This story is from August 8, 2010

I dream of opening a restaurant: Nagesh

SAYONI SINHA / Mumbai Mirror / Aug 8, 2010, 11:24 IST

Text Size

Small
Medium
Large

Nagesh Kukunoor's favourite place in the world is his kitchen where he unwinds after a day's work.

Nagesh Kukunoor's favourite place in the world is his kitchen where he unwinds after a day's work.
Nagesh Kukunoor is playing with fire, quite literally. He is spending more and more time in his kitchen, experimenting with new dishes. Being a hardcore foodie, cooking comes naturally to him and he can also find similarities with filmmaking.
"Just as the purpose of a good film is to tell a story, a good dish is about bringing out the right flavours," believes Kukunoor.Like his films, Nagesh has a penchant for try-ing his hand at new dishes.
"My dish totally depends upon what is there in the pantry. I was inspired by the show Naked Chef (no, he didn't take off his clothes while cooking) where host Jamie Oliver churned out a dish with whatever basic ingredients he had. But unlike him, my dishes sometimes backfire."

Salad days
His love affair with food started when he acted as his mother's helper (chopping vegetables, tasting dishes) but that didn't prepare him for the full time cooking he had to undertake in the US when he went to study filmmaking. "Like all students, I couldn't afford to eat out too often.
So I bought the cheapest thing available - sausage links, chopped it and tossed it with garlic, tomatoes, and onions and within minutes, I had a dish ready which I ate with Mexican tortillas. Over time, it became my comfort food," he says. During his stay, he was introduced to the concept of community cooking where every student would cook something.

"When you have to cook for a group of people, you try to be at your creative best. It was a Sunday night ritual and something which helped us breeze through the drudgery of the week. We cooked in turns and when my turn came, I made pongal and khichdi and biryani (apart from my few experiments with chicken). It was always appreciated but then two to three wine bottles down, everything is edible," he laughs.
After coming back from the US, Nagesh got busy with filmmaking and cooking took a backseat but over the past year, Nagesh went back to pursue his passion. First on his list was Thai cuisine and he flew to Bangkok to take a course in authentic Thai cooking. Not satisfied, he flew to Hyderabad to try his hand at traditional Hyderabadi cuisine.
All stir fry
For someone who has to work late nights, coming home and cooking dinner is not an exciting proposition. But when you are passionate about food, it acts as a stress buster. "I have a maid who chops vegetables and keeps them in the fridge.
So when I am back, depending on my enthusiasm, I cook my dinner. It normally takes 15-30 minutes to make a dish." In his freezer, there is an endless supply of fish - canned and frozen, some of which is flown from Hyderabad. "I am particularly fond of fish called Murrel and my mother applies her special masala and parcels it to me."
Apart from that, his kitchen shelf has a collection of sauces (smart man's way to quick cooking, says Nagesh). When he has guests at home, Nagesh prefers playing the chef rather than ordering from restaurants. "I always cook three dishes because only one will be outstanding.
I experiment and make my guests try my inventions (which turns out to be good most of the times). Another dish which never goes wrong is my mom's signature mutton chop masala. I try it here while my sister makes the same dish for her friends in the US. That never backfires. I dream of opening a restaurant maybe a couple of years down the road," he concludes.
Follow us on Twitter for more stories

End of Article