Try out some of my favourite recipes ~
I started my journey in the industry as a tandoor cook, at The Taj Hotel, Chandigarh. I was introduced to traditional delicacies from Amritsar, Lahore and Peshawar. I learned the art and the importance of each step for marinating and cooking proteins in a clay oven. My tandoori chicken recipe is inspired by my time here. Now it is something I make for my family every time I’m visiting.
It starts off with marinating the chicken in ginger-garlic paste, lime juice, salt, and Kashmiri chili for about 30 minutes.
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While that sits, the second marinade is prepared with hung curd, roasted spices on a skillet (cumin, kashmiri chili, chat masala, garam masala, coriander powder, black salt), mustard oil. The chicken needs to sit in the second marinade for at least 4 hours before being grilled over charcoal or cooked in a tandoor oven.
At Per Se, I was introduced to French ingredients and techniques. Here I learned the art of precision, refined techniques, and working with exquisite ingredients like langoustines, squab, venison, black trumpet mushrooms, salsify among others. One of my recipes that is inspired by my time here is a skin on crispy black sea bass, basted in black garlic butter, with a citrus caper sauce, and fried black trumpet mushrooms.
Khao Suey is another dish that I make very often, my sister introduced me to this Burmese Noodle soup when I was very young, and I couldn’t get over the comforting flavors ever since. Fifteen years later, I still recreate it with a few tweaks here and there.
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It starts off with pan roasting ginger, garlic, whole red chilis, turmeric, and shallots, blending the blackened aromatics with oil, cardamom, and salt to make a khao suey paste.
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Next thinly sliced steak is seared, followed by sweating thinly slides onions and other vegetables. The chili paste goes in next and is mixed in like pincage, followed by coconut milk, palm sugar, and fish sauce. And finally chicken stock is added to taste and consistency.
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In bowls portion cooked noodles, top with the cooked meat and curry. Sprinkle with fried noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, mustard seeds, cilantro, and a lime wedge.
I’m usually cooking six days a week at the restaurant. On my day off, I cook for myself and experiment with flavors and presentation of dishes. One of my favourites is steamed halibut with ginger lime broth. The broth is a rich chicken sauce steeped in lemongrass ginger and Thai Chili. Lime juice is stirred in before serving.
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The halibut is steamed (about five minutes) with chopped cilantro stem, lemongrass, garlic, and chili mixture spread evenly on top.
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The fish is plated with broth around and garnished with cilantro, zestes buddhas hand , and fleur de sel.
At The Modern, I ran a special amuse bouche with crispy shiso leaf, nori aioli, diced cured kampachi tossed in green pepper vinaigrette, ostera caviar and parsley dust.
