Serving up a boyhood dream of sugar ’n spice
Head chef Kevindren Pillay’s passion for food is rooted in his early years, working at his aunt’s takeaway in Stanger. In an interview with Latoya Newman, he chats about this, his favourite foods and the items every pantry should have
CASTING his memory to the exact moment when he realised he loved working with food, Kevindren Pillay said: “I was working at my aunt’s takeaway when I realised my passion – I knew I wanted to be a professional chef sometime in the future.”
The small kitchen in Stanger had become his base for big dreams.
“I would wake up bright and early to join her in the kitchen, which I chose over getting into trouble with my younger cousins,” he laughed.
“I watched attentively as she took great pride when she cooked.
I’ve had great mentors along the way, each one from whom I’ve learnt a great deal.”
Last month, Jeera won the 2018 Durban Coca-Cola Bunny Chow Barometer challenge, a victory that cast the restaurant in the spotlight.
Jeera is synonymous with being one of the finest authentic Durban-inspired Indian cuisine restaurants.
Pillay said experimenting with flavours when creating his dishes was what drove his love for being a chef.
“Sometimes putting a twist on classic dishes turns out better than expected. Being a chef is one of the few professions that allows you to use your creativity.
“At the end of the day, having guests compliment what you love doing is the cherry on the top.”
He shared some of the most useful tips he learnt along the way and ones he practised daily.
“Fresh is best, keep it clean and simple, season to taste, try to make the most of natural flavours and try to enhance them, and don’t overpower food when it has so much to give.”
Pillay is excited by new developments and trends in the world of food, like molecular gastronomy – a subdiscipline of food science.
“It’s incredible what you can do by manipulating ingredients with science.”
When he is not busy in the kitchen, Pillay is looking forward to enjoying some of his favourite meals.
He explained how he stumbled on a love for crab curry.
“I love seafood. Prawn in a savoury chutney used to be my favourite meal until I started cooking crab curry.
“I had not tasted it before and, as a good chef, one must taste what you send out for the guests to eat. I was curious to see what the fuss was about with this dish that was difficult to eat.
“I was astounded by how the gravy permeated the shell of the crab and vice versa to give the curry a unique tantalising flavour.
“It is messy dish to eat but the fuss is definitely worth it.”
On a parting note, we asked Pillay what were his key pantry must-haves that were versatile.
HIS TIPS:
● Preferred spices. Spices are the key to making meals flavourful and kicking them up a notch. Although there are many meals that require specific spices, you can’t go wrong with filling your pantry with these basics:
● Salt and pepper.
● Oregano, basil, bay leaves, thyme and dried parsley.
● Crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, chilli powder and cumin.
● Nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves and cinnamon.
● Garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder and ground ginger.
● Necessary oils. I keep a variety of oils on hand because a lot of recipes require different oils. I primarily cook with olive oil but there are times when I love adding coconut oil to smoothies or using vegetable oil for baking. These are just the oils I keep on hand, depending on your dietary needs or restrictions, you might want to stock others:
● Olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil and canola oil.
● Pillay is head chef at Jeera at SunSquare Suncoast Hotel.