HYDERABAD: Corporate Chef Shailesh Verma, Golkonda Hotel has been in the culinary journey for more than two decades. Apart from his culinary skills he pays great attention to safety and hygiene and is certified internal auditor for ISO22000 Food Safety Standards. The chef has also launched the restaurant, Jewel Of Nizam - The Minar.
Telangana dishes
Telangana dishes are excellent combination of south Indian cuisine with Persian and Mughlai cuisines having rich traditional dishes from the region of Khammam and world famous Hyderabadi cuisine.
First stint
My first day in kitchen was full of excitement where I was welcomed, encouraged and briefed about the endless creative skills, on how to create wow moments for my guests and colleagues and importance of working hand in hand with my subordinates.
Kitchen @ home
My kitchen at home always inspires me that if food is made from heart and soul, it will always taste better than the best.
Common mistakes
One of the most common mistakes that people do is adding spinach to the water for blanching before water starts boiling. This discolours green vegetables. Another very common error is adding sour foods like tomatoes and lemon while cooking the meat, this makes the meat tough and fibrous.
Wish to visit
During road trips to Delhi I love eating at traditional restaurants that are run by families. These places offer authentic home-style lip smacking north Indian food, yummilicious chicken curry with hot roti made on tandoor which is lit by using wood. The rotis have great aroma and flavour of smoke and wood.
Favourite aspect of being a chef
Being creative, understanding the requirements of guests and delighting them with what they order is the best part of my job. For me there is no word like ‘no’. I live with the philosophy that ‘impossible’ can be made possible by just removing the letter ‘M’. This letter stands for using the mind to make the impossible possible.
Guilty food pleasure
My guilty food pleasures are all chocolates desserts. These give you instant energy and enhances your mood.
Food trend
The upcoming food trend that will take over the world is fusion cuisine where cuisines are amalgamated with local produce, taste and flavour as per the gastronomic delights of people. Foods like ragi, millet, flax seeds, amaranta seeds having high in antioxidant and minerals are the newest trend for the people which are conscious about their diets and health.
Underused ingredient
The most underused ingredient is the flax seed. It can be mixed with all day-to-day preparations. It is high in mineral content and allows blood to absorb more oxygen which keeps the person energetic throughout the day. Flax seeds can be brought from the organic stores, can be roasted and eaten by generously sprinkling over salads, curry preparations and breads.