HYDERABAD: “My food is international, but its soul is desi,” says celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani, who was in the city on Wednesday at Feu Dessert Bar, on an invitation from Shilpa Datla, chairperson of Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO).Vicky, who has trained and worked abroad for the larger part of his life, conducted a master class for over 100 FLO and YFLO members.
Vicky taught the participants how to cook the following - Paella of Cauliflower Rice, Ancient Grain Pasta, Gongura Peanut Pesto, Zuchini ribbons and Burrata cheese. The Gongura Peanut Pesto was an outcome of Vicky’s visit to the local market. The chef, who believes that there should be no boundaries for food, says: “Mixing up ingredients does not make it fusion food. It’s what you want to eat. If you add soya sauce to a dish, it does not become a Chinese dish. It’s all about flavours.”
Speaking about the time he got a chance to cook for South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, Vicky says: “It was 2002, and we were aboard the ship Queen Mary 2. I was a junior chef then and my sous chef was from Thailand. We knew about Mandela’s presence, but nobody knew his exact location. The food used to be tasted by a manager before it was passed to him. We were making a mix of Indian and Thai food.
To our surprise, Mandela expressed his wish to thank the chefs at the end of the three-day cruise, and it was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life.”The chef then went on to make spaghetti in front of the guests. He mixed wheat flour, all-purpose flour, three eggs, olive oil and salt in a kneader. Then he shaped the dough into spaghetti using a manual pasta maker. Shilpa Datla, who is also the founder of Feu, says: “Food connects people across India. Food is an integral part of our celebrations.”
kakoli_mukherjee@newindianexpress.com @KakoliMukherje2