Masterful blend

It’s always a joy to work with clients who know their onions and I have created many a dish on request. All people who love good food are my clients. The one thing that I enjoy is demanding clients. It’s amusing to see how clients’ tastes vary.

This trade is a continuous learning process and one has never learnt enough to be called a master. I have the natural ability and the sensibility to taste and create gourmet cuisine. My olfactory senses including my taste buds are more sensitive to taste and flavors compared to most people. I also have the ability to create dishes in my head and can determine the final taste of a combination of most ingredients.

Frankly my entrepreneurial spirit restricted me from taking up a "job at a five-star.” With my formal training enhanced by my flair for European cuisine, I began regularly catering for the expat community, especially the French, in 1995. When I realized I could achieve higher culinary heights on my own I took up the challenge to establish Catering and Allied from a single kitchen unit at my residence with a single helper and a college friend who would assist me with the service — a three-man army. My parents, Roshan and Aspi, thankfully gave me a 250 sq ft room at my residence at the time. The first gas range I bought was from the jaripuranawala (itinerant scrap dealer) — I still have that gas range. But for many years I ploughed back whatever I earned into the business. My parents and a friend initially helped with whatever capital they had — it all started on a wing and a prayer.

I then set up a commercial kitchen at Marine Lines within a year. Catering and Allied started full-fledged commercial operations in 1996. One by one, the company did some of the best catering in the city and gradually had a huge fan following. There are so many clients to whom I am ever grateful for having faith in my abilities, even though I was young, to take care of the most important functions in their lives — weddings, navjotes, anniversaries and celebrations. Often they have held my hand and showed me the way. I know for sure that they feel a sense of pride today that they have been instrumental in the making of Farrokh Khambata. I also believe in the adage — always build your bridges.

In 2003, I got the opportunity to set up my own restaurant. Having already done cooking stints in Thailand, Laos and Singapore in the world of Far Eastern cuisine, came the dawn of Joss — a fine dining restaurant that offers modern Far Eastern cuisine, and Rampart Row Banquets — a premier banqueting location in the heart of south Bombay, which consists of over 10,000 sq ft of luxuriously designed, planned and restored spaces housed in a heritage building in the cultural and corporate district of Kala Ghoda.

Left: Grand Aria hall above Joss Below: Trout (left) and Sea Bass

Using French techniques and European and Asian ingredients from Japan, Malaysia, Bali, Indonesia and Chile, the Joss menu boasts items such as Oriental Crab Bisque, Miso encrusted Chilean Sea Bass, Smoked Himalayan Trout, Silken Tofu Steaks and of course the Balinese Curry. Sumptuous and innovative desserts such as the Joss Hot Kahlua Soufflé, Chocolate cigars with prune and Armagnac ice cream, Assorted Berry Mille Feuille and a congregation of great world wines grace the menu. The cuisine is a masterful blend of oriental flavors presented in European style and is polished yet unpretentious, elegant yet not over-the-top. Joss also has an innovative and interesting menu for vegetarians who never feel let down. Contrary to Parsi belief vegetarianism is big in India and an entrepreneur should recognize that fact.

With the success of Joss have come the Rampart Row Banquet Rooms. It was love at first sight when I first saw the majestic space with 30 ft height and pure teak floors. It was dilapidated but like an unpolished diamond waiting to be discovered. Rampart Row has become an arena for me to display my culinary talent in various cuisines. It is a delight and a challenge to do pre-plated, sit-down meals for 400 people at a time from our own kitchens and brunch and dinner buffets which are gastronomical and visual feasts. Between three function halls and outdoor catering the kitchens churn out up to 70-80 different dishes per day. I have a kitchen strength of 80 chefs and another 120 members look after the service and utilities. My core teams are people who have been with me and have been groomed by me for the last 10 years. Thankfully my father and wife Dilshad handle accounts.

The list of menus we do at Rampart Row Banquets and outdoor catering is exhaustive. We do European cuisine for formal sit-down meals, Asian cuisine from Malaysia, Bali, Japan and Vietnam. Our current emphasis is on doing refined high-end regional Indian cuisine such as Hyderabadi, Goan, Kashmiri, Kera­lite. Of course the constant refinement of Parsi cuisine and cooking 100-year-old Parsi recipes remains a passion.

There are numerous institutions which teach culinary skills. After doing a short stint with architecture I got admission at the prestigious Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at Bombay where I won numerous awards including the All India Student Chef Competition. My big break came when I traveled to Europe and spent my formative time training at the renowned French restaurant Au Normandy and later at the Panorama Rue Boucicot in Paris. Personally, I love experimenting with Japanese cuisine. The strengths of a Japanese chef lie in using the simplest and freshest ingredients to create culinary masterpieces. Also, presentation is of utmost importance. Besides, I love the fifth flavor which the Japanese call umame, best described as the flavor of the sea with sweet, salty and sour tastes combined.

To this day, I constantly feel the need to refresh my skills and reinvent my menus from time to time. The drive and curiosity to grasp more about global cuisine and palates often takes me traveling to far and distant places. I’d like to expand into a chain of restaurants doing various types of modern cuisine. Our company is constantly hunting for space for the same.

My philosophy on food is simple: "Use the freshest ingredients that are made available to you. Don’t compromise on their quality and be creative at every stage. Have a large heart and don’t cook only for profit.”

Lobster (left) and Whisky Flambeed Prawns

BALINESE CURRY OF ORIENTAL VEGETABLES

Serves: 10 peoplePreparation time: 30 minutes

Coconut milk (500 ml)

Red chillies (50 g — fresh)

Garlic (1 clove)

Ginger (1small piece)

Coriander seeds (1 tsp)

Coriander stalks (few)

Tamarind pulp (1 tbsp)

Green aubergine (100 g)

Baby corn (100 g)

Broccoli (100 g)

Mushrooms or flat mushrooms (½ pkt)

Basil (25 g)

Lemon grass (for garnishing)

Cut all the vegetables into cubes and blanch in salted water. Quarter the mushrooms and sauté. Keep aside. For the curry paste, dry roast chillies, garlic and ginger in a pan. Add the rest of the ingredients into a blender or a mortar and pestle and make a fine paste. Remove coconut milk and keep aside. Puree the basil. In a flat-bottomed vessel heat some oil. Add curry leaves and then add the paste. Fry the paste over low heat and then add the coconut cream, basil puree and tamarind pulp. Simmer the curry for 10 minutes. Check seasonings. When ready to serve, add the blanched vegetables. Garnish with more basil leaves and sliced lemon grass. Serve with steamed or sticky rice.

Tips: Use very little water when extracting coconut milk as this will make it creamy. Always add vegetables to a dish just before serving as this will keep them crisp and they will retain their original color.

CHOCOLATE CIGARS

Makes 4 portions

For the mousse

Melting chocolate (200 g)

Eggs (2)

Whipped cream (50 ml)

Cointreau (1 tsp)

Butter paper (6 x 4 inch squares)

For the coating

Melting chocolate (100 g)

To make mousse, heat melting chocolate over double boiler. Separate egg yolk and the white. Add the egg yolk into the chocolate, fold the cream and add cointreau. Whip the egg whites and fold into the mixture. Chill the mousse. Make a cigar shaped roll of the butter paper. Put mousse in piping bag and pipe into the rolls. Allow the mousse to freeze.

To make cigar coating, take another square of butter paper and spread melted chocolate over it. Quickly remove the chilled mousse rolls. Open and roll over the melted chocolate paper. Chill. Serve in ashtray, with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.