Serve an unusual fish, with a 'diamond'

Serve an unusual fish, with a 'diamond'

BENGALURU: Being a chef gives me a great opportunity to fulfill my passion for cooking by travelling around the world. My love for travelling has not only helped me explore new places but also gives me the opportunity to meet people from different cultures, try out food from different cuisines and get acquainted with exotic ingredients. These special ingredients are great to play around – as they test ones creativity, they also lead to some experimentation with unique and innovative recipes. Two ingredients which I really enjoy cooking with are John Dory also known as St Pierre or Peter’s Fish and the black truffle, popularly known as the black diamond of kitchen.

I believe it takes a great understanding of gastronomy and palate along with little creativity to bring forth some delectable recipes. One such recipe, which is really close to my heart is Pan-seared John Dory with Black Truffle and Sweet Potato Mash along with Martini Veloute, Red Wine Sauce and Buttered Vegetables.

This dish is very simple, yet an intricate amalgamation of unique flavours bringing together the mild taste and texture of the fish with one of the rare ingredients in the world — black truffle. This unusual fish needs to be cooked in a hot pan, basted with butter and thyme. For the mashed potatoes, you need to boil the sweet potatoes in milk and then mash them into a smooth paste with a few dollops of butter and shaved truffle. Season it with some salt and pepper according to your liking. Stir fry seasonal vegetables with butter and plate them along with Martini Veloute and red wine sauce. For making the Martini Veloute, all you need to do is reduce vermouth with sweet onion and cream. The red wine sauce is no rocket science, just a de-glazed pan with red wine. Surprisingly, it adds an exquisite taste to the dish and goes very well with the texture of the fish.

Both these ingredients are unique in their own territory and this dish brings together the mild taste and unique texture of John Dory along with the flavour of the rarest ingredient in the world — black truffle.

Ramasamy Selvaraju, Executive Chef, Vivanta by Taj

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