Chef Surender Mohan, sharing India’s heritage through high-end cuisine

euronews (in English)

Guy Shone and The Dialogue met with Surender Mohan, Executive Chef at Jamavar restaurants, to discuss his passion for cooking, from his childhood in India, to international recognition with a Guide Michelin star.

Transcript

00:00 Next on the dialogue, we meet a Michelin starred chef connecting Qatar with India and London

00:08 on a mission to make diners feel like royalty.

00:12 Well, chef Surendra Mohan's mastering of Indian cuisine, flavours and delicacies has earned

00:20 him an international reputation.

00:23 Hello, I am Surendra Mohan, I'm a Michelin starred chef from Jammawa, London.

00:31 And it's a passion for sharing knowledge that's helped create his business success.

00:37 Hello, chef.

00:40 Great to see you.

00:44 Nice to meet you.

00:46 Thank you so much for joining us on the dialogue.

00:49 Well, we're here at Jammawa, Doha.

00:52 Why did you choose Doha?

00:54 Doha is a combination of tradition and innovation in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

01:01 And it's a very perfect place for Jammawa.

01:04 Jammawa is known for its richness, culinary heritage and holistic approach to the Indian

01:11 cuisine.

01:12 Now, you've had great success, but let's go right back.

01:15 What was it that first drew you to cooking?

01:18 Was it a family thing?

01:20 Yes, the food is my passion from the childhood.

01:24 I saw my mother always cooking for the whole family every day.

01:28 And I was very amazed when I see my mother is cooking every day with the same love and

01:33 generosity.

01:34 That time I understood what is cooking is.

01:37 I was helping her every time.

01:40 It means, you know, cooking is to convey a love to the people.

01:45 So I decided to be a chef in future.

01:50 So that's why it is always in my blood.

01:53 Now, I'm very honored, if not a little afraid, that you're graciously allowing me to assist

02:00 you with cooking one of your signature dishes today.

02:03 Can you tell us about the dish and the ingredients involved in it?

02:06 We're going to do today scallop moeli.

02:09 So normally moeli back home we make with the fish moeli, which is very famous.

02:14 As I said, we uplift our dish, so we are making with the scallop.

02:18 On the hunt for fresh scallops.

02:19 We've got your top team to assist us, so let's go shopping.

02:29 Chef, when you're creating new menus, new recipes, where does the inspiration, the motivation

02:43 come from?

02:44 Traveling gives wonderful inspirations.

02:46 I like to visit the old villages or small towns where the authentic dishes or recipes

02:54 is used and the old techniques.

02:57 So I always wanted to serve the authentic dishes, which dishes is not in the menu because

03:02 people are doing many modern things, creating a mix.

03:07 But for me, to put in these dishes, which is not in the market so much, so that people

03:14 should not forget all these dishes, for me it is very important to be consistent, whether

03:19 we are here in Doha, Jamowar, or in London, Jamowar.

03:24 Thank you.

03:25 We've got our ingredients.

03:26 Let's go and create some cuisine.

03:27 Yes, sure.

03:28 I mean, there's a lot to learn.

03:43 I get the impression, Chef, that the sharing of knowledge is something that's really important

03:48 to you.

03:49 If you think back to your early career, what advice did you find the most useful?

03:55 It's come through a mentoring.

03:57 My mother taught me.

03:58 I used to help her in the kitchen, a family tradition.

04:01 Of course, I did the three-year college, catering college.

04:05 You need to have a hands-on training on this, and sharing recipes, sharing techniques.

04:11 Most important, you should learn from the experienced chef, because they know what they

04:15 have gone through, and you need to respect them to learn for your betterment for the

04:21 career.

04:22 What I learned and what I understood, there are no shortcuts of doing good quality, consistency,

04:32 and dedication to achieve success in your life.

04:37 Wow.

04:38 Very poignant.

04:39 Very apt.

04:40 So, shall we start cooking now?

04:42 Yeah.

04:43 Now we put the oil here.

04:47 When the oil will reheat, and then we will put these whole spices on the oil and get

04:53 crackle, so that the flavor of all the spices will come in the sauce.

04:59 I'm a bit nervous that I'm doing this wrong, but it's very good.

05:02 See, the experience will come with the hands-on training.

05:07 Scallop.

05:10 The stars of the show.

05:12 Yes, star of the show.

05:14 So, your scallop mouli, which is our signature dish, is ready.

05:22 Wow.

05:23 This is the dish.

05:26 It looks incredible, chef.

05:28 Now, how hard is it to get a Michelin star?

05:34 It was quite challenging to get a Michelin star, but we focus on our authenticity, quality,

05:42 and consistency of each dish we serve in the restaurant.

05:45 And in my cooking, I give priority to the local and seasonal product, authenticity,

05:51 taste, and good quality of ingredients.

05:55 That's we follow, and I believe this is a success to get a Michelin star.

06:01 I mean, it's an incredible achievement.

06:04 You've done something even more rare in that you've fought to win back a Michelin star

06:10 that was lost as well, haven't you?

06:12 Yeah, I mean, Jamawar got his Michelin star in the very first year, and the second year,

06:17 we lost the star.

06:19 It was very disheartening as a group, you know, and I am the part of this group from

06:25 day one when we started the Jamawar, and it was very hard.

06:29 Three years, it took us to get a Michelin star back.

06:33 But getting a Michelin star is every chef have a dream, and when we got, you know, it's

06:39 look like dream come true.

06:41 And what is it about you, chef?

06:43 Most people can't achieve things like that, particularly when the odds are against you

06:46 as they were.

06:48 Is there something about your philosophy and approach which helps you through those tough

06:52 times?

06:53 You need to be dedicated on your work.

06:56 You need to be on top of everything.

07:01 You need to see every single plate which going out from the kitchen.

07:05 When the guest is coming to the restaurant, they should get the same taste, consistency.

07:10 They should not get surprised.

07:12 Same consistency, quality, good product, taste.

07:16 So that's the main thing, you know, to be a high-end restaurant or Michelin star restaurant.

07:21 Well, a dream come true for you, and it's a dream come true for me to get a chance to

07:26 eat this incredible food.

07:27 Is it okay if I have a taste?

07:28 Please.

07:29 It will be a pleasure.

07:34 Just taste the sauce first, and then you will have all the, and little bit of relish on

07:39 the top, and then all together, you know, later on.

07:47 Incredible, delicious.

07:51 The taste of hard-earned success.

07:53 Chef, thank you so much for joining us.

07:55 Thank you very much.

07:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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