Kochhar - Benares Michelin Starred Cooking

Absolute Press

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This electronic edition published in 2015 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published 2015

Text Atul Kochhar, 2015

Photography Mike Cooper, 2015

Atul Kochhar has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for.

ePDF: 978-1-4729-2078-2

ePub: 978-1-4729-1740-9

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Notes for cooks:

Use medium eggs, unless otherwise specified.

All herbs, including curry leaves, should be fresh, unless otherwise specified.

I WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO MY BELOVED WIFE, DEEPTI.

DEEPTI IS THE ROCK-SOLID FOUNDATION OF MY WORK AND LIFE. WITHOUT HER SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT, I WOULDNT HAVE MADE IT SO FAR. SHE TAKES FAR TOO MUCH UPON HERSELF MANAGING OUR HOUSEHOLD, ALL SO I CAN HAVE MORE TIME FOR MY PROFESSIONAL LIFE. HER DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT TO OUR FAMILY IS INSPIRATIONAL. IN SPITE OF THE MASSIVE PERSONAL LOSS OF LOSING HER DAD SUDDENLY AFTER A BRIEF BATTLE WITH CANCER IN 2014, HER DETERMINATION ISNT SHAKEN. WITHOUT HER, THIS BOOK WOULDNT HAVE SEEN THE DAYLIGHT.

DEEPTI, I LOVE YOU AND FEEL VERY PRIVILEGED TO BE YOUR LIFE PARTNER.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

A stunning book from not only one of Londons finest restaurants, but also from the very soul of its great chef and my dear friend.

Atuls recipes are easy to follow with the perfect balance of spices, which takes the home cooking of Indian food to a whole new level, and showcases why Benares remains one of the top Michelin-starred restaurants in the capital. Each dish is captured beautifully and interspersed with imagery of his greatest influence the vibrancy and colours of India. This is a jewel of a book that will be treasured in every home.

Sat Bains

October 2014

Nothing sings better music to my ears than mesmerizing food and a good book to complement the same and Atul Kochhar does just that, following up on his highly acclaimed and recognized kitchen at Benares, with this beautiful book of eighty of his most acclaimed recipes.

It has been my belief that soulful cooking stems from happiness, serenity and joyful living, and that mindfully prepared and esthetically presented food is an emotion that defines us as chefs. Good food, well prepared with love and compassion, has always been something that has stood taller than any aphrodisiac for me an orgasm I call gratitude of feeding the soul.

Atul is not only a great chef but is known to share his wealth of knowledge with budding young professionals. He is known back home for his generous charities, and that is what defines him not only as a great chef but as an exceptional human being.

After forty years on the stove and having been part of the journey of Indian food finding international recognition, nothing gives me more pleasure than seeing the explosion of individual brilliance in the arena.

A culinary salutation and toast to Atul and to years of happy and joyful cooking!

Chef Manjit S. Gill

Corporate Chef, ITC Hotels

INTRODUCTION

THE BEGINNING

By the end of 2001, I had a desire to break free from working for others and be my own boss. Not a bad thing but the task was daunting. I had started putting some money aside for a possible new venture, even without having any idea of how much it was going to cost! I was soon about to find out.

One day, while chatting to the manger of the next-door restaurant, which used to be the Zen Central, he mentioned that his company was trying to sell a property on Berkeley Square, in the heart of Londons Mayfair. It was on the first floor, above the Bentley showroom. All I knew of the area was that it was a beautiful square full of offices and no late nightlife. Hesitantly, I mentioned the opportunity to my potential investors, with whom I had already looked around at least 40 other properties. They liked the idea, and we wanted to take a look, and once we saw the restaurant we decided to move on it. It took almost a year to refurbish the place and we opened the doors for business in April 2003, when Benares came to life! It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

CHEF/BUSINESSMAN

My hero, Danny Meyer, a well-known restaurateur from New York City, once said that restaurants are like having children they are fun to conceive, challenging to bring into the world and they generally reward you with abundant triumph and occasional hardship as the years progress. Danny has said many more beautiful things about the restaurant business just like lovely poetry but its also true that it isnt everyones cup of tea either.

One thing I promised myself from the outset was that I wasnt going to lose my shirt on this venture just for the accolades. So, I put a businessmans hat on and got on with the job of running a restaurant. I had a good team in the kitchen, but I noticed very early on that my front-of-house team didn't quite match the brilliance of the kitchen team, and I was going to have a bumpy ride. So, as a team, we had to take some tough decisions and modify the offerings on the menu. I took a safer route to guide the ship Benares through tides of tough times until we accumulated a good overall team. Slowly but surely, I brought some really good people onboard. It took almost three years to get it right but, as I promised myself, we never lost money.

MICHELIN STAR AND CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Another fabulous moment was when Benares achieved its own Michelin star in January 2007. I was ecstatic it is an amazing feeling to win a star in your own restuarant. But from here on in, even more serious responsibilities were to follow as carrying this star is a pretty heavy load; people build expectations for you, and you need to consistently deliver the Michelin quality in every dish.