Kolkata :

Marination, that familiar method of flavouring and tenderizing food by coating them in a seasoned, and often acidic, liquid prior to cooking, lies at the core of a cuisine, lending character to the dish even as it provides a signature of the region. When Barbeque Nation, the casual dining chain which has an outlet at Sector V, decided to broaden the menu on their live on-the-table grill, not many could have fitted the bill better than Pat Chapman.

The Englishman, a chef, food writer, broadcaster and author, has a strong Indian connection and, perhaps more importantly, a passion for her cuisines. The Curry Club, which the London-born chef founded back home, has not just helped many a Brit take that bold leap from the bland to the spicy but has had them delve deeper into Indian cuisines.

“I’m not here to teach Indian marination to the chefs here; they know that better than me. But I do know the Indian palate,” said Chapman, who has brought 14 different marinations from round the world to add to what was being put on the table in the DIY (do-it-yourself) menu before the main buffet. “Putting the grill on the table is a fantastic concept and we don’t have it as yet in Britain,” added the 73-year-old, who had seven generations of his family living in India since 1715.

“My mother was born in Mhow and she was a terrific cook. She taught me and I have been cooking Indian food since I was eight,” said Chapman, who has earned sobriquets like ‘Ambassador of Indian food’ and ‘Curry King’ from British food reviewers. The man who has authored 36 recipe books with cumulative sales of over 1.5 million copies reminded that he has had no formal training as a chef. “But I’ve worked hard and learnt from so many of them. These chefs are my gurus,”
he added.

Giving a ‘demo’ of three of the marinations he has brought here — a Lebanese-Arabian coating of broccoli, a Thai preparation of Basa fish and Jamaican Jerk chicken — Chapman pointed out that the essence of marination is tenderizing for penetration of the flavours and that acid helps do that.

“Marination works particularly well for starters. Indian and Middle-East starters use it very cleverly,” he said. “In my view, Indian is the best food in the world. The curry is a wonderful thing, the food of a nation,” he added, and pointed to the phenomenal spread of Indian cuisine in the UK.

“I came to India for the first time in 1965 and have been here some 43-44 times since then; my wife Dominique has been here about 20 times. The visits have been more frequent since the 1980s, when I started The Curry Club. I bring groups and have them meet chefs here. Most members are British but we have Americans and people from other regions on board too,” he said. “Indian food is addictive. When I was a kid, garlic had to be bought from the chemist in the UK. Now you get it everywhere. Every region of India is represented in London through its restaurant and they are all doing well.”

Yorkshire Lamb, Spanish Valencia Prawns, English Mushrooms, Persian Veg Patties, New Orleans Corn, Mexican Veg Shashlik… As the skewers were laid on the table grills for the gastronomes to baste them in Vinegar Chili, Lemon Butter or Oriental Garlic to add that sheen of personal preferences, Chapman went around for the interactions. As the items disappeared quickly from the plates in the company of barbeque, tartar and mild mustard sauces, the beaming Englishman would have known he had connected well with the Indian palate.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Arup Chatterjee, TNN / October 18th, 2014