Three innovative dishes from a master of Indian cuisine.

Jamavar restaurants are part of the Leela group, based in India. The first Jamavar outpost opened in London, Mayfair at the end of last year, with Mr Rohit Ghai as executive chef

I worked for JKS Restaurants as a corporate chef for about four years, looking after all their restaurants – such as Gymkhana and Hoppers. Then I had an opportunity with Jamavar in London, which I took last year. I want to bring something unique to Indian food. There is no limit to this cuisine, but there is a lot of competition in London – one of the biggest foodie hubs in the world – so you have to be creative and stay at the top of your game.

I’m from New Delhi. I worked for eight and a half years in India, and then at Benares restaurant in Mayfair. Over the years, I learned a lot of French techniques, which I try to incorporate with Indian flavours. For example, I make a Rajasthani lamb shank curry at Jamavar, but I slow-cook it – which is a French technique. You can preserve a lot of flavour this way, rather than cooking it in a pot. I prefer French sous-vide cooking as well, and pan-roasting and searing. And I like having the opportunity to use a greater variety of meat cuts.

with southern spiced coconut milk and pearl onions

This is a south Indian dish which is very popular in Jamavar restaurants in India. In south India, people are more focused on cooking with what they grow – a lot of dry foods, spices and coconut for example. They use a lot of curry leaves as well. Seafood works well with these flavours because it’s delicate. The dish is subtle, has a creamy texture and combines flavours well – especially with the coconut. It’s perfectly balanced with southern spices. The cooking technique and presentation of this dish is done differently in London. For example, we use the full tail of the lobster. And it must be cooked to perfection. The London palette is less forgiving. I cook it in a bit of oil, ginger and garlic paste, with chopped curried leaves. We also pan-sear it first – in India it would likely be chopped up and added to the sauce.

with black cardamom, mint chutney and chur chur paratha

This is inspired by my childhood memories. The shami kebab is mostly eaten in north India, especially Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, but when I was at college in Delhi I used to eat them. The chur chur paratha is famous in Old Delhi. I used to have it with white homemade butter. I know the tastes and flavours but I made my own version here. I thought I would make the paratha a little healthier as it can be greasy. I use multigrain flour and cook it in the tandoor with slightly salted melted butter to make it crunchy. Also, to give the dish more flavour, I decided to do a bone marrow sauce. I serve everything on a wooden board to improve the presentation.

with mace, green cardamom and avocado chutney

This dish seems to be a favourite among food critics who have eaten at Jamavar. It’s a good combination of avocado, cardamom and maize, and it’s marinated in yoghurt and cheese. The flavour is intense. In Indian kitchens, people don’t really use avocado. But I found that if you put it with other Indian elements, like fresh mint, coriander and garlic, it works very well. The bass is cooked to perfection in the tandoor to give it a smoky flavour. Malai [made by heating non-homogenised milk] is a simple Indian recipe but I tried to do something a bit different with this dish. This is my own innovation and creativity.

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