For Jamshedpur-born, Britain-based chef Atul Kochhar, making flavours mate on the plate avant-garde style comes naturally. The award-winning chef brings in his signature edgy spin to Indian and diaspora food—carefully crafted, served with aplomb. Regional Indian cuisine reimagined with Kochhar panache!
“My food has evolved over the years and will keep evolving,” says Kochhar.
“The flavours of India, the ingredients and techniques of the world, all come together in my goal to change the way people perceive and experience Indian cuisine. I like to combine my Indian heritage with my love of local ingredients to create something unique and modern,” he exudes, as we catch up during his stopover in Mumbai, in between a new menu launch at his restaurant Rang Mahal at JW Marriott Dubai, and curating the Indian menu for the first commercial expedition to Antarctica exclusively for Indians, which kicks off in December, aboard the French ship Le Soleal.
Kochhar is busier than the proverbial bee creating carefully curated recipes for the voyage, with special preparations for vegans and Jains. “I have even crafted culinary masterclasses for budding cooks in the ship’s kitchens,” he shares.
Kochhar’s love for the tandoor is legendary, stemming from his early days in the kitchen of the Oberoi Group in India. Back to the cruise. “Cold weather is a great excuse for a curry!” he laughs, “So, there are deep, satisfying, comforting plates with an eclectic mix of old and new—Cod Fish & Chips, Mushy Peas and Curried Mayo, Lentil-Crusted Salmon with Alleppey Sauce, Paneer Tikka Masala, Chicken Jalfrezi, Raw Mango Salad.”
It has been an enlightening learning curve for him, with LIMA and NRI (Not Really Indian) he set up along the now buzzing food strip in Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai to woo the domestic palate, following the roaring success he made of his restaurant Benares in Mayfair, London. With lip-smacking offal and tamarind-stroked Daalim Shakarkand Chaat winging into the menu at NRI, Kochhar has upped the bar for maverick flavours in the city. So much so that more dishes from his coveted Benares are winging into NRI.
Kochhar is a seasoned telly personality, synonymous with shows including Saturday Kitchen, Great British Menus, MasterChef Goes Large and Sunday Brunch. His prowess lies in whipping up creative renditions and his own spins on traditional Indian fare. “Why not? I feel Indian food is as diverse as its culture. It brings to my mind emotion, colour, texture, aroma... and I love using a variety of spices in my dishes; they create such complexity and let me make each dish very unique.
From a young age, I was exposed to an extraordinary array of flavour combinations—hot and sour, hot and nutty, sweet and hot, bitter and hot, bitter and sour, to name a few. I have been lucky enough to have lived and studied in different parts of the country, so I have been exposed to all kinds of Indian foods. The most desi thing about my cooking is my arsenal of spices. I can’t live without them,” he says.
That’s not to say Kochhar hasn’t been working up startling preparations. Even at a food festival recently in London, he worked with a Vietnamese food stand with beetles, scorpions and ants among the creepy-crawlies on the menu. The venison haunch and chocolate curry has proven to be a very popular dish at Benares over the years.
Kochhar is one of the few international chefs who has made the financials of the food business bristle and bustle. Quite a coup. The first Indian chef to be awarded the Michelin star. India’s most treasured export to London. “My mother taught me that failure is a very important feeling to be able to enjoy success,” he concludes, putting touches to his final plan of launching NRI in the UK in the coming year.