Recipe for success: Hemant Oberoi

Zodiac Grill was one of the first restaurants in India to not have any prices mentioned in the menu. They allowed the diners to pay what they wanted. How did that work for a restaurant in a city which is not known for its generosity?
We always got better than what we expected. When we started the restaurant in 1989, the idea was to let people eat a meal and pay what they thought it deserved. It was an experiment of sorts to judge the worth of the service. At the end of each meal, the diner was given a slip which had to be filled with what they thought was worthy. This went on for six months but then we realised that the diners did not have the mind space to fill these up in the middle of a working lunch. So we thought, let's not annoy them anymore. At that time, an average cheque was around Rs.3,500, which was a lot for that time. Now the menu mentions the prices, but everything is exclusive and caters to a selected audience.

How has the menu flourished from what it was?
Even then, Zodiac Grill's menu was ahead of its time. Usually restaurants served classic meals, but we wanted to move ahead and introduce diners to nouvelle cuisine. Like instead of a regular chicken a la kiev we'd do something that was more contemporary, better plated.

What are some accidental dishes that have come about?
Recently, I was at a conference about chairs and I was like 'why can't I serve food on a chair?' Thus was born a dish called 'escargot climbing chair'. It's a snail topped with caper butter served on lacquered, wooden chairs.

You haven't yet dined in some of Mumbai's striking restaurants like Indigo or Ellipsis. Then where do your inspirations come from?
From my travels. When I am abroad, I don't eat a single meal in the hotel that I'm staying at. On a recent trip to Spain I learnt about how they use local inspirations and apply it on western food. Likewise from Peru, I learnt about the 4,000 varieties of of potatoes that they have – 25 varieties of corn, so many kinds of chillies.

You are known to be a fusion artist, credited with experiments like introducing Cali-Indian, vegetarian Japanese, modern Indian cuisine. Doesn't the authenticity of the food get affected in this process?
Being careful is the key. So if I make a tamarind sphere (molecularly) and serve it on a papdi chat, the taste of this sphere is authentic, the flavours aren't changed. The roots shouldn't be left behind. I prefer using local ingredients, so I'm more likely to do a sorbet using ganna juice or chaas over cranberries because they aren't Indian.

But when fusion become confusion?
You need to know your basics right to break rules. Like everything rolled cannot be called a sushi. I once heard of someone doing maharaja sushi which had tandoori chicken stuffed in rice. That's harakiri for the Japanese. You need to know what sushi rice is, it's not your basmati or northeastern sticky grain. Personally, once I experimented with dhokla pizza which had a perfect base, perfect sauce, slivers of olives and thin slices of dholka – it worked very well because the basics were correct.

Today, an average Indian youngster wants to get their cupcake right, but what about kalakand? As a chef, what is your effort in protecting these recipes?
Personally, my aim is to export good Indian food abroad. What you get in London is nothing compared to authentic Indian food. Dishes like fish dhansak or lamb vindaloo are not authentic. These Indian chefs (from abroad) want to do contemporary takes on regional food. Do it by all means, but don't forget your roots. As a chef I try to educate people; like I recently did a curry week in London where I demonstrated various original recipes. I'm doing another one in Kuala Lumpur.

What are some of your observations in terms of dining culture in various metros in the city?
Mumbai has a better palate than the rest. In Delhi they like only three kinds of cuisines – Punjabi, Chinese and Punjabi. And even their Chinese is Punjabi! But they are getting there, things are changing, taste buds are developing.

A research recently said that westerners are moving towards satvic dining, while Indians are savouring their faux soils and anti-griddled popsicle. What next?
History, fashion and food are cyclic. So by that we are going back to our roots very soon. Be it organic foods or super grains – it's all coming back. Like amaranth is getting popular now but when I was achild, I remember my mother making amaranth and gud ladoos.

Tell us about your earliest food memories, signs that told you wouldend up becoming a chef.
When I told my family that I wanted to become a chef, my grandmother said, "Bola tha army join karle, doctor banja – khansama banega?" Throughout my catering college days, I didn't know I wanted to be a chef. But one month into the business, I knew this is where I wanted to be and then on I never looked back.

In small metros, cooking is still not considered a respectable profession. What's your best advice to youngsters who want to make it big?
There are two kinds of chefs - TV chefs and chefs who come on TV. If you want to become the first kind, you don't need to know how to make food because no one is tasting it. But if you want to become the second kind, you need to be a thinker, hard worker and be sincere towards your pan.

A professional kitchen is a place where traditional gender roles get reversed. Why is it that men make better (according to stats) chefs?
Men definitely make better chefs because being a good chef is not only about creating recipes. You need man management skills. Women have more commitments then men. Once they get married, have children, the attention shifts. For a man, he knows the lady of the house is taking care of everything. If you are a woman and want to be a good chef, remain single.

After (Heston) Blumenthal's molecular gastronomy buzz, what's the next epic way of looking at food?
Old classics might come back. I recently added a dish on my menu called atta chicken. In Punjab, the woman of the house would wrap a marinated chicken with leftover dough and bake it in the tandoor. The dish would translate into a crispy roti with a well-cooked chicken inside.

You've wined and dined the who's who of the country, who do you want to cook for next?
Narendra Modi. It will be interesting to cook for him because he would be the first all-vegetarian prime minister. (Dhokla pizza, we think)

sonal.ved@dnaindia.net