Chef Ananda Solomon
Chef Ananda Solomon
Founder and Executive Chef Thai Naam by Ananda
Believe me, when it rains and rains, all I want to do is go to the kitchen and cook and cook. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to make sure I bring many smiles to the faces of my patrons by offering them sumptuous, piping hot food on a cold and wet day!
Even though for me every season brings with it, its own magic of flavours, ingredients and produce, and I do love cooking all year round, monsoons in India are special. Our vibrant nation has rich soil and one good monsoon nourishes it all year long, thereby impacting its produce. My fondest memories from my childhood are when I accompanied my mother to the markets in the rain. It was so much fun, the bazaars in those days were not as crowded with people as today, and the vegetables, fruits, and ingredients always looked so fresh and irresistible. I think these experiences early on in my life became the foundation for what lay ahead, my career as a chef!
The ingredient I would most like to cook with during the monsoon is dried fish. The editor of this magazine loves my dried fish recipes and it was she who suggested I should cook a few assorted dishes for her readers. Well, dried fish is perfect for rainy days; rice, dal, chutney, papad and dried fish! For those who don’t like to eat frozen fish this is a great alternative. Many foodies buy and stock dried fish, especially dried Bombay Duck, in the month of May itself, “for that rainy day!”
You can make dry Bombay Duck, tiny dry shrimps, salted dry fish in many ways. I have chosen several of my signature recipes that include dried fish. Nungel Meen Curry is a personal favourite as it reminds me of my childhood. Sorak is a Goan signature preparation during the rainy season and it goes really well with ghee rice.
To be honest, while I would like to take a break and go away to Kerala for a monsoon holiday, I don’t think I will. We have had two tough years and now that the hospitality industry has opened up again, I would like to be right here in Bombay, serving my patrons.
