Chef Anil Khurana is no stranger to Chennai. He has lived in the city for a few months as part of a pre-launch team at one of the star hotels. “I remember two words in Tamil: vanakkam and anji roova (five rupees),” he says with a laugh. The Delhi-based corporate chef in-charge of Indian cuisine at Hyatt is back in the city as part of a North Indian food festival at The Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt.
His introduction to the food industry came rather early in life, as his grandfather ran a restaurant. So, he grew up eating various preparations of chicken, lamb and seafood; he never attended culinary school, but simply took up an apprenticeship and learned on the job. He has since travelled across the world, taking the flavours of North Indian food with him.
What is usually lacking in North Indian cooking in the South, he says, are authentic flavours. He explains, “Some recipes don’t use tomato or onion for the gravy. But, here, mostly everything is made in a tomato base with onion and garlic. And so, the real flavours, the way they are supposed to taste, become unfamiliar. Only when people know what something is supposed to taste like will they appreciate it.” That’s one of the reasons for having this particular food promotion.
With his warm personality and straightforward manner, anyone would instantly take to Chef Khurana. In a time when home-style food is all the rage, he makes no bones about the kind of food he likes to serve. “Anyone can have yellow dal at home. But not everyone can make a dal makhani at home the way we do it, with the slow cooking and the flavours. Neither can they make the kebabs in the tandoor. I like to serve food that they can’t cook at home,” he says.
Chef Khurana’s signature kebabs are the highlight of the a la carte menu. The tender prawn kebab and the smoky chicken tandoori notwithstanding, it is a vegetarian option that lingers on our palates and minds. The hara bhara kebab — stuffed spinach patty with cheese, spices, nuts and small bursts of raisins — is chock-full of complex and multi-layered flavours. Some of the other kebabs include chicken, paneer and galouti.
Ask the chef to recommend his favourites for the main course, and he laughs. “I like everything I have put on the menu! But, you can’t have all of it, can you?” That is true. The rarra gosht (slow braised lamb and minced lamb cooked with brown onion, tomato and whole spices) pairs well with the aromatic garlic naan, as does the missi roti with melt-in-the-mouth dal makhani.
The promotion concludes with a special brunch on Sunday, August 14, and will feature more of the chef’s specialities to look forward to. For details and reservations, call 7177 1234 or 7177 1655.
