A desi way to fine dine

Jaipur-based chef Anuroopa Banerjee brings the world to you in six plates at Ashvita Bistro this weekend

CHENNAI: Though she is in the middle of preparations Jaipur-based chef Anuroopa Banerjee, who is in the city for an exclusive food pop-up with Ashvita Bistro, pauses for a chat about food, friends and travel. “Being a Bengali, food is forms an integral part of my life. I was never a ghar ka khana person, but always a bahar ka khana!” she laughs. After a decade in corporate, she decided to don a chef ’s cap. She missed international cuisine when she got back home. “So, I would Google recipes, hunt for ingredients across the city or sometimes go to Delhi to get it! I loved throwing parties, and cook food! I enjoyed the whole process of planning the menu and cooking,” she says. But eating at the famous Massana Restaurant a Michelin starred restaurant in Girona, Spain, sealed the deal.

“That food made such a huge impact on me — the presentation, hospitality, taste — it was like nothing I’ve ever experienced anywhere else,” she gushes. She decided that she wanted to create such a memorable impact on other people. She visited the kitchens of a chef she knew at the Country Inn and Sweets and learned to chop, shred, and other nuances for the next four months. “The first time, I walked in with my kitchen knife, the whole kitchen laughed!” she recalls. That was the first time she chopped with a large cleaver, and she had to chop small pieces of garlic. After that, she did several culinary courses in French cooking, a duck master class in Australia and catering for private events. And when she got back to India, she received a casting call for MasterChef India! “It was out of the blue, I can’t believe I went to the Top 30!” she recalls, and though she was heartbroken that she didn’t continue, she trained under world-class chefs like Ornella De Felice, celebrity chef from Top Chef Italy and head chef at the restaurant Coromandel. “You’re 36, and had everything but suddenly you’re starting afresh! But I have no complaints. I loved that experience so much! I have an excellent family in Rome — I can get a couch there anytime I go!” she laughs.

According to her, fine dining is not necessarily ‘cooking with truffles and caviar’ or decorating with a beetroot or carrot rose, but is all about techniques and simple ingredients that are seasonal and local, which she says is healthier and tastier. “You get fresh stuff from local vegetable vendors” she advises. Though she is trained in Italian, Mediterranean and Spanish cuisines, she calls herself an ‘ingredient based’ cook. “Even for this pop-up, we are using local ingredients like baby potatoes, fresh tomatoes — the menu also has a kulfi and rasmalai inspired pannacotta!”. Each plate is designed to have flavours from different cuisines — a deconstructed salad has French, Chinese and Italian elements. Anuroopa is excited to be back in Chennai. “I did my class 8 here, and lived in Adyar opposite the Adyar Bakery!” she laughs. She has fond memories of eating at the Chola Sheraton, Mysorepak and murukkus from Grand Sweets.

“I love Chettinad food...I don’t know why the world doesn’t know about it yet. Indian food is not just butter chicken, you know!” Does she dream of owning a restaurant? “Of course, eventually. Right now I want to learn from the best,” she concedes, adding that she is looking forward to doing more pop-ups around the country, while working in the best kitchens across the world. “Later next month, I will be interning at one of the world’s Top 10 restaurants. People would die to get an opportunity there! People exit the kitchen at my age, and here I am entering one of the best in the world!” she laughs.

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The New Indian Express
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