Cooking up a storm

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Celebrity chef Saransh Goila (26) was in the city at The O Hotel for a charity cooking event. Goila is known for adding elements of fusion to Indian cuisine. His specialty is contemporary Indian food and he boasts of a varied knowledge of Italian food and baked items. Goila is famous for his Butter Chicken preparation as well. Excerpts from an interview:

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What made you give a twist to Indian dishes?
A lot of younger people don't like typical Indian dishes but if I give the same dish a twist then they like to eat it; it makes it modern. I make it more presentable and different. If you make it look appealing, people will like it and eat it for sure. It has to be simple as well so that others can also make it.

Can you give us tips on cooking?
One need not use all the spices to make food taste good; it's all about using the right spices in the right way. Add curry leaves to any dish and the whole taste changes for the better. Remember not to use jeera and mustard at the same time in a dish, it may spoil the taste, at times.

Saransh Goila

Have you tried fusion of North and South Indian dishes?
Not really, as it does not work out well, I do Indian with Japanese, Mexican, etc but never a mix of South Indian and North Indian dishes as both have their own strong masalas that don't taste good when mixed.

What kind of food do you enjoy eating?
I love eating and so I like cooking. I enjoy street food, Puneri Misal and Bun Maska found at Good Luck Hotel at FC Road.

What's your advice for food lovers?
Learn to taste the food of any region in its original form. If you are in Japan, the taste of the original food may be initially bland but if you decide to enjoy it, you will like it eventually.

Is there anything that you have not tried yet and want to try?
Yes, I want to try a fusion of Mexican and Indian dishes as Mexican dishes also have chilli in it.

Who is your favourite chef?
Chef Jamie Oliver and Chef Sanjeev Kapoor are my favourites.

Tips on fusion cuisine
>> Use hung curd in recipes instead of cheese or cream to get a more Indian taste.
>> Cut down on Indian spices when you're making fusion cuisine.
>> To make your Veg Biryani taste and look like Mutton Biryani add jackfruit to it. The feel of jackfruit is like mutton
>> Add basil to any tomato dish to make it taste good.
>> Start doing fusion with rice dishes as it is easier and international dishes go well with rice dishes.
>> Don't be afraid; keep on trying fusion till you succeed.

Recipe for Shahi Tukda
Ingredients
6 slices of sliced bread
Oil to deep fry
2 tablespoon Ghee
1 tablespoon full cream milk
2 tablespoon Pista, blanched and chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 elaichi (cardamom) powdered
4-5 badam (almonds) toasted and sliced
Few strands of kesar (saffron)
1/2 cup rice
6 cups of milk
1/2 cup of melted chocolate

Preparation
>> First, make the Khir. Boil the milk, add rice to to the milk, add sugar and 2-3 pieces of Badam. Now, add pista and a few strands of saffron to the
thickened milk.
>> Keep the Khir aside and add melted chocolate to it.
>> Cut the edges of the bread. Thereafter, cut four equal pieces, fry them in hot oil until brown and crisp.
>> To make the sugar syrup, mix sugar and water and set the mixture to boil. Now, simmer the solution for 10 minutes and add powdered elachi into it.
>> Apply ghee on the sides of the bread and lightly fry them until they turn golden brown on both sides. Dip the bread pieces into sugar syrup,
drain well.
>> Arrange the fried bread on a plate.
>> Now, spread the khir on it and some cream and sprinkle some almonds, pista over it.
>> Serve it cold to taste better.