From a kid curious to know how white poha turns yellow to feeding caviar to the President of India, Chef M.U. Kasture has come a long way. The first resident chef of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kasture began his journey from a humble background in Pune where the mama’s boy would often cook mutton in neighbourhood functions without charging anything. The third among four brothers, it was his mother who introduced Kasture to cooking and its value. He would accompany her for shopping groceries and charcoal.
He reminds that his two sisters were equally excellent in the kitchen but his mother saw something in Kasture that she pushed him to explore spices when kids of his generation were busy with stars of different hues.
Recently awarded with the Best Chef of India in the National Tourism Awards of the Ministry of Tourism, Kasture, still remembered for the raan-e-alishan that he served to the US President Barack Obama, brings the old world charm to the profession – magicians who are silent about their craft, who don’t show off their skills in front of the media and who value taste over presentation. Like music, Kasture, who prefers comparison with doctor for Indian food has ayurvedic elements which prevent people from falling ill, says a lifetime is not enough to learn all the cuisines. “Even after serving the highest dignitaries in the world, I would say I am best at my puran poli and amti.” It is this Maharashtrian delicacy that made former President Pratibha Patil pick him as the resident chef of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Before that presidents used to bring their cooks.
Kasture, who was with The Ashok then, didn’t disappoint and went on to introduce a chef’s touch to the President’s kitchen. “I quickly brought in combi ovens, where one can bake, cook and steam simultaneously and in big quantities. Some of the British equipments are still there. Like they have a nice cutter where you can chop tomatoes and onions together. It works in a zig zag way like you are rowing the boat.” A vegetarian, Patil used to take active interest in kitchen and recipes and Kasture conjured up special dishes like moong daal ka pizza, anjeer kofte and a variant of maa ki daal which he named dal Raisina, where the secret ingredient is the simple black salt.
Kasture accompanied Patil on her foreign trips and tried to keep her vegetarian palate satisfied. “Once I tried cactus ki sabzi! It worked well. Pratibha Patil was very conscious of what she ate during a foreign visit. Pranab da is more open to exotic food.”
The biggest challenge for Kasture was to understand the taste of the dignitary in quick time. “As there is limited access, I first try with people who are close to the President. Like, in case of Pranab da, I used to request his daughter to taste first.” Until one day when the President returned from Sweden and demanded caviar.
“It is not easy to find caviar in Delhi. Somehow I managed and presented it in three forms in breakfast. He said he would like to have it for a week in lunch.”
Kasture says President Mukherjee loves his fish and gets lots of hilsa from his friends in Bangladesh.
Also, Kasture says since he deals with people of a certain age, he has to be careful about the nutritive value and quantity of the food served. And when it comes to foreign dignitaries, he has to ensure that the food is a mix of Indian and their own country so that their digestive system doesn’t get a shock. This, Kasture says, he learnt during his stint with the Palace on Wheels. “I was called to inspect why the foreign travellers give up on Indian food after three days. I found that they could not digest rich gravies after a couple of days and introduced continental food on alternate days during the seven days journey.”
Compliments are rare and come in the form of small notes that dignitaries leave after the visit. But there are exceptions. Kasture fondly remembers how Amitabh Bachchan called him during one of the At home functions at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and praised his samosa. “He asked for one more. It made my day.” Samosa, he says is the most popular Indian snack, internationally. “Recently, I trained Mexican women in making samosas.” With the Prime Minister Narendra Modi making an impact on the global stage, Gujarati food is also getting international attention. Kasture cites the increasing popularity of dabeli, a Gujarati variant of burger, which according to the chef is loved for its khatta-meetha taste which comes from tamarind water and anardaana.
Like a goalkeeper in football, Kasture says a chef is remembered only when something goes wrong. “If something goes wrong they will call you from home. Once the pudding melted at the time of serving and I was called to explain how it happened. Perhaps, the right temperature was not maintained but I could not pin point and apologised. So there is always a fear of the unknown. Once, in trying to extra-careful, I slipped and with me 70 glasses full of sweet srikhand came down. My presence of mind saved the day.”
While talking to him, one realises that VVIP food is less about creativity and more about security. “Every food time that is served has to be tasted by me and the SPG. A sample of every item is sealed by the SPG and is kept for 24 hours after the dignitary has ingested it.” Also, Kasture, who has recently returned to The Ashok hotel after eight years of deputation at the country’s best known address, says in state banquets at the Hyderabad House, Vigyan Bhawan and the PM’s residence one has to carry food cooked at the kitchens of The Ashok hotel. “We carry 75 percent cooked food and only give final touches at these venues. Everything has to be planned well in advance and a SPG team escorts us.” So where is the space to experiment? “One has to. Last year, during navrataras, I created sabudane ka dosa made of samak ke chawal for the Prime Minister. He liked it. Then I offered him a tikki made of sweet potato.” Kasture describes the Prime Minister as a frugal eater who loves his khichdi. Even as one wonders what one can possibly do with khichdi, Kasture interrupts, “A lot. I can make ten types of khichdi by changing lentils and vegetables. One can introduce, kundru, corn and mushroom in khichdi.” In this dispensation, Kasture says most of the Cabinet members are vegetarians. “Sushmaji (Swaraj) has a very good knowledge of food. I knew the taste of the previous cabinet better where Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni were good connoisseurs. Soniaji is indisposed now but when she is fit she loves her butter chicken and Rahul Gandhi loves his pastas and pizzas.” Before one could tell him that this could be construed as politically incorrect, Kasture bowls me over, “I always say politics divides people, food brings them together.”
Kasture’s chef
At home, Kasture’s wife Hemlata, a news reader, cooks for him. “She is my chef. I have no idea what is there in my kitchen!” Kasture’s favourite dish is his mother’s methi ki sabzi. “It tastes great and better than anything what we offer because she picks every leaf with care. In hotels we pick the entire bunch and grate. The care and love makes the difference.”
