Trailing a Masterchef
A chef turned entrepreneur unleashes his culinary prowess to create magic.
The man who got instant stardom when he appeared on MasterChef India as a judge, a lot more culinary talent lies behind Chef Ajay Chopra. Having started his career way back in 1998, there has been no looking back for him. We ask him how has the journey been. Edited excerpts:
When and why did you decide to be a chef?
Actually, it goes long way back; this very thought never crossed my mind before I entered a hotel management school. The seed of cooking came into me when I was nine years old, helping my mother in household chores. While preparing for my medical examination, I accidentally took up a test for Hotel Management and got through it. The first day when I entered the kitchen, I realised this is where I belong and decided to never look back.
If you were asked to reduce fat and sodium in a menu, what would you do to maintain flavour in the quality of the dish?
It’s a myth that it is a really tough job to remove sodium and fat from food while cooking. You can always use natural sodium to maintain the salty content while preparing non vegetarian dishes. Try to infuse extra mushrooms while cooking fried fish to keep up the salt portion in the food. For fat there are multiple options, like healthy oils and avocado spray. It’s the right way to keep yourself healthy with just a few tips that can be made in your own kitchen.
What talent would you most like to have in terms of cooking that you don’t currently possess?
In terms of cooking, I don’t think I lack talent, but I want to venture out, trying cuisines like Peruvian and South American. Learnings are innumerable when it comes to cooking. Also, I am yet to master my hands on patisserie and chocolaterie.
Has there ever been an ingredient that you weren’t able to master and have given up on?
While shooting for the season 3 of Northern Flavours, for Living Foodz, I ventured into a few cuisines that were extremely new to me like Bodo from Assam and the tribal cuisine from Chhatisgarh. Fortunately, I was able to cook them with the right approach and flavours. They came out to be delicious. So, there is no such ingredient that I have not been able to curate in my own way and maintain the right flavour of it in the dish.
Do you have a dish you enjoy cooking?
I enjoy cooking Awadhi dishes because they are very intricate. Few of my favourites are kakori, galouti, and korma. I also enjoy cooking Chinese dishes because the flavours are very well refined in authentic Chinese menu and the main challenge lies in balancing them.
What do you think about Indian style of cooking food? Does it need a revival?
Indian food is taking a full circle. We are moving from a modernist way to cooking humbly back again. Regional food is going to take a front seat now. The food is going to become popular in regional fronts and, the use of indigenous ways of cooking is coming forward. Chefs have ventured into showcasing these traditional ways of cooking to the audience. I won’t be surprised at all if the world move towards traditional techniques of cooking.
Rapid Fire
- Favourite breakfast: Aloo parantha
- Favourite chef: India – Ranveer Brar; International – Anthony Bourdain
- Secret ingredient: Love and patience
- Which restaurant do you most enjoy eating at on a day off: Yauatcha, Mumbai and Royal China
- Different types of cuisine that you can prepare: Thai, Chinese, Filipino, Kashmiri, Bengali, Egyptian, American and more
- A food that you hate: Food made with no thought and love
From the April-May 2019 issue of FHM India.
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