‘Singh’ a song for foodies

 

We ask him names of some of the celebrities who have dined with him and the modest chef reveals his loyal lineage, “We have had scores of celebrities, right from all the British Prime Ministers and almost all the ministers, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Pierce Brosnan, Jude Law, Sienna Miller, AR Rahman, Sachin Tendulkar and the Indian cricket team. The biggest compliment we give them is that we leave them alone and treat them like everyone else and the best compliment they give us is by returning time and again.” 

 

He began training at Oberoi’s kitchen training programme, but his passion really took off when he came across a copy of Marco Pierre White’s White Heat when he was posted in Calcutta. He recalls, “The journey since has been fascinating allowing me to travel the world and expressing myself through dishes, recounting my journey from celebrations becoming an ambassador for modern Indian cuisine.” Sharing his plans for Bengaluru, he admits, “Chef Anupam Banerjee and Raghu Menon, general manager Ritz Carlton have been good friends, much before my days of fame, so when I was asked to bring Cinnamon Club to Bengaluru for a pop-up restaurant all this week, I thought it would be a great fit. My speciality is modern Indian food, taking inspiration from traditional Indian dishes, spicing and techniques and combine them with local, seasonal produce whichever part of the world I may be cooking in. This, combined with the technique of deconstruction, creates layers of flavours and textures resulting in a marriage of East and West.”

 

The chef who has appeared frequently on BBC’s headline food show, Saturday Kitchen live, alongside Sunday Brunch in Chanel 4, Masterchef UK, a host of other TV and online programmes and has authored many cookbooks, adds, “I enjoyed the process of writing my first book so much that thereafter I have written a book every two years. My most recent is my sixth book Spice at Home.” Some of his signature dishes include the clove smoked saddle of lamb with Rajasthani corn sauce, tandoori king prawn with shrimp kedgeree, chargrilled chicken breast filled with spinach and apricot, cauliflower and smoked cheese filo pastry, Jaipur pink city express and rogan josh shepherds pie.