In India, people eat four meals a day, said Vikram Garg, executive chef of the Halekulani, who was born and raised in India. “Breakfast is eaten early, lunch is served by noon and in the evening there’s a huge culture of going out and eating. Then there’s a late-night supper,” he said.All this chowing down has created a long tradition of street food, presented at open stands that offer one or two quick-prep items, ideal for snacking, a grab-and-go lunch for a busy businessman, or that late supper. These are the specialty of the cook, who’s often executing a family recipe passed down generationally, or after apprenticing with a master cook.Amazingly, “nothing is written down,” said Garg. “In fact, many of these cooks don’t read or write.”The chef is presenting some of those delicious morsels — from kebabs and chaat to vindaloo and uttapam (see the sidebar for descriptions) of various regions of India— at a benefit dinner Jan. 31 for the Hawaii Culinary Education Foundation. The grazing dinner, with separate food stations offering dishes, will reflect the concept of street food in India.Garg, 45, spent some 20 years creating gourmet food across the globe, in such locales as Dubai and the Caribbean as well as both coasts of the U.S., before arriving in Hawaii. Yet he is not formally trained in Indian cooking.“There is no school in the world that teaches Indian cuisine,” he said. After training to become a chef, “in Indian kitchens I cooked French cuisine.”In contrast, with no recipes to guide a student, learning to cook Indian food means paying close attention, with both eyes and taste buds. “You learn by technique and tasting. You watch and taste and taste,” said Garg.A steep level of knowledge of spices is required for the successful Indian cook, from quality and varieties of individual spices to blending them. This involves particular proportions and cooking temperatures to achieve specific scents, flavors and textures.“It’s like choosing a perfume and how it interacts with your body chemistry,” said the chef. “It’s about how the mixed spices interact with your palate.”The operative word here is balance.“There’s a misconception that Indian food is spicy. It is, sometimes, but it still must be balanced. The tongue should be able to taste each spice,” he said. “It’s not about the heat, but about the nose and the palate.” Read More >>
This is an old dish, so simple and delicious
Read MoreChef Andrew Le, The Pig and The Lady
Read MoreChef Andrew Le, The Pig and The Lady
Read MoreChef Andrew Le, The Pig and The Lady
Read MoreMidweek article on 17th annual Charity Golf Tournament at Kapolei Golf Coursehosted by Hawaii Culinary Foundation.Read Midweek article here >>
Two first-year students of the Maui Culinary Academy were recently hosted by Leilani's on the Beach for two full days working closely with Executive Chef Ryan Luckey.Read More >>
So MW Restaurant is putting together a benefit dinner with a male vs. female lineup of culinary superstars. Which is heart-stopping enough (I know who I’m putting my money on), but I wanted to know more.“It all started because Lee Anne wanted to do a girls dinner, so last month we did one with Les Dames d’Escoffiers,” MW’s Michelle Karr-Ueoka says. >> Read more here
Poke Pie
Read MoreAll eyes were glued to Ronnie Capitle's deft hands as he anchored paper-thin slices of beets on a toothpick, twirling it as he went along to create a vivid vegetable rose in less than a minute. The same can be done with other produce, he said, demonstrating next with slices of a yellow-fleshed sweet potato. Capitle's mesmerizing handiwork kept his audience glued to his every word, his work punctuating his message: Excellence takes dedication, practice and patience.Read more >>
Roy's Executive Chef Jackie Lau taught an HCEF Kauai culinary class for 40 students. The motivational class focused on how to succeed in the culinary profession. In one of the student's words, "I learned how to be prepared for the culinary world." Chef Jackie demonstrated mascarpone and ricotta cheeses and created a flavorful roasted vegetable salad giving many students their first taste of roasted fennel, hearts of palm, and even beets.
Mascarpone Cheese
Read MoreChef Cathy Whims and Chef Linda Colwell with LCC culinary students Chef Cathy Whims, six-time James Beard Award nominee "Best Chef Northwest," taught two HCEF classes at Leeward Community College and Maui Culinary Academy for 111 students. Chef Whims was joined by Portland culinary educator Chef Linda Colwell in teaching Kauai Shrimp Ravioli in Brodo, a thoroughly modern dish, and Spaghetti alla Chitarra using a traditional chitarra (guitar) stringed wooden board to cut the pasta. Download or print a copy of the recipes by clicking on the link below: PastaRecipes (word doc)PastaRecipes (pdf file)
