Sunday mid day chats with legendary Chef Satish Arora about his life and memoir

lsquoJ this is Indira I am very proud J Your boys have made this country proudrsquo These words by former Prime Minister of India the late Indira Gandhi on a phone call with the chairman of Tata Group JRD Tata referred to Satish Arora the worldrsquos youngest executive chef in 1973 to handle fivestar hotel kitchen at the age of 26 Now 55 years down the line Arora is out with his memoir Sweets and Bitters Bloomsbury India Rs 599A legendary chef Arora has cooked for many dignitariesmdashroyalty includedmdashand also trained over 5000 young chefs whorsquove gone on to work in or start prestigious restaurants around the world He is the pioneer of modern cooking showing the world how regional Indian food and scrumptious homestyle cooking can be recreated to suit restaurant menus Since retiring in 2016 Satish Arorarsquos family has been eagerly pursuing him to pen down his experiences in a book that would be his legacy ldquoI initially laughed it off but they remained persistentrdquo he tells us A few of his close family friends encouraged him as well but things changed when five years ago he got introduced to writer Chandrima Pal ldquoA few sittings over coffee and she convinced me to start recording my experiences from the past I invested in a dictaphone and started referring to my old newspaper articles and handwritten menus which my wife had conserved well All this took me down memory lane and I would sit for hours recording sweet and bitter instancesrdquoSafed murg pulaoMuch of Arorarsquos career has been spent designing kitchens and training chefs across over 40 properties of the Taj in multiple countries Interacting with the whorsquos who of the worldmdashfrom heads of state to celebrities recruiting chefs it was tough for Arora to compress all this into 179 pages He struggled initially but then structured the book across critical phases of his life which include his childhood memories helping his mother in her kitchen followed by school days where he was never academically driven and then the turning point in his life when he joined the Institute of Hotel Management New Delhi The book further takes you through the milestone achievements after joining what he calls his templemdashThe Taj Mahal Hotel MumbaiOn a phone call from Kolkata where writer Pal currently lives she tells us how the two were introduced while working on her previous book At Home in Mumbai ldquoAs a journalist I knew of his legacy but I found it interesting that all this while he was completely under the radar only a few notable journalistsmdashwho admired his work and were cognisant of his role in modernising Shamiana Taj Coffee shop and revolutionising Indian cuisinemdashwrote about him as a pioneer of Modern Indian cuisinerdquoLobster kikaThanks to COVID 19 the book took a long time five years to publish Arora was stuck in the UK for a long time ldquoDuring my research I learned how the hospitality industry has evolved He was from one of the first batches of IHM the first catering institute in the country From there to setting up fivestar kitchens to setting flight kitchens when they were at their prime to working with the Starbucks launch teammdashitrsquos a fantastic storyrdquo says PalThe book is filled with the tiniest of insightful detailsmdashlike cooking continental cuisine without wine during the Prohibition and sourcing exotic ingredients like fresh parsley and broccoli and red and yellow peppers back in the day when they werenrsquot as commonmdashchefs like Arora worked around limitations They devised some of the best dishes serving celebrities statesmen and dignitaries alikemdashthings that fascinated Pal as a journalist ldquoI havenrsquot known anyone with such an immense legacy to be so grounded He is still the same person who came with stars in his eyes to work at the Taj and still calls it a temple Through his story itrsquos amazing to see how Taj as a group invests in people to nurture talent and gives them that kind of training and exposurerdquo says Pal who flew down to Mumbai to meet Arora while they were working on the bookChandrima PalldquoHersquos my fatherrsquos age but still calls me madam he is very old school organised and meticulousrdquo adds Pal who toured around Tajrsquos flight kitchens with Arora to witness the giant hive of activities which Arora is responsible for standardising and implementing systems ldquoHis penmanship is fantastic he keeps copious notes and his handwriting is beautiful He has many firsts to his credit but only a few know of it because he is so lowkey It takes a while to draw him out of his shell but after that hersquos happy to talk about his childhood and adolescencethe mischievous kid who bunked school and grew up enjoying street foodrdquo laughs PalThe recipe selection is focused on his signature dishes which he has been credited for over the years like the JRD club sandwich mutton burger and cannelloni Arora to name a few Besides this there are menu references which were created for dignitaries and celebrities to add flavour to the book ldquoA chefrsquos life is filled with constant bursts of adrenalinemanaging situations delivering food on time meeting guests solving issues creating menus doing food trials creating new restaurant concepts and learning about new cuisines and ingredients There is never a dull moment This was my life for 50 years My biggest challenge was to stay put in a confined space think of the past 50 years and extract the best experiences that I wanted to share with my audience I would often go into lalaland as one story would lead to another diluting my focus which was a challenge besides staying put in a place I was not used to Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and reliving my journey and feel truly blessed to have the privilege to document itrdquoNext up Arora is keen to compile and share tried and tested recipes ldquoIndian cuisine unfortunately lacks standardisation It has always been my desire to promote standardised core recipes across regional cuisines as well as popular fare which can be consistently replicated This can be part of the curriculum of Hotel Management Institutes as that is the starting point of the culinary journeyrdquoCannelloni AroraINGREDIENTS16 pasta sheetsFor stuffing40 gm chopped onion30 gm chopped chives20 gm chopped garlic15 gm chopped celeryA pinch of thyme600 gm chopped spinach boiled1 tbsp crushed black pepper14 tsp nutmeg powder400 gm grated paneer100 gm pineapplebrunoise cut50 gm red pepperbrunoise cut200 ml fresh cream60 gm butterSalt to taste40 ml olive oilFor cheese sauce700 ml milk2 tbsp flour80 gm butter80 gm grated cheddar cheese60 gm cream cheese150 ml fresh cream3 gm chopped parsleySalt to tasteFor tomato sauce500 gm chopped tomatoes1 tbsp tomato paste400 ml tomato juice30 gm chopped onion15 gm chopped garlic1 pinch oregano1 tbsp sugarSalt To taste20 ml olive oilTo finish100 gm grated cheddar cheese to bake3 gm chopped parsley for garnishMETHODHeat water in a pan Add a few drops of olive oil When the water boils add pasta sheets Simmer for almost 20 minutes stirring at times When done replace with cold water Keep aside Do not place sheets one on top of the other For the stuffing heat oil and butter in a pan Add onion garlic celery and sauteacute till translucent Add thymeAdd spinach and sauteacute on low flame for 15 minutes Add paneer and sauteacute Add black pepper nutmeg and red pepper After four minutes add salt and pineapple Add cream Stir well Adjust seasonings and keep them aside For the cheese sauce heat milk in a pan In another pan heat butter and then add flourSauteacute for three minutesAdd parsley followed by milk Stir till it starts to thicken Add grated cheese and fresh cream Adjust seasoning and take pan off the flame For the tomato sauce heat oil and sauteacute onion and garlic in it Now add chopped tomatoes and oregano After five minutes add tomato puree Then add tomato juice Add sugar and salt take off the flame after five minutes To present grease a serving dish with butter Arrange cannelloni rolls with stuffing Cover with cheese sauce pour tomato sauce on top Sprinkle with grated cheese Gratinate till the top is brown and bubbling Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley