Dominic Chapman - Michelin-starred Chef Shines in India

India is home to many magnificent restaurants and chefs but the subcontinent has no equivalent to the sought after Michelin Star.  Curry Life took the Michelin starred chef, Dominic Chapman, to cook his brand of quintessentially British food in Kolkata. Here’s what he made of his experience and (just as important)… what the Indians made of him.

Dominic Chapman, Michelin-crowned chef of the Royal Oak, Paley Street summed up the Taste of Britain Curry Festival in one word: “Amazing!”

“It’s been one of the most incredible weeks I’ve had for a long time,” he told us with boyish enthusiasm over a beer in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kolkata.  Dominic had just completed a jam-packed four-day stint at the festival and, in his own words the experience had been “full on”.  As a seasoned traveller he admitted that this first trip to India had been an eye opener. “I feel that I’ve been cheating a bit. “There is no denying it – India is a one hell of a country. If I was out there on my own with my back pack on, without the luxury of being able to afford to stay at the Hyatt I would find it hardcore.  As it is I’ve been able to be involved with the festival here with the opportunity to go out there and sample what’s going on out there. Yes, it’s crazy but you just kind of harness that and go with it. I’ve had an absolute ball.”

 Dominic with festival organiser Nahas Pasha

Dominic is the head chef at The Royal Oak Paley Street in Berkshire and Holyport’s Belgian Arms, but he’s also no stranger to adventure. He spent some years exploring Australia before coming back to the UK and working as chef de partie at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, later moving on to take on the role of head chef at The Hinds Head in Bray. In 2007 he moved to The Royal Oak Paley Street, co-owned by TV personality Michael Parkinson, now one of only 13 Michelin star pubs in the UK. It’s perhaps not surprising that Dominic has achieved such incredible culinary success; his family has owned and run the Castle Hotel in Taunton for over 60 years. The passion for cooking is in his blood.

After a chance meeting with Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, Dominic was invited to accompany the Curry Life team to India for the Taste of Britain Curry festival.

Although India is not covered by the Michelin food guide, there is considerable interest in the concept, not least in the idea that a British chef can produce good food. Dominic’s arrival was greeted with a barrage of local and international press and customers who were keen to sample his British classics of Lamb Roast and Fish and Chips. They went down very well! Even allowing for the customary politeness of the Indian people, there were compliments all round, especially for the Lemon Tart which was a sensational success. In fact it was so popular that Chef Vikram Ganpule, Executive Chef at the Hyatt, decided to keep it on the menu.

Dominic with chefs Jamal Uddin and Partha Mittra

Dominic has a huge respect for British curry chefs. “They have an intimate knowledge of spices that leaves me feeling somewhat of a novice,” he said. “The Curry Life chefs and the team of chefs in the kitchens here are very passionate about cooking and they really want to learn. It’s the same if you are a chef in the UK, in India or any other part of the world - you love cooking, you want to learn about cooking and ultimately, to cook great food.”

Does he see many differences to Indian dishes produced in the UK? “The heat of curry in the UK is quite harsh – over there it’s a case of ‘wow that has really blown my head off, have another drink of lager’,” he says. “Over here it’s chilli hot and it warms your mouth but it’s fresh, you can really taste those spices and flavours. But I still enjoy eating curries in the UK because when you’re not sitting in a 5-star hotel, out there, if you don’t know where to go, it can be pretty, pretty rough.”

When Dominic was not having a ball the festival threw up some stiff challenges. Perhaps the hardest of these was producing a 7-course, completely vegan meal for a high powered business man in Kolkata who had heard about his expertise and wanted to test his skills out for himself. Dominic rose to the occasion with customary aplomb. “I challenge any chef to come to India and do the same and not find it difficult. And of course, you want to reach a certain standard; you want your ingredients to be the best. One thing about India is that you have to get your food from the market fresh in the morning, and then cooked for lunch; food does not keep. In the UK, everything is perfect – we get perfect leeks, immaculate aubergines. In this country if you’re not careful spring onions look like chives, cauliflowers may have seen better days and herbs are wilting before they’ve even got to a fridge.

“And there are a few problems with supply. I’ve ordered everything from here; you expect things to arrive in two hours but they’re more likely to arrive in two days. It took four hours for my quail egg to be delivered because of traffic but at the end of the day that’s OK - you have to embrace it and it’s fantastic. The team here has been brilliant and so supportive. And I’ve learned things to take away with me – I’ve been especially impressed by the standard of the breads which are freshly baked here in the Hyatt.”

Talking of the street life he said: “Coming from the UK it makes you realise that we have easy – you really think these guys are so resilient; there is poverty everywhere and yet they’re so smiley. And they all work hard and just get on with their own lives.”

One of Dominic’s main aims on the trip was to go out and embrace the life, country and culture of India, in particular to sample the street food for which Kolkata is justly famous. To that end he was taken on a whirlwind tour of the city by local journalists in search of the origins of British curry. At Collin Street at the home of Rubin and Pamela Ribeiro he was cooked a typical Anglo-Indian meal; “They were a lovely, lovely family,” he enthused. “They made me a mutton curry, yellow rice and red pepper curry. It was brilliant food – the lady took great care in preparing and cooking it and it was delicious.”

Sampling Kolkata’s famous street food, he wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. “It looked good – it was great street food and it looked a million dollars but to be honest with you I was a bit conscientious about tasting it rather than eating it because of hygiene issues.” Nevertheless he pronounced the Phuchka “flavoursome” whilst he described the spicy chickpea stew or gnugni with coriander, onion and tomato as “one hell of a snack”. At Gariahat he ticked off another item on his wishlist - a visit to the famous fish market. “It was like a farmer’s market,” he said. “The produce was fresh and there was such variety. The tent-like structure was typically Calcutta as were the broad flat blades with which they cut the flesh but the people, the chaos and the noise was just like any fresh food market the world over with its own local characters.” From thence he was whisked off to sample the delights of mishti at a 159-year-old sweet shop, all nicely rounded off with a mandatory Darjeeling tea and Rum Ball.

It’s evident that Kolkata made a massive impression on the chef but what did the people of Kolkata make of Dominic? It seems that in the brief time he was there the genuinely enthusiastic and friendly chef left his own indelible mark on the city.

The following day we, ourselves took a sightseeing trip round Kolkata and were amused to discover that the tour guide had already incorporated the legend of Dominic Chapman into his patter.  “Did you know that only a few days ago we had a visit from a very famous British Michelin star chef who came especially to sample the food and culture of Kolkata?” he asked proudly. ‘Yes, we did know’ we replied – and we can vouch for the fact that he was more than impressed.

Follow the link to see a film of the Taste of Britain Curry Festival on youtube.

Chef Maitreya Sen - The Indian chef who fell in love with Italian food

Chef Maitreya Sen, Chef de Cuisine at La Cucina, Hyatt Regency, Kolkata  

“Let me first say one thing,” says Chef Maitreya Sen when we meet him in La Cucina, Hyatt Regency’s authentic Italian restaurant: “I am not an Italian but I have a passion to cook Italian food.”

It may sound like a paradox – an Indian chef surrounded by influences of the great cuisine of Bengal who falls in love with the joyous tastes and flavours of Italy, but it’s evident that Italian food has become a part of Chef Sen’s heart and soul.

Maitreya gained his first experience of Italian gastronomy in hotels, including 16 years at the upmarket Taj, when he often found himself working alongside Italian colleagues.

“I gained almost all my knowledge from them and that was what gave me the passion for this type of cuisine,” he tells us. “From when I first started cooking at a junior level I always had a dream to, if possible, become an Italian chef and I’m happy to say I turned my dream into a reality. I feel that Italian cooking is in my blood.”

Chef Sen and his team at La Cucina

At the Hyatt Regency where Kolkata born Maitreya has worked since its opening in 2002, the management could have employed an Italian chef to oversee their flagship dining destination, La Cucina. Instead they recognised that they had a unique asset in their incandescent chef. They decided to send him for a month’s training in the country itself under Michelin-star chef Davide of Il Sole di Ranco, at his family-run relais in Milan. It turned out to be a wise investment La Cucina is now the most popular Italian restaurant in town.

“It was a very small property near to Lake Maggiore – a beautiful place,” remembers Chef Sen of Il Sole. “The restaurant had a 60 years’ heritage, starting as a hotel in 1957, and the kitchen had never changed since then with big hotplates and old stoves. But the experience was something I shall cherish all my life.

“Chef Davide was very welcoming and kind. The biggest problem is that he rarely speaks English and doesn’t understand that much and I have tried to learn Italian but I don’t have much time. As you can imagine we had a lot of fun – I used to ask him ‘Chef, what is this?’ He would look at me, say something in Italian and then I would look at him! Luckily the waiter, Fabio knew a lot of English and used to interpret for us. But I learned so much. After that experience I shifted to Milan where the hotel supplier moved me round speciality restaurants – Tuscan, Sicilian - all kinds. The chefs in each were really happy to show me around their kitchens and how they cooked various dishes. It was the first time anyone had travelled from this part of the world to learn about their cooking. I also visited all the markets in Milan: fish and vegetable markets and cheese and wine shops so I gained a complete picture of the Italian food.”

On his return to the Hyatt, Maitreya was able to make new changes to the menu to reflect the truly authentic north Italian cooking. The flavours and ingredients are simple yet the results are a revelation to the taste buds. One of the most important innovations was to introduce homemade pasta. “I learned from Chef Davide that pasta is the most important thing in Italian food,” says Maitreya. “You get pasta in all restaurants but it is the kind of commercialised readymade pasta that you could cook at home. I learned you should go deeper into the traditions of Italian food, to get to the ‘mama’s’ and grandmothers’ style of cooking; the ones who used to make the fettucinne, the gnocci, the pasta and the dumplings in the traditional kitchen. So I am still implementing this – I have a small machine to make all types of pasta: the capeli d’angelo, fusilli, fettucine, angelo, ravioli and so on, and it tastes completely different from the dried variety.”

 

With homemade pasta, a wood fired stove for fresh pizzas, risottos, dolcis, Italian aperitivos and wines, La Cucina has become a corner of Italy – Lombardy to be precise.  Working with a team of seven chefs, all trained in Italian cuisine, dishes use a few simple but fresh basic ingredients. Chef Sen recommended some of his favourites learned during his time spent in Italy. For pasta de cecco we had the Crema di asparagi con parmigiano e paprika: a creamy asparagus orzo with parmesan, breadcrumbs and paprika. The asparagus dish is a very simple recipe using just a few ingredients,” said Maitreya. “This is the kind of asparagus we get in the market, not like the European one. We just blanch it for around 80-90 seconds, make a simple sauce with unsalted butter, juice of the lemon, some herbs, parsley and basil and a little salt – you can also have white wine if you like - and add the sauce to the asparagus.” The result was fresh, light and refreshing. The Ravioli Carbonara we had for second course, he explained, was a recipe from chef Davide’s great grandfather. Made with a simple reduction of the cream, crushed peppers, onions and pancetta bacon, the hidden egg yolk bursts out in a golden pool across the plate when you cut into it. The Tiramisu dolce which completed our dining experience contained no egg however. Maitreya told us many of his customers are strict vegetarians, but the layered dessert soaked in coffee with sweet Mascarpone cheese was a credit to its Venetian origins.

The married father of one 12-year-old daughter, Maitreya now has another dream – to travel back to Italy at least two or three more times in his life. And when he does he hopes to take his family with him: “My daughter has also grown a palate for this type of food,” he says with a smile. It’s not surprising!

A Visit to Oh! Calcutta and Mainland China – From the Sublime to the Sublime

The people of Kolkata are used to fine dining with many world-class restaurants to choose from. Until recently however, the traditional Bengali food in restaurants was rare, mainly because most Bengalis didn’t believe that the homemade flavour of traditional dishes could be reproduced outside the home.

Then, along came Oh! Calcutta and changed this perception once and for all. Its founder, Anjan Chatterjee, went on to revolutionise the face of dining, not only for a city, but for the whole Indian nation. Having turned Bengali food into five-star cuisine he created Mainland China; the largest chain of fine dining eateries in the country and added a clutch of themed restaurants and franchises into the mix including Hakas, Flame and Grill, Sigri, Machaan and Sweet Bengal.

With this history in mind the Curry Life team was only too delighted to go on a mission to three of Mr Chatterjee’s iconic restaurants in Kolkata to sample some of the finest cuisine in the city.

 

Oh! Calcutta

There are two branches of Oh! Calcutta in Kolkata; one is in the premises of Anjan Chatterjee’s first restaurant, Only Fish, at Lala Lajpat Rai Sarani and the other is at the top of the Forum Shopping Mall, on Elgin Road.  At first, the contemporary blandness of the mall on doesn’t seem a likely backdrop for a speciality restaurant but once through the doors of Oh! Calcutta, the visitor enters a far different world of mellow wood and polished surfaces that conjure up the atmosphere of the club culture of the British Raj with a hint of Mughal mystery. A line drawing of the Victoria Monument informs the theme and is echoed, along with other Kolkatan monuments, on individually painted plates and coasters.

The interior is splendidly post-colonial and posh. Greeted by friendly staff and the head chef, we spent a heavenly hour being served with a connoisseur’s selection of mouth-wateringly delicious starters, main courses, puddings and traditional Bengali drinks.

Starters of soft and tender portions of fish including steamed Hilsa in mustard flavour sauce known as the Bhapa Illish and a tasty local fish, Smoked Bekti, were accompanied by Daab Chingri - prawns cooked in tender coconut morsels, meltingly tender Pabda sourced in Kolkata and fish and lentil dumplings in a thin broth. Main courses were preceded by a sorbet flavoured with Gondhorai, a type of strongly flavoured lemon. (At this point in the proceedings some of the group thought we had reached the pudding stage but, unbelievably, the delights had just started).

As we loosened our belts, a sample of main courses followed in quick succession with robust and homemade tastes tempered by milder nuances from the West. Innovative flavours included Alu Posto – a vegetarian delicacy made with poppy seeds, Mutton Rezalla, Mochar Chop served with a delicate banana flower cutlet, Kosha Mangsho – lamb in a thick, spicy sauce, Lucknowi Biryani and Prawn Malai curry. Digestion was aided by an authentic Bengali drink – Aam Porar Shorbet – tangy and sweetly flavoured, made from young mango fruit. Desserts included baked Sandesh and Mishti Doi (sweetened yoghurt with Batasha), plus in-house specials like Rossogolla and Bhapa Sondesh (steamed sweet derived from hung milk), Daber Payesh (Kheer with tender coconut), with a surprise treat in store at the culmination of the gourmet extravaganza – Mishti Paan (Betel Leaf with sweet stuffing), presumably served to sweeten the receipt.

Mainland China

 

 

 

It was a slightly heavier (yet undaunted), group that set out the following day on our second gastronomic journey to Mainland China at Gurusaday in Dutta Road, Calcutta near the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum.

A suave building of glass, black bricks and gold door furniture, the venue exudes exclusivity. Inside, the atmosphere is that of a busy diner with hints of China apparent in the wooden screens and trellises, vases and paintings. A buffet lines one wall from which you can choose any food you like from the major provinces of China from the light Hunan dishes to the more spicy Szechwan offerings. Especially renowned for its sublime Chinese Dim Sum, there is a tempting selection of steamed and fried dumplings with crisp fried dishes and wonderful seafood as well as meals cooked in a heavier sauces with specialities including Shanghai Roast Leg of Lamb with pancakes, roasted, stuffed Chinese cabbage, slices of fish with aniseed and mountain chilli, Roast Duck with Packchoy, Peking Duck and Chicken in Shaoxiang Wine and a wide range of rice and noodle dishes.

 

Flame and Grill

 

Forever forwards and onwards (or outwards!) - our next stop was the Flame and Grill at South City Mall where the intoxicating aroma of grilled kebabs of prawns, vegetables, mutton and chicken or Gosht Seekh Kebabs rises to meet the salivating diner. Seating 96 diners, the 3,000 feet square restaurant has a cheerful, homely atmosphere created by an orange glow from flame red walls and offers a unique dining experience that ensures you never have to rush your meal because the food is always hot.

Each table of six is set around an inset open grill or sigree in which thick aluminium beakers are inserted containing burning charcoal. Sizzling skewers of meat; chicken or mutton or Gosht Seekh Kebabs, jumbo prawns and vegetarian kebabs are laid on top. These are supplemented by an unlimited buffet with Biryanis, Dal Makhani, chicken or mutton and Paneers offered alongside salads and vegetarian options, plus a range of desserts and drinks.

Having dined so sumptuously in three of his world class restaurants, it’s apparent that the essence of Anjan’s success is in the creation of cuisines that take inspiration from traditional cooking and are then brought it bang up to date in exciting and innovative restaurants. Above all, Anjan is an entrepreneur with an ability to tap into the markets that serve the growing Indian middle class. With his latest ventures creating excitement across India - Mr Anjan Chatterjee’s dining revolution continues. Viva la revolution!

Curry Comes Home at Taste of Britain Curry Festival in Pune

Curry Life took a team of top chefs over to Pune in India to take part in The British Curry Festival. We take a look at how the great British curry went down back on the Indian subcontinent.

For ten years now, Curry Life magazine has been showcasing the talents of British based Bangladeshi and Indian chefs in many different countries including the Indian subcontinent where curry had its birth.

Visitors to Curry Life festivals in India and Bangladesh are always curious about the British curry industry and how Chicken Tikka Masala has won over the hearts and taste buds of diners in a country renowned for the blandness of its cuisine. But curry and Indian food in the UK is literally a world away from how it is back on the subcontinent. Adapted to suit the timorous British palate and fresh, locally sourced ingredients, British curry has gained an identity of its own. The question is – how does the Anglicised version compare with its Indian counterpart? Has it become (dare we say) even better? And can our chefs now teach the Indian people a thing or two about making curry?

The answer, it would seem is that they can - the latest conquest of the great British curry took place in November 2012 when Curry Life Magazine jetted a team of selected chefs over to the Hotel Hindustan International in the Maharashtrian city of Pune near Mumbai.

The culinary masters hailed from some of the finest Indian restaurants in the UK: Chef Abul Monsur of Taj Cuisine in Chatham; Chef Allam Shah Ullah of Cutler’s Spice in Sheffield, and Kaysar Ahmed of Zeera in Potters Bar, led by master chef and festival veteran Partha Mittra of The Snooty Mehmaan in Oxfordshire. The four pooled their talents to create a buffet of fifty quintessentially British curry dishes for the local diners. In addition to the tried and trusty fare so loved by the UK public (including the ubiquitous Chicken Tikka Masala), citizens of Pune could indulge in more exotic recipes like Fish Balti Exotica, Nimbu Chicken with honey glazed carrots, Shatkora Chicken and Chana Aloo Gratin.

 

Not only did the festival curry favour for the chefs in their home towns, but, coinciding, as it did, with a new explosion of interest in international food on the subcontinent, members of the Indian press flocked to the launch event. It would seem that westernised tastes are becoming more popular in India. The cities of Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore are seeing new restaurants opening up every month, many started by foreign entrepreneurs who tempt Indian diners with foods they have never tasted before. In this climate, the concept of bringing British curry dishes back to India could be seen as a potential crowd puller.

Festival organiser Syed Belal Ahmed explained: “There is an appetite for British curry despite the vast range of indigenous cuisine on offer in the subcontinent. British curries are unique – they are much milder and healthier. When we take our Balti dishes from the UK to India there is always a buzz in the media– everyone wants to try these.”

 

 

“People in India and Bangladesh are always surprised by the fact that Indian restaurants are now found in abundance in every British city and town,” said chef Abul Monsur. “They are curious about why curry has become so popular and tasting British-Indian fusion dishes prepared by chefs who have actually come over from the UK gives them a chance to find out why.”

 

Diners, initially sceptical as to whether the Anglicized version of curry could be as tasty as Indian specialties were for the most part, won over by the new flavours and healthy cuisine. Allam Shah Ullah who owns the Gleadless Town End restaurant Cutler’s Spice was surprised at how well his dishes went down with the locals: “They seemed to love the fact that we keep our vegetables crunchier and our meat off the bone,” he said, “Many commented on how tasty and fresh the food, although some said they were not as hot as the Indian versions.”

“The way curry is made is different over here,” explained Partha Mittra, one time chef to a former Indian Prime Minister. “We use fewer spices and many of them are European herbs. The sauces and gravies are creamier and sweeter and a lot less oil and butter is used so the British version is often healthier.”

 Kaysar Ahmed, whose dishes included prawns cooked in wine with broccoli and cheese agreed: “Our British curries are made with fresh English herbs like mint, tarragon and basil and rosemary. They give a recognisable Western taste that suits the British palate. We also use olive oil instead of fully-saturated vegetable oil because it contains less fat and we cut down on salt and sugar in our preparations for the curries to be healthier. We also often serve salads as a side dish.”

And in a country where diabetes has the highest prevalence in the world and cardiac disease is on the up, healthy eating is becoming more and more of a priority for upwardly mobile Indian people. The festival might even have set a precedent for bold entrepreneurs to start up a restaurant on South Asian soil specialising in curry with a British twist.

Throughout the festival, diners and were guided by the chefs who were only too happy to explain the subtle differences in flavour in the fusion dishes. But it was not only an opportunity to show off British/Indian cuisine. When it was time to go home, all four chefs said the experience had taught them a lot about cooking methods and ingredients used in dishes in India and agreed they would use their new knowledge to create exciting dishes for customers in their own restaurants. 

“The main aim of the British Curry Festival is to foster the British chefs’ leadership role in the evolution of curry to meet the demands of the increasingly discerning taste of British food enthusiasts,” said the co-organiser of the festival, Syed Nahas Pasha. “But we have found that an increasingly important side product is of promoting British Bangladeshi/Indian chefs and cuisine all over the world. That is especially rewarding when it happens in the place where curry was born.”

 

 

Participating chefs: Abul Monsur, Taj Cuisine, 1 Sherwood House, Walderslade Centre, Chatham, Kent  ME5 9UD Tel: 01634 68668; Allam Shah Ullah, Cutler’s Spice, 1 Leighton Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire Tel: 0114 241 6868; Kaysar Ahmed,Zeera, 5 Southgate Road, Potters Bar EN6 4DR Tel: 0170 643778; Organising Chef: Partha Mittra, The Snooty Mehmaan, Littleworth, Farringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8PW Tel: 01367 242260