With many feathers to her cap, Chef and Gourmet Harsha Sabhnani loves cooking, painting and dancing. One amongst the top 25 in ‘Masterchef India 2011’ over 40,000 participants. Chef Harsha has worked with the likes of Matt Moran, Sanjeev Kapoorand Ritu Dalmia, collaborating and creating new recipes, food content and business opportunities. She has had also the opportunity to work withMichelin star Chef Vikas Khanna during the launch of his book ‘Khanna Sutra’.
Bindiya Chotrani in conversation with Harsha Sabhnani over some Thai Patrani Macchi.
What motivated you to get into the chef world?
Food has been a part of me and my memories from as far as I can remember. Flavors, textures, colors of food always provided inspiration. So becoming a chef was just a natural progression.
Did you undergo any professional training for cooking?
Yes, I did a One-year course in Culinary Arts from an Institute in Pune.
What is your favorite cuisine to cook?
Though I believe in following my instinct and going with my mood when I cook, I am partial towardscooking South East Asian. It’s because of the whole concept of balance of flavors in the cuisine. Hot, sweet, spicy, tangy all come together to form a balance of taste that leaves you asking for more.
Name a few of your favorite cookbooks for us?
Now this is a tough one! I am a hoarder when it comes to books, and how many ever I have, they are just not enough! But if it comes to picking a few, I would choose a few all from different cuisines. The Big Book of Baking by Parragon Publishing is my go-to guide for all things baked. The recipes are extremely well put together and great even for novices. Moti Mahal- Tandoori Trails by Mohnish Gujral has to be there for my love of Tandoori cooking. I love Ritu Dalmia’s Diva Green, just for the fact that it has a repertoire of vegetarian recipes from around the world. From great salads, Gujarati dishes to international desserts, it has it all! Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan has to make it to this list too, as South Indian is one of my favorite cuisines and this book has great recipes and pictures.
Favourite kitchen equipment or gadget?
I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to kitchen Equipment and Gadgets. A sharp, well looked after Chef’s knife is my favorite tool to start work in the kitchen. Everything else can be done without.
What do you think is the most challenging ingredient to work with?
I have been trying to work with Indian edible flowers in our food. Something similar to what is being done internationally with edible flowers, but because our food is so rich in spices and flavors, subtle flavors of the flower is lost. So this has to be my latest challenge.
Is there a chef you admire the most? Who and why?
There sure are a few. I truly appreciate what Chef Manish Mehrotra has done with Indian food and Indian memories at Indian Accent in Delhi. It is nostalgia in terms of flavors which is presented in an extremely contemporary and fun format.
Another Chef I truly admire is Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I think he is one who brought about this food awareness in India, created the need and delivered India’s first 24 hour cookery channel. He made people experiment with known flavors to explore unfamiliar cuisines. And if Chefs and businessmen are able to come up with newer concepts and food for people to try out, it is this man we need to thank it for.
Tell us about this one experimental dish that was completely your brain-child and was a stupendous success
I love Patrani Macchi (which is a Parsi delicacy, fish steamed in a banana leaf with Indian herbs and spices) I love Thai; so I combined the two and came up with a Thai Patrani macchi. It is one of my favorite creations yet. Soft delicate fish fillet with aromatic lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime. Life truly can’t get better!
Which is the worst dish cooked by you till date. And what went wrong?
Thankfully I haven’t had really crazy bloopers in the kitchen but I do remember this incident from my first time in the kitchen alone. I was just about 7 years old and my entire family was out. I decided to surprise them with something special and set out to make bhajjias. Somehow climbing the kitchen top, I managed to collect all the ingredients, haphazardly chop some onions and mixed a batter enough for the entire neighbourhood! All the kitchen, the cupboards, the stovetop was literally slathered with the batter. Thankfully, the family returned just in time to rescue the kitchen and themselves in what would have been the most epic bhajjia party of all time!
If presented with an excellent dish, what catches your fancy first? Is it aroma, ingredient, technique or flavour?
I think a lot of factors go into making an excellent dish. It should appeal to all our senses to be a truly successful dish. Our eyes should be pleased by its look, our nose by its wafting, tantalizing aromas, our ears by its slight sizzle on the plate, our fingers by its beautiful texture and our tongue of course by its unforgettable taste.
How did Masterchef Happen?
I was just newly married, had shifted to Mumbai and was looking for a job in the City of dreams when I saw this print ad for Masterchef auditions. Went along for it by instinct and got through!
A compliment for you cooking that has remained with you long after you got it.
Among all the compliments, I think one of the most memorable one was when one of an acquaintance said that they could travel around the world for a meal cooked by me and the food would make it all worthwhile.
Your most embarrassing moment as a Chef?
Thankfully haven’t really had one!