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Renowned Chef Anahita Dhondy is a part of the three-chef team that is preparing food for the spouses of world leaders visiting India for the G20 Summit. The other two members of the coveted team are Chef Kunal Kapoor and Chef Ajay Chopra. Every chef is supposed to make one course and chef Anahita is in charge of preparing the starters. For this once in a lifetime kind of opportunity, the Chef has chosen to represent the flavours of Parsi cuisine and incorporate the usage of millet in her presentation. This is on the lines of the United Nations naming 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
In an exclusive chat with HT Slurrp, Chef Anahita said, “I wanted to showcase my Parsi roots and Parsi food culture and most importantly showcase millets. So, I am using two kinds of millets – one being cooked barnyard millet and the other is puffed amaranth”. Both these millets have been a part of the Indian cuisine for years. The starter that she is making is a vegetarian raw banana cutlet from the Parsi cuisine. This simple starter dish is a delicious cutlet that has the delicate melt in the mouth texture and the chef hopes that the guests would love to taste these cutlets served hot and fresh.
Representative image - Raw banana millet cutlets
Chef Anahita also expressed her joy and excitement at the possibility of some of these esteemed ladies joining her team at the counter and not just see how the cutlets are made, but also take part in the process of making the delicacy. “I am hoping the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murthy is excited to try out authentic Indian flavours and I do hope she comes and joins me at the kitchen counter while I’m cooking”, shares Chef Anahita. The guests are already excited to taste these lesser known, simple and super nutritious dishes of our country, made with millets, so seeing the entire process will definitely add on to the experience.
India has been preparing for the G20 summit that is happening in New Delhi for months now and it is finally the time to reap the benefits of all the hard work that the entire team has done. The Summit has commenced, and it is running smoothly. As a huge part of hospitality for us Indians is to feed our guests the best food possible, the delicious millet-based preparations that will be made for the guests at the summit are sure to impress them. And when we have talented chefs like Anahita Dhondy cooking for the First Ladies, it is sure to be a success.
