Chennai

Do you believe that 2017 will be the year of vegetarian food? 

I believe 2017 will be a year when people concentrate on wellness and eat healthy. Everyone is getting conscious about the food they eat and it is a wonderful trend. For instance, earlier glutenfree diet was meant for people with certain health condition. Now people have found out it is a great option to lose weight and are consciously opting for it. Similarly, lot of other trends are in vogue owing to the health angle. I feel this year will be about healthy eating rather than vegetarian eating alone.

What is your idea of perfect meal?

It should be tasty and full of flavours. But more importantly it should be a balanced meal. The nutrients have to be in right proportion to make for a perfect meal.

Do you ascribe to the idea of fusion cuisine? 

I think everything is fusion. If I make Italian dish with local ingredients from India, it is fusion food for me because Italians make it using certain ingredients which can’t be found in India. So am absolutely fine with fusion food and it is important to use local produce for cooking.

Name two ingredients that are most versatile.

I will name two ingredients that I always stock in my kitchen and use generously. One is chillies as they add lot of flavour and colour to any dish. The other one is sea salt as it gives a complex flavour and adds a different dimension to any dish.

Favourite south Indian dish 

Tamil Nadu has a lot of diversity in its food. Every region has its own style of cooking and all of them are unique. But when I get down at Chennai airport, I head to Murugan Idly shop for their idlis.

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