The Chennai master chef who enters locals' homes to learn curries flavours
10 Oct 2009, 1236 Hrs

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Sydney, Oct 10 Chennai's popular Dakshin restaurant is known for its sumptuous South Indian dishes including the chicken curry.

Now, chef Praveen Anand has revealed that he mastered new flavours by learning recipes from locals of South India.

Studying different styles of cooking from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, Anand has created his own dishes.

"If you travel 100 kilometres in India, you'll find 70 different ways to make a chicken curry," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Anand, from Chennai, as saying.

"I am still travelling widely in the south of India and I am still learning, [It] could last a lifetime. It is impossible to exhaust Indian food," he added.

He spends time with locals or joins village communities at marriage or another celebration and tries to learn family recipes and understand the traditions, culture and unique caste system that influences the different types of cooking.

"I eat the food first, then sit and work with the people who cooked it, then I make my own recipe. It's a tedious but fruitful study," he added.

Meanwhile, Anand also interprets and translates manuscripts and records of ancient Indian recipes for University of Chicago, which has a research library in Chennai.

He helps translate local recipes written in regional languages and scripts.

"I think, if you are a chef, it is easier to translate a recipe and understand the traditions than someone who is just a translator," he added.

Anand will be seen at the World Chef Showcase with his good friend and fellow restaurateur, Kumar Mahadevan of Abhi's and Aki's restaurants.

He will cook showcase dinners together at Aki's and Abhi's next week as part of the Sydney International Food Festival. (ANI)

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