The zing of Nepal
Melissa D’costa
The world has yet to discover Nepali cuisine, says chef Santosh Shah. And he’s doing his bit to help. The 35-year-old from Karjanha village in Nepal’s border district of Siraha, recently bagged second place on Masterchef Professionals UK, impressing judges with dishes that managed to be authentic yet modern.
An example Shah likes to cite, when talking excitedly about what he’s trying to do, is his chargrilled octopus. A simple enough dish to appeal to the global diner, but in his rendition, marinated in Nepal’s timur pepper (which grows in the Himalayas), wrapped in taro leaf (another local ingredient), served with a traditional Nepali hemp seed or bhang chutney.
“The world still thinks Nepali food is some sort of mix of elements from China, Tibet and India. Or momos and chow mein. But we have a rich cuisine, local spices and traditions,” he says. Shah has lived in London for 10 years, and works with the Cinnamon group of Indian restaurants. Before that he studied and worked for 10 years in India.
“I am from a poor background. I was working while doing my diploma,” Shah says. “I moved to Gujarat after high school and worked as a kitchen porter.” In seven years, he was an executive chef at the five-star
Cambay Resort in Gandhinagar.
“I learnt English in India, I learnt (how to use) computers,” he says.
Santosh moved to London and worked at some of the city’s most-renowned Indian kitchens, holding positions at the Michelinstarred Benares and the trendy Dishoom, before becoming a sous chef at Cinnamon Club and eventually head chef at Cinnamon Kitchen. He prepared for Masterchef for five years, Shah says, building up to it by participating in other local competitions.
In a touching indication of what his success on the show has meant to his Himalayan country, Nepal’s former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai tweeted his congratulations when Sah became a finalist on Masterchef. Another evocative moment was when he prepared a lunch box on the show, as a tribute to the ones his mother made him when he was working as a riverside labourer at the age of 12.
It was a meal of okra, served with a mango-and-coconut chutney, saffron rice, a crab curry and puri with fried green chillies. His masterchef touch of a carrot-raspberrypudding chocolate and paan ice-cream. Celebrity chef Marcus Wareing, one of the judges, called it an “incredible meal” that told a story of “passion and love”. Authensays, ticity, Santosh is his mission. His dream, one he’s working towards, is to open a fine dining Nepalese restaurant in London, with a 15--course tasting menu. “It will be called Ayla, after a traditional Nepali rice wine,” he says.
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