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08-11-2015, 05:09 PM
The international perception of Indian cuisine has come a long way from the bland curries and greasy breads that once dominated the market. Modern Indian chefs are presenting the dishes they grew up with to the world, often tweaking or reinventing them for a wider audience, but keeping authentic flavors in mind. Given the significant vegetarian clientele at many such restaurants, there has also been an increasing focus on creating innovative vegetarian dishes that can tantalize even devout carnivores.
Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia has been one of the forerunners in globalizing Indian cuisine with what he calls 'evolved' Indian food. He's honed his craft in India, taken London by storm, and opened up restaurants in Geneva and Dubai. But despite his stellar reputation, he prefers spending time with his family and eating simple vegetarian food at home.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-08-11-1439300296-8972891-VineetBhatiasquareimage-thumb.JPG (http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-08-11-1439300296-8972891-VineetBhatiasquareimage.JPG)
Image courtesy of Indigo by Vineet, Dubai
Dubai's Indego by Vineet has become something of a gastronomic institution since it first opened in 2004. On a recent trip to oversee the operations at Indego, Chef Bhatia sat down with me, the founder of Dubai-based food blog VeggieBuzz, for a candid chat about his culinary journey. The chef discussed his changing attitude toward vegetarianism. "I actually wasn't fond of vegetarian food when I was young, or any food other than sweets. Anything with sugar in it would keep me happy," he said. But having married a vegetarian, he feels differently, eating mostly vegetarian food at home. Chef Bhatia also revealed that his childhood passion was airplanes, and he wanted to join the Indian Air Force as a teenager.
When that didn't work out as planned, he looked toward a career in hotel management and found himself in the kitchen of the prestigious Oberoi Hotel. It wasn't a job he was keen on. "But once I started, I was amazed at the amount of discipline everyone had," he recounted. "It made me want to learn how to cook!"
Having worked his way up the ranks there, Chef Bhatia moved to London in the early 90's, where he was disappointed by the English perception of Indian food. "The food was designed to suit English tastes, it was not proper Indian food. I decided to rebel against that standard." Chef Bhatia went on to revolutionize London's Indian food scene and opened Zaika, which earned him his first Michelin star, the first for any Indian chef. Only a few years later, he opened his first solo venture, Rasoi, which garnered further acclaim and also earned a Michelin star, cementing his status as one of the world's most influential purveyors of Indian cuisine.
He has also helped to revitalize the menu for British Airways, and became a consultant for the Qatar Airways First Class and Business Class menus. He's noticed a trend toward vegetarianism in recent years among passengers. According to Chef Bhatia, "It's a lot lighter on a long flight. You drink a lot of water and eat less. With vegetarian food, you feel less heavy and don't feel as jet lagged."
As an award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, Chef Vineet Bhatia has taken Indian cuisine to new heights. It'll be interesting to see how his food continues to evolve with the latest food trends.
Click here to read the full interview on VeggieBuzz. (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/a-chat-with-chef-vineet-bhatia/)
More from VeggieBuzz (http://www.veggiebuzz.com):
The Lowdown on 7 Dubai juice cleanses (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/the-lowdown-on-7-dubai-juices-cleanses/)
Q&A and a few laughs with Chef Alain Passard (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/qa-and-a-few-laughs-with-chef-alain-passard/)
Follow VeggieBuzz on Instagram: instagram.com/veggiebuzz (http://www.instagram.com/veggiebuzz)
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia has been one of the forerunners in globalizing Indian cuisine with what he calls 'evolved' Indian food. He's honed his craft in India, taken London by storm, and opened up restaurants in Geneva and Dubai. But despite his stellar reputation, he prefers spending time with his family and eating simple vegetarian food at home.
http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-08-11-1439300296-8972891-VineetBhatiasquareimage-thumb.JPG (http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2015-08-11-1439300296-8972891-VineetBhatiasquareimage.JPG)
Image courtesy of Indigo by Vineet, Dubai
Dubai's Indego by Vineet has become something of a gastronomic institution since it first opened in 2004. On a recent trip to oversee the operations at Indego, Chef Bhatia sat down with me, the founder of Dubai-based food blog VeggieBuzz, for a candid chat about his culinary journey. The chef discussed his changing attitude toward vegetarianism. "I actually wasn't fond of vegetarian food when I was young, or any food other than sweets. Anything with sugar in it would keep me happy," he said. But having married a vegetarian, he feels differently, eating mostly vegetarian food at home. Chef Bhatia also revealed that his childhood passion was airplanes, and he wanted to join the Indian Air Force as a teenager.
When that didn't work out as planned, he looked toward a career in hotel management and found himself in the kitchen of the prestigious Oberoi Hotel. It wasn't a job he was keen on. "But once I started, I was amazed at the amount of discipline everyone had," he recounted. "It made me want to learn how to cook!"
Having worked his way up the ranks there, Chef Bhatia moved to London in the early 90's, where he was disappointed by the English perception of Indian food. "The food was designed to suit English tastes, it was not proper Indian food. I decided to rebel against that standard." Chef Bhatia went on to revolutionize London's Indian food scene and opened Zaika, which earned him his first Michelin star, the first for any Indian chef. Only a few years later, he opened his first solo venture, Rasoi, which garnered further acclaim and also earned a Michelin star, cementing his status as one of the world's most influential purveyors of Indian cuisine.
He has also helped to revitalize the menu for British Airways, and became a consultant for the Qatar Airways First Class and Business Class menus. He's noticed a trend toward vegetarianism in recent years among passengers. According to Chef Bhatia, "It's a lot lighter on a long flight. You drink a lot of water and eat less. With vegetarian food, you feel less heavy and don't feel as jet lagged."
As an award-winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author, Chef Vineet Bhatia has taken Indian cuisine to new heights. It'll be interesting to see how his food continues to evolve with the latest food trends.
Click here to read the full interview on VeggieBuzz. (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/a-chat-with-chef-vineet-bhatia/)
More from VeggieBuzz (http://www.veggiebuzz.com):
The Lowdown on 7 Dubai juice cleanses (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/the-lowdown-on-7-dubai-juices-cleanses/)
Q&A and a few laughs with Chef Alain Passard (http://www.veggiebuzz.com/qa-and-a-few-laughs-with-chef-alain-passard/)
Follow VeggieBuzz on Instagram: instagram.com/veggiebuzz (http://www.instagram.com/veggiebuzz)
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. (http://start.westnet.ca/newstempch.php?article=terms.html/) It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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