. Initially,Heston said that the combination might not work,but after tasting my dish,he told me I’d nailed it. I almost fell to the floor.

Where do you see your culinary pursuits taking you?

I still work full-time with the government of Australia as a manager of patent examiners. I pursue my food dream over the weekends. I have done about five pop-up restaurants with six-course modern Indian meals paired with Australian wines. Currently,I am working on a cookbook on modern Indian cooking,which should be out early next year.

Could you elaborate on modern Indian cooking as you see it?

Indians often chuck their proteins in the curry whereas it can be the hero of the dish. Also,Indian cooking makes use of a lot of spices,which burns our taste buds. So one of the key aspects is highlighting the proteins. One of my dishes is the Kolhapuri slow-cooked mutton where I cook the meat for 12 hours at 90 degrees and mix it with the Kolhapuri spices. The dish is then served on a bed of cauliflower puree with a poppadum on the side.