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Renowned British chef and restaurateur Heston Blumenthal is known for his experimental approach to cooking and his scientific approach to gastronomy. His three-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Fat Duck, in Bray, Berkshire, has impressed diners with its innovative take on modern British cuisine.
However, besides the ‘mad food scientist’ image that he has, thanks to some eccentric dishes he created like bacon and egg ice cream and snail porridge, Heston is one of the UK’s most respected chefs and loves traditional Indian food. So much so that he included some popular Indian recipes like biryani in his latest cookbook, ‘Is This A Cookbook? Adventures in the Kitchen'.
In an article, Vir Sanghvi revealed how, on one of his prior visits, the two had lunch at ITC Maurya, and Heston was blown away by the Indian gastronomic wonders such as biryani and mutton curry. No wonder that on his latest visit to India, the British chef decided to go back to ITC Maurya’s famed Indian restaurant, Bukhara.
Mr. Sanghvi took to Instagram to share some hilarious pictures from his time with the chef at the restaurant. In the post, we can see Blumenthal with the giant ‘Bukhara naan’, visibly shocked at its size of it and struggling to take a bite.
For the uninitiated, the popular Bukhara naan is a magnificent symbol of culinary mastery. The oversized naan unites a harmonious blend of flour, oil, milk, and a leavening agent to create a breathtaking creation that surpasses the size of a typical naan by eightfold. Stretching an impressive 36 inches in length and 30 inches in width (3" by 2.5"), this is an awe-inspiring culinary marvel that even a pioneering chef like Heston couldn’t fathom the existence of!
"He fought the naan, but the naan won! Heston Blumenthal returns to Bukhara to do battle with the restaurant’s signature naan," Sanghvi wrote in the caption of the post. Take a look:
Don’t we love his expressions? Chef Gaggan Anand too loved it and commented, "I love his look." Isn’t it great to know that famed international chefs keep coming back to India for its vibrant and diverse cuisine? For instance, chef Gary Mehigan has been in India for a few months, conducting a series of masterclasses and having several gastronomic adventures along the way. Read more about his latest foodie tryst in south India here.
