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Stir it up
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Sanjeev Kapoor on his new book and all things culinary
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Photo: Nagara Gopal
Top chef Sanjeev Kapoor
“I wanted to enter a creative profession. After school, I decided to take up hotel management. My family and friends had thought that I was destroying my career and making the wrong choices. However, I stuck to it and in due course they realised that I had made the right choice,” says Sanjeev Kapoor, master chef and TV show host, who brought out the cook in all of us with his popular show, “Khana Khazana”.
In Bangalore for the launch of his latest book “Flavours of the Orient”, Sanjeev says: “I get ideas for the books and specific recipes from the people I interact with. This book was also a result of a similar exercise.”
Sanjeev loves experimenting with food and claims that he can eat absolutely anything. “Over the years, I have eaten chocolate coated cockroaches, many animals, and even a dish flavoured with cow dung. I have enjoyed these preparations. As a chef, you must be prepared to eat and try out anything.”
Sanjeev says that his vegetarian fans will not be disappointed with the book.“The book has many vegetarian dishes that can be whipped up at home also.”
About maintaining the authenticity of many of the dishes, especially those that involve use of ingredients available only in some parts of the world, Sanjeev says: “Most of these preparations can be made using easily available substitutes. For instance, I once went to a restaurant in New Zealand that served a chicken preparation, with a flavouring of nuts that was available only in that country. We found that the preparation can be made in India, with peanuts replacing those rare nuts. Experimentation is an important of a chef’s oeuvre.”
Of personal favourites, the master chef says: “I enjoy all kinds of food. It depends on my mood. I really enjoyed an innovative green chilli flavoured chicken at a restaurant in Bangalore. We tried making it dish once we got back home, and succeeded only after many efforts. One of my friends from the United States makes it a point to visit the restaurant and sample the dish on his trips to the country.”
Sanjeev feels that the mushrooming of hotel management institutes across the country does not bode well for the industry or the students.
“Even as institutes are creating thousands of trainees, they are not enough hotels that can cater to this huge influx. This may result in talented people being ignored and rejected. This trend must be corrected.”
He feels that cooking is a skill that can be picked up by anyone, provided one is focused and creative. “You need to be inquisitive and willing to learn to be a good chef.”
“Flavours of the Orient” has been published by Popular Prakashan and is available at bookstores across the country for Rs.250.
NIKHIL VARMA
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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