In conversation with Atul Kochhar — one of India’s first chefs to earn a Michelin star

Atul Kochhar was one of India’s first chefs to earn a Michelin star, followed by another one soon. Indulge talks to this talented chef putting Indian cuisine on global tables.

You have kicked off your Culinary Sessions from Chennai. Why Chennai?

I was personally very pleased to come back to Chennai, since my formative years were from here, as I did my initial studies at IHM Chennai. I learnt a lot from here - not only about the incredible food we have here but indeed that of the whole country, its a fantastic feeling to be back here, almost feels like I am coming back home. Also, I jumped at this opportunity especially when my sponsors suggested this city first.

How did it feel to be the first Indian chef to get a Michelin Star?

Unbelievable is the word. It all started with a phone call, when a well-known food journalist called me and told me that I had won a Michelin star. I thought he was making a Mickey out of me so I just told him that I will see him later and hung up the phone. He then called me again, so I told him I have 3 sacks of onion to peel and have a busy restaurant day coming up, but he said don’t hang up, listen, the Michelin Guide has just come out and you have won a star. I just stood there for 3 minutes while I let the whole idea sink in…it was a beautiful thing. I was happy, but also a little pensive because a Michelin Star is like an annual report card. You have to keep up the standard each year, in order to earn it again. You have to work harder from this moment on. But that day, I just hugged my restaurant manager and my whole team because our team work was just fantastic.

How would you describe your style of cooking, given the fact that you are originally from Punjab, grew up in Jamshedpur, went onto The Oberoi in New Delhi and then went out of the country…

Punjabi by heritage, Bihari by birth. Then I came to Chennai and I learnt my craft and the culture, which was a very important part in my opinion. Then I landed up in the United Kingdom, but before I left India, I travelled a lot in the four states of South India. I also explored a larger part of the East and North-east, the only part I did not explore much was West India, which of course I did later in my life, but what struck me is that how diverse we are - our food is different, our cultures are different, we may do different things and follow different values and ways of life but what ultimately binds us together is our love for our country and how open we are to exploring cuisines. I definitely feel we are more diverse than anywhere else in the world, and I sort of delved into that, so today I can proudly say that my cuisine sings the praises of India to the world.

Do you think people have pre-conceived notions about Indian food? Like it has to be curries or pungent or spicy…

Not anymore. But when I landed in London in 1994, people would come up and say oh, another curry house opening. My initial encounter with a fishmonger who had come to show me his produce (he is still a supplier) was to this effect. I found the term curry house for Indian restaurants quite derogatory and swore to myself that I would change that. 3 decades later, I think we have been successful in changing people’s perceptions. There are many Indian restaurants with 2 Michelin stars in the city and this is where people are going today for very defined and refined dining experiences.

Of course, Europe is a very different place from the United Kingdom. For example, in places like Spain they stick to their own cuisine and don’t look at anything else. I did try to get Indian food to European places like Spain and France, but it just did not work. In their preference list, Indian food was going to be Page 3 or 4 - we were never going to achieve anything. So I decided to cut my losses and move on. When I started my own company, Atul Kochhar restaurants, I thought that the UK is the place where most Indian food is eaten outside India, so why not do it here? The British love you, love your food, so my wife and me started this journey to try and open restaurants in suburban London 4 years ago, and now we have a portfolio of 8 restaurants, all in the UK. Our flagship restaurant is called Kanishka, which is in Mayfair and other 7 are in the suburbs.

How much time do you personally spend in the kitchen nowadays or is it more of an administrative thing, running your own restaurants etc.?

I am a little bit blessed that I have a fantastic wife and a fantastic team, but that said I am a very hands-on person and like to keep my creativity alive. I like to create my own menus, work with my chefs to develop them and of course I like to do cooking on my own. On weekends, I do not interfere in the functioning of my restaurants because my head chefs are doing a splendid job. So I just go from one restaurant to another to keep an eye on how things are going, but on other days I like to cook. 

Now that you have restaurants all over the world, do you think you have to cater for differing tastebuds especially with expectations on Indian food?

I cook exactly the way I would cook in India, without any changes. One thing I learnt from my father when he came to visit me in London 3 years after I had shifted there - I cooked what in my opinion was a fabulous 3 course meal, but I could see my father was not happy. So he took me for a walk and his message was very clear. He told me I was not being true to myself, as I had things like okra and pomfret on my menu. This meant that I had not delved into local ingredients, so I went back to my fishmonger, my butcher and even a green grocer to understand local and seasonal produce and this of course meant changes to my menu and exactly 3 years later I landed with my first Michelin star. I was so excited I called my father and told him about my achievement, to which he said that Michelin is a tyre company, isn’t it? Don’t worry about that, they are just trying to sell you tyres - you carry on with your cooking! 

Do you think that vegetarian or vegan food are fads?

I would not call them fads. I would just say its a lifestyle, that people are dealing with. I do not think that the world will ever become fully vegetarian. But people will become selective and consume lesser meat - they may chose to walk away from red meant, but seafood and white meat will always be there as a choice. Vegetarian food will become a substantial part of our diets, as it always has been in India.

What do you think about fusion food?

If the flavours tick, its good but if they don’t work out, its terrible. For example if I am cooking a Punjabi dish and give it a South Indian flavour thats fusion but that’s how craft is grown. How did musicians grow? They learnt from each other. Ditto for great artists who were painters - we see each other’s food and get inspired. We are not meant to stay in cages that we are confined by singular thinking when it comes to cuisine. Same with food but if it doesn’t taste good, don’t do it. Don’t try to push your way into other people’s palates, so do what tastes good.