spreads across Oz

Ajoy’s Dum ka Murg

1kg whole chicken, skinned and cut on the bone into small pieces

1½ tbsp salt

2 cups sliced onions

½ cup vegetable oil

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger

1½ tbsp green chilli paste

1 tbsp ground sesame seeds (tahini)

1½tbsp ground cashews

1tsp turmeric

Expect more than a ‘curry’

For chef Ajoy Joshi, the Good Food Month festival is yet another opportunity to showcase his considerable culinary expertise. Having been an active participant in the festival since 2001, Ajoy has presented various themes and cuisines from India through the years, including Indian cooking classes and cooking with kids, among others. For this year’s festival, Ajoy intends to present four different types of distinct cuisine from India, from the metros of Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai from the kitchens of Nilgiri’s, his restaurant in St Leonards.

“Each of these cities has a special style of cuisine and numerous dishes that are unique to it,” explains Ajoy. “Over four weekends during the festival, Nilgiri’s will present a dining experience from each of these cities, bringing out the flavours of their cuisine that has existed and been enhanced for centuries”.

Epicures will enjoy the best of Hyderabad through the Charminar Bazaar, which will present delicacies like the indomitable biryani, as well as local dishes like Pathar ka ghosht, nehari (slow cooked lamb) and bakarkhani (royal bread). The Bandra Festival that is dear to all Mumbaiites will have the inevitable Chowpatty chaat, Kolhapuri mutton and Kolivada fish. Purani Delhi will offer the best in kebabs and parathas; and Pondi Bazaar will present a selection of seafood dishes true to the region, as well as the Kanjeevaram idli

“We have a balanced selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, and our signature dosa for which we are renowned, will feature throughout the festival,” says Ajoy. To ensure a fitting conclusion to the dining experience, a selection of

Indian sweets from each region will be on offer.

Nilgiri’s will certainly be on the route of gourmands looking for an exciting array of Indian cuisine. But then, the restaurant has been operating since 1997, and is extremely popular with a regular and loyal clientele comprising of local Australians, as well as those of Indian origin.

“When I started out in the food industry in Australia, Indian food wasn’t even considered as a cuisine,” says Ajoy. “A ‘curry’ was what constituted Indian food”.

My aim was to demystify the cuisine and to take it beyond this concept. I am happy to say that at Nilgiri’s we have succeeded in doing just that. My patrons now know that Indian cuisine is varied, comes from different regions and that each dish is prepared using specific ingredients that are put together for a reason,” he adds.

“In my cooking classes, I emphasise the use of certain spices such as the use of haldi (turmeric) or green chillies, to educated attendees on the reason why these spices are used in certain dishes. There is a reason behind the combination of spices that gives food from different regions in India their distinct flavour. Indian cooking has been evolving since 4,000 years, and it will keep evolving,” states Ajoy.

He is delighted that the perception of Indian cuisine has changed dramatically now, and that epicures of fine dining even recommend certain wines that compliment different Indian spice, the essence of each recipe remains unchanged. That’s what makes Nilgiri’s so attractive to people seeking an authentic Indian cuisine,” he adds.

For Ajoy, introducing patrons to the various regional cuisines of India is also a challenge, but an interesting and rewarding one. “It is important for people to know that different regions enjoy diverse dishes, and I try and make them aware of this through themed cuisine each month. In November, we aim to present Kashmini cuisine, with a combination of the best of Hindu and Muslim dishes,” he says.

Years of experience working in the hospitality industry as a chef in renowned hotels, as well as owning restaurants individually, or in partnership in India and Australia, have put an edge of finesse to Ajoy’s cuisine. That he is passionate about his restaurant and its offerings is obvious, and the testimony to this exists in the success of Nilgiri’s. Ajoy is certain to enjoy wide patronage during the Good Food Month festival, and it is hoped that his array of regional cuisine on offer, apart from enhancing the tastebuds of his patrons, also entices them into experiencing the various regional dishes and flavours that make India a conglomeration of fascinating cuisines.

To share the Good Food Month culinary experience at home, try one of Ajoy’s signature dishes

2 tbsp poultry garam masala

2½ cups full-fat yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup chopped mint

In a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt to onions and mix. Heat oil in shallow frying pan. Add onions to caramelise and set aside.

For the marinade: In a clean mixing bowl, add garlic, ginger and green chilli pastes. Then add, one at a time, sesame seeds, cashews, turmeric, garam masala, remaining salt and yoghurt. Fold together. Add the chicken to the marinade and rub marinade onto the meat. Set aside for about 15 mins. Place marinated chicken in a large saucepan, making sure that the meat only takes up onethird of the saucepan space (this allows the steam in the rest of the pan to cook the chicken). Place frying pan on medium heat. Let pan heat up, then place the contents into frying pan. Cover pan with a heatproof mixing bowl. Reduce heat and add half a ladle of water to mixing bowl. Cook chicken until all the water in bowl has evaporated (about 50 mins to just over 1 hour). Remove lid and sprinkle with lemon and mint. Serve with a bread of your choice.

Authenticity is key

Chef Kumar Mahadevan’s theme for the Good Food Month festival is ‘Let’s do Lunches’. But it’s not just ordinary lunches that this talented chef, a veteran in the business, intends to prepar for patrons of his two renowned restaurants, Aki’s and Abhi’s.

Kumar will create a feast of Italian food, featuring cuisine from the Campania region in south Italy for patrons, a move away from the traditional Indian cuisine that is the hallmark of his awardwinning restaurants.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Aki’s restaurant in Woolloomooloo in the same month, he will present a degustation menu.

Aki’s was awarded a Chef’s Hat in The

Kumar’s Railway goat curry

100mls sunflower oil

Whole garam masala

3 bay leaves

1 inch cinnamon stick

6 pods green cardamom

9 cloves

1tsp mace threads or powder

2 Spanish onions

11/2 tbsp ginger paste

½ tbsp garlic paste

3 tomatoes

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

11/2 kg goat meat with bone

5 sprigs fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a casserole dish over a low to medium heat and add the whole garam masala, except the mace. The mace will be added right at the end. Once the whole garam has released its aroma, add the sliced onions and cook till the onions are golden brown. Add the garlic paste first and cook for a minute. Add the ginger paste and the powdered spices and cook for a couple of minutes sprinkling some water (1 tbsp) in order to stop the powdered spices from burning. says Kumar emphatically. “I don’t create local versions. What you get is actual Indian food the way it is prepared back home. This is the testament of my culinary expertise, I never compromise on the taste and authenticity of the menu. So if you order sambar, you will get exactly the same dish that is prepared in, say, Chennai,” he adds.

Add the tomatoes and let the tomatoes work with the powdered spices till you see some oil separation around the edges. Now add the diced goat, and season with salt. Coat the meat with mixture and stir for a further 5 mins till the meat releases its juices. Now add a litre of water and cook over low to medium heat for an hour and a half. Check for the consistency of the sauce (should not be too thin). Add the fresh coriander leaves (4 sprigs) and the mace powder and remove from burner.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves for garnish before serving. (A slow cooking process will ensure tender meat).

This, says Kumar, is the main reason why both his restaurants are popular among Indians and non-Indians alike, and have been for since the past 25 years, with the creation of Abhi’s in North Strathfield.

Kumar is no stranger to the Australian cooking scene, having appeared on cooking show Masterchef, and having more recently published his first cookbook titled From India: food, family and tradition

Kumar began his tryst with Indian cuisine from an early

Australia in 1985 to work, and was soon heading up the kitchen at the highly regarded Mayur restaurant, where he cooked for the likes of Prince Phillip and Mick Jagger.

Kumar has taken his natural flair for the combination of and contemporary aspects of Indian food.

Kumar is particularly proud of his recently released cookbook, which presents traditional and modern recipes alongside his personal story of arranged marriage, international adventures and his and his wife’s ultimate move to Australia. Recipes are arranged according to their taste, ‘sour,’ ‘sweet,’ ‘salt,’ ‘bitter’ and ‘spice,’ perhaps emphasising the Vedic concept of six tastes. www.indianlink.com.au

Among the many signature dishes that are presented from Kumar’s kitchen, the most special ones are Patrani machhi, which consists of an exquisite fillet of wild barramundi wrapped in banana leaves and steamed with fresh mint, coriander, ginger and lime; Palak patta chaat; Double ka meetha, a sweet dish; and Railway Goat Curry, which the chef shares with us (above).

Flavours of home from Haandee

Good Food Month is also joining forces with Parramasala and Taste, to highlight Indian food in Parramatta. Nasir Siddiqui and his team from Haandee Restaurant are thrilled to be a part of the festival. “We are very excited about our involvement in the Parramasala feast because it is one of the premiere events for the Indian community,” says Nasir. At Parramasala, along with involvement from other restaurants in the area too, there will also be a Chai Temple, Indian food markets and a vibrant street parade to spice things up in the city of Parramatta.

“This year, we are planning a couple of specialities for the festival,” says Nasir. “One of them will be our Parramasala meal deals, and the other will be our grill specials night at which we will serve our signature dishes such as chicken tikka, seekh kebab and seafood items all cooked on charcoal”.

The cuisine at Haandee Restaurant is traditional Pakistani-Indian cuisine, and has been running for a few years now on Church Street, in the heart of Parramatta. The team who all hail from Punjab, collectively have over 20 years of experience in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.

“We believe that Australia in particular has been very