‘GHAR KA KHAANA’
REVISITED!
"I will not be surprised, if in times to come guests
begin to ask for food with the taste of home”.
“Thanks to RIVAAYAT and Chef Sweety Singh, my biggest
learning has been the home style preparations" says Executive Chef Simran Singh Thapar, Maidens Hotel, Delhi.
This OCLD gold medalist and distinction certificate winner
(for outstanding overall performance in the Kitchen Management Program) is
known for his data analytics, logical reasoning and pragmatic thinking. No prizes
for guessing ... His guru is none other than Chef Bali ‘the Great’!!! -
who is presently the Program Manager for Culinary Services at the Oberoi Center
of Learning and Development.
"Sarson Ka Saag" is popular in every Punjabi home.
It is one of those dishes that is a labor of love, time and
patience. The unsaid here is the ‘spirit to explore ‘. I learnt this from
my mother and grandmother that the kitchen is a place to be explored”he said.
(Personally I have never looked at the kitchen like that but come to think
of it he was so right - That’s how the magical recipes are born. Isn’t
it?).
“Chef Sweety Singh, the special invitee culinary
expert at RIVAAYAT is known for his home style preparations. I found his
special touches to the famous ‘butter chicken ‘very appealing, continued
Simran. “I tried the same on the New
Year's eve menu and it was a big hit. I also tried two Rivaayat –E – Hyderabadi
dishes -"Kachche Ghosht Ki Biryani" and "Dum ki Murgi".
Both attracted embarrassingly superlative feedback from our guests" said
Chef Simran, with a lot of pride and satisfaction.
“The role that each ingredient has to play in a recipe
was another profound learning for me. The nuances lie in not just knowing
what to use and how much …but also how to use these ingredients and at what
point in time. Such things made me think and reflect deeply on the wisdom of
our cooking process”, said Simran.
How you plan to take RIVAAYAT across the chain, I
asked. “The hangover of RIVAAYAT is very strong. We have taken the responsibility
to take traditional Indian food to the next level across the Oberoi Group
–authenticity, consistency and taste being the cornerstones. This
includes a vast array for the veggies as well…. "At RIVAAYAT I came to
know that we have many a vegetarian dishes waiting to be rediscovered from the
vintage India “he added.
Like Chef Rohit Gambhir (Executive Chef, The Oberoi
New Delhi) Chef Simran is also interested in food photography. But this 30
year old talented culinary artist has gone beyond just food. He considers
himself lucky to be working at the Maidens Hotel. This 112 year old heritage
property set amidst eight acres of lush gardens is the right setting for Simran
to practice photography. No wonder he has a special collection of bird
images shot in the serene ambience of Maidens. Kitchen gardening is another
hobby to name.
Married to Annu
Kaur, a homemaker, Chef Simran is the son of a banker. His uncle Harminder
Singh Oberoi was the first Executive Chef of Hyatt in India.
Looks like the magic runs in the family!
Text and Pictures: R Kesava Mallia in Delhi
No comments:
Post a Comment