Ruma Singh, a dear friend who is on the board of Chaine des Rotisseurs, invited me to attend the first culinary competition for young chefs organised by Chaine, held at Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield, Bangalore, 2 days ago.  The competitors were 17 young chefs from India’s top hotels and restaurants, all under the age of 27, and with less than 5 years of work experience .  Fortunately for us, the long drive to Whitefield was made easy and enjoyable, thanks to India bundh by public transport unions.

The black boxes were opened by the young chefs at 12.30 pm and cooking commenced at 1 pm.  The chefs were given 3.5 hours to create a 3 course menu.  What we saw during the menu presentation to the 4 elite judges were amazing creations by budding culinary geniuses.  The judges were Rishad Minocher, Bailli of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, Bangalore, Chef Rene Pierre Gouroud from Cameroon, Bailli Honoraire Manfred Matsyik, and Chef Jacques le Divellec, the Michelin 2 star chef from Paris who was invited for the event by the Chaine.  Everyone present clapped and cheered the participants when they received their citations and medals.  The awards were given away by the judges, Chaine board members and the sponsors (Auchan Hypermarkets, Marriott Whitefield, Bangalore, Weber India and Four Seasons Wines).

The first prize winner was Hitesh Gautam from Ista, Bangalore, 2nd prize was won by Chef Pushpender Yadav from Vivanta by Taj, MG Road, Bangalore, and the 3rd prize went to Chef Senthil Kumar from Leela Palace, Bangalore.  Chef Hitesh will be sent to Istanbul, Turkey, by the Chaine, along with his Executive Chef, Gautam Chaudhury, to participate in the world-wide young chefs competition, to be held by the Chaines des Rotisseurs in September 2013, where winning young chefs from over 50 Chaine member countries will compete for the grand prize.

The jury also awarded special prizes for the best 3 courses in the competition. This was won by Chef Siddesh B. Madkalker, Vivanta by Taj, Yeshwantpur, Bangalore, for his Pan seared Black Pomfret and Jumbo Prawns, guacamole, red wine poached fig and fennel risotto (appetizer), Chef Gaurav Kadam, Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield, Bangalore, for his Duo of loin of Lamb and Tenderloin, glazed knol-khol and carrots, served with funghi gravy (main course) and Chef Bharat Kapoor, Taj West End, Bangalore, for his Warm chocolate pudding, strawberry coulis, caramelized figs and walnut dust (dessert).

This Wednesday event was almost like watching Masterchef Australia (one of my favourite television programs).  The event was beautifully organised and executed.  May such culinary competitions and participants grow in numbers!

Shown here is Hitesh Gautam, the 1st prize winner of the competition, and one of his creations – “Taste of the Sea” – Soy marinated prawn, tangy black pomfret, squid ‘flower’ and avocado shooter. 

Many packaged foods carry ‘no trans fats’ on their label.  This indicates that trans fats are not good for us.

Trans fats (trans fatty acids is the real term) are formed when vegetable oils undergo hydrogenation to make them solid at room temperature.  The most common examples of trans fats is vanaspati and margarine.  This type of fat is used in baking (biscuits, cookies, cakes, etc), in ready-to-eat foods (chiwdas, mixtures, bhujias, namkeens, chips, etc), and sometimes even in homes and restaurants for deep frying.  The reason for its widespread use is because vanaspati is cheaper than pure ghee or butter, and it’s melting point is higher than some oils.  Secondly, vanaspati and margarine do not contain cholesterol because they are made from vegetable oils.  So far so good.

But the downside of using hydrogenated fats is that it’s the worst type of fat for health.  Trans fats not only increase the ‘bad’ cholesterol in the body, they also decrease the ‘good’ cholesterol.  Heart disease risk increases much more from trans fats than when you consume saturated fat from butter!

So it’s best to stay away from all those ready-made munchies and also to read labels carefully when you buy packaged foods.  While eating out do not hesitate to ask the cook what type of fat he uses for cooking.

I came across a news item recently that mentioned the top 5 diet trends for 2013 in the US.  The article said that the trends have been derived from a nationwide survey answered by 200 registered dietitians.

Here are the 5 diet trends –

1. Natural and simple foods with few ingredients and minimally processed are ‘in’.  Low carb is ‘out’.
2. To lose weight, consumers will look for wheat belly / gluten free diets along with commercial diet programs.
3. Dietitians, social media and smart phone apps are the top 3 resources for nutrition advice.
4. Consumers will focus on eating high quality calories. It’s not about the total calorie intake but where the calories are coming from.
5. Fruits and veggies remain king.  Consumers will look to include more plant based foods in their diets.

My take on this – most of these trends can be applied for Indians too.  However, I would not go with commercial diet programs or gluten free diet plans as a means to lose weight.  If you’re looking to lose weight, approach a qualified dietitian for help.

One cannot imagine eating our daily food without salt.  However, we tend to overeat salt without realising it.  In excess, salt can not only increase blood pressure but also leach out calcium from the body.

HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) has recently brought out a user-friendly online salt calculator which can be accessed and used for free.   Find out your salt intake at http://salttest.hul.co.in/

Let us know how useful this tool is for you and your family.

Meet Sandhya Oza, a smart, young model, mother of two, who is pursuing her passion for cooking by running Indian cookery classes called Curry Classes.  She started Curry Classes when she lived in England to teach the locals healthy Indian style cooking.  She was interviewed on BBC Essex Radio.  After moving to Bangalore, she continues to teach simple and easy cooking from scratch, using only farm fresh produce and chicken.  Curry Classes are run in Whitefield, Bangalore.  Do get in touch with her at www.curryclasses.com

Sandhya shares one of her Curry Classes recipes with us –

Vegetable Ginger Soup (serves 1)
One big bowl of vegetables of your choice.  I put tomato, dudhi (bottle gourd), carrot, onion, ginger and pepper.  2 whistles in a cooker and blitz it.  Salt to taste and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, blitz it and boil again.  You can add garlic too if you wish.