Maa ke haat ka khana is probably the most desirable food for every individual, and it stands true for chefs as well, who have been carrying forward their mother’s recipes in their professional lives. After learning the first lesson of cooking at home, they are taking the mantras learnt from her as chefs.
HT City talks to Chef Nittin, Chef Himani Sharma and Chef Mohsin Qureshi on the influence of their mom in their culinary journey on Mother’s Day.
Mother’s dish lives on!
Chef Mohsin Qureshi’s father, Chef Abdul Salam Qureshi, had worked in top five-star kitchens with legendary Chef Imtiaz Qureshi, but the masterchef in the home kitchen had been his mother, late Rukaiya Bano. “We are a family of chefs and khansamas, but meri asal ustaad meri ammi hain! The simplicity with which she used to cook is – kam masala mein accha zayka aur swad. The long cleaning process, simplicity in cooking and technique were her USP.”
He learnt Pasanda ka Masala from her, which is his signature dish at Saraca Hotel. “The sondhapan (earthen flavour) used to amaze me. Then she spelled out the secret – she used to dry roast (brown) turmeric, cumin, red chilli, coriander powder and a little garam masala, dry roast brown, and used it while cooking. Her Daal Ghost using malai was out of the world. When I used her formula, she was very happy and said, ‘tune meri recipe pakad li’. After her, now I prepare it at home.”
‘Learnt farm to table from her’
To celebrate her mom’s food, Chef Himani Sharma organised a food festival on Lohri last year, where her mother Seema Sharma dished out her signature dishes at her restaurant Sassy Canteen. “Foodies still remember her amazing taste and ask for Kadkhi Pakodi and Ghote Waale Shalgam. I have learnt from her how, with very minimal ingredients, amazing food can be prepared, and many of our dishes are on those lines.”
The biggest lesson that she took from her is that the story starts with great quality produce, and the chef’s job is much easier with honest ingredients. “My home is in Chorgalia, Haldwani (Uttarakhand), where on our farm we grow everything. My mother is an artisan. She makes her own tandoor from scratch, home-made cane vinegar, jamun vinegar, jaggery, butter, ghee etc. It gave me faith and joy in making things from scratch. I learnt the importance of fresh ingredients and zero-waste. Same is our formula of batch cooking and no-buffets, which makes our dishes fresh and nothing goes to waste.”
Mom’s Love on menu
Back in the late 90s, when working in Bengaluru, what Chef Nittin missed most was maa-ke-haat ka khana. “That’s how, with the concept of ghar jaisa khana, we started Pack N Chew and it has been 27 years. The achaar my mom (Manju Mohan) prepared on the opening day, the same formula is used till date. On our menu, Khichdi, Mom’s Chicken Curry, Maa Da Ladla (Dal Makhni and Rice), Mom’s Love (Arhar Dal and Rice), Ghar Ka Khana (Dal, dry Veg and Phulka), Mom ki Chutney and Phulka are the hottest dishes and a replica of her formula and a foodie’s delight. My entire culinary journey is based on home-cooked food, where she is my guru. And that’s what we are known for. Guests come to us for this, and when they go back saying ‘bilkul ghar jaisa tha’, it’s our victory and mom’s blessings!”
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