Food can solve every problem

Australia began living under strict lockdown rules on March 23 as Coronavirus cases topped 1600 As in wartime streets in Victoria were deserted and supermarket restaurants and pubs closed down Melbournebased Sunda Dinings sous chef Nabil Ansari found himself in the predicament that many temporary visa holders didmdashhe was stood down with immediate effectAt five Ansari moved from Mulund to Dubai with family and theyd be back every year for the holidays He decided to return to India after high school in 2009 and completed junior college in Pune I wanted to become a pilot and had enrolled in an aviation school but that did not work out Later on I joined a business school in Vikhroli but that too did not interest meMango Fried Bread And Coriander Ice CreamIn 2014 he returned to Dubai where his mother had just started a catering business I remember being picky about what I ate when I was little but didnt quite have an interest in cooking My mothers biryani and kebabs were famous among the neighbours but we werent really sure how a commercial kitchen worked Ansari remembers Learning by trial and error over one year gradually drew him into the culinary world While his Lucknowi roots made him a pro at frying kachoris he wanted to explore global cuisineIn 2015 Ansari landed in Melbourne for a twoyear course at the William Angliss Institute There was a huge difference between what I had been doing with mom and what they expected of me but my mother had taught me to be patient and calm in the kitchen But learning culinary skills from mom gave me confidenceSpiced Tea Ice CreamA lot of things can go wrong and a chef ought to learn to keep his cool Three months later he landed a job at The European where he worked for almost two years before a stint at the fivestar Windsor Hotel one of Victorias oldest hotels The owners were planning to open Sunda a fine dine restaurant and hired me as sous chef It was a dream come true he beamsBut this new adventure was cut short after rising COVID19 cases It was in late March that Ansari resorted to the oldest trick in the bookmdashlaunching a delivery kitchen Ansari who is on a de facto partner visa says My partner and I left menu cards in open letterboxes in our building exactly like mom had done when she started off The idea was to deliver authentic Indian food to our neighbours On the first day we got three orders and by end of first week we did 130 It was surrealNabils Special ThaliOn Wednesdays he cooked palak paneer dal and rice His most famous 15hour butter chicken recipe in which he uses French techniques to stabilise the sauce made it to the menu on Thursdays Fridays were dedicated to Kerala special fish curry rice and papadam I know a lot of people in the industry they knew I was out of job and was doing this to survive They started spreading the word on social media and soon a local food reviewer covered my story That is how Ansari Indian was bornAnsari Indian is the Instagram page dedicated to his culinary pursuits that he launched during lockdown Within a week he had 1800 followers In June the situation normalised and Sunda reopened But I wanted to keep Ansari Indian going Last year he made a quick trip to Mumbai Kerala and Delhi to learn more about local food This research trip came handy to keep the brand going I love ice cream and can eat it any time of the day Inspired by Mumbai and Delhis streetfood I decided to whip up ice creams three days a week when I was not working at SundaDum BiryaniThese included guava lemon and Kashmiri chilli sorbet inspired by Mumbais street vendors selling cut fruit plates with sugar and spice and drawing on his father special tea he made ginger star anise clove and cardamom ice cream It was a hit The plan is to start exporting the tubs across India too he hopesIn July when the second lockdown was announced Windsor offered him one of their kitchens From snacks like duck samosa kheema naan and vada pav to mains like dum biryani and elaborate nonvegetarian thalis I serve everything When I look back I realise that a lot could have gone wrong But I am grateful to those who helped me through Support in hard times is everythingButter chickenPreparation Time 15 hoursFor chicken stockIngredients2 kg chicken bones and water to coverMethodIn a large pot place chicken bones and cover it with cold water Bring the water to a boil and skim the surface for impurities Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours Strain through a muslin cloth and reserveFor chicken tikka marinadeIngredients 2 kg chicken thigh fillets 200 g yogurt 20 g ginger garlic paste 15 tbs Kashmiri chili 1 tbs coriander powder 1tbs cumin powder 1tbs turmeric powder 1 tsp black salt 1 tsp table salt 1 tbs chaat masala 50ml lemon juice 20 ml onion oilMethodIn a large mixing bowl combine all the spices with yogurt lemon juice and onion oil Check the marinade for seasoning The marinade should be quite salty and acidic Marinade the thigh fillets for at least 12 hours After 12 hours heat a large nonstick pan to a very high heat until you see smoke coming out of the pan Sear the smooth side of the fillets till you get a char on one side do not move the chicken After a minute of searing remove from the pan keep aside We will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce later onSauceIngredients 1 kg Roma tomato 750 ml chicken stock 10 g Kashmiri chillies 40 gm ginger garlic paste 100 g cashewsMethodIn a large pot place the whole washed tomatoes and cover with the chicken stock prepared earlier In a muslin cloth place the whole spices and tie it up This is the bouquet garni to be put in the pot Add in the whole Kashmiri chilli powder and the ginger garlic paste On the lowest heat possible cook the tomatoes until all the moisture is evaporated from the pot This can take up to 5 hours if doing a larger batch it will take longer to reduceFor Bouquet garni potli masalaIngredients 2 cinnamon sticks 3 star anise 5 cardamom pods 3 clovesMethod We want to cook it slowly as it helps to retain the colour of the tomatoes and when we blend the tomato paste the skin breakdown as well Once reduced to a pastelike consistency discard the bouquet garni and transfer to a blender In small batches blend the paste for at least three minutes add a touch of stock if required It is important to blend it for long as we are not going to strain the sauceSeasoningIngredients Brown sugar fenugreek leaves salt butter and creamMethodIn a medium pan gently heat up the blended paste with the par cooked chicken Add in the seasoning ingredients and cook until the chicken is cooked Serve hotFollow Nabil Ansari nabilansari InstagramKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the 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