Tune in to any channel featuring cookery shows that take live calls and you will discover that chefs have become the most revered figures after superheroes. They have a cult following – the kind that would turn even Amitabh Bachchan green with envy.

          Newsline interviews five culinary experts who have each developed a huge fan following to get an inkling of what makes them hot with Pakistani foodies.

 

         Shai is yet another chef who has received training abroad and appears exclusively on Masala. A graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, she has worked for many famous restaurants in the Big Apple, including Rock Center Cafe and California Pizza Kitchen. Explaining how she got into this field, she says, “I have a passion for cooking and used to regularly prepare meals for friends, which were always a great hit. So I thought it would be a good idea to take it up as a profession. I love to visit food markets of the world, eat in good restaurants and never seem to get enough of eating out. In fact, I absolutely love to try everything, including the weirdest kind of foods, which one cannot even imagine in Pakistan.”

         Shai says that Pakistanis are very fond of desi food and she gets the most requests for biryani and nihari, but the younger generation also asks her to make all kinds of fast food. She adds, “I also get a lot of requests for chocolate fudge cake, which I have not made as yet! Some diet-conscious people also want to learn about health food, such as salads.”

         A fusion chef herself, Shai did her internship in a French/Indian fusion restaurant in New York City, which is probably why she thinks fusion is a great way of introducing new flavours to our country, where people don’t generally like to take risks and try out new dishes. However, she does feel that aside from local food, Pakistanis have acquired a taste for Chinese cuisine and are also quite fond of pizzas. On the other hand, Pakistanis “haven’t really developed an inclination for French food, which is without doubt the most creative and finest cuisine in the world.”

         Not inclined to cook with ingredients that are not easy to come by, Shai says, “I try to work with local ingredients, unless I get too many requests for something that requires ingredients not common in Pakistan.” According to the chef, “Improvisation is the key, whether it’s in culinary art or any other art form. My original school recipes are too difficult for most Pakistanis, so I improvise, and deliver what people find easy to make.” However, she does admit that there are “a few dishes that people keep asking for. I would love to see Pakistani food markets full of ingredients such as artichokes, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, scallops, oysters, truffles and herbs like thyme and chives – and dishes using them.”

         Shai agrees that the concept of healthy eating has taken off in Pakistan. “Mostly people who are educated, especially professionals, nowadays want healthy food: salads, soup and mostly baked dishes. I myself am very weight-conscious, but I also believe in quality food, calorie counting and keeping track of how many calories are being burnt through the day. It’s about having a healthy lifestyle and not just cutting down on fat and sugar.”

         As for her favourite food, Shai confesses, “I am very moody when it comes to food. For me, pasta is comfort food, while French food is adventurous, as one discovers different levels of flavours, textures and finesse in it; it’s luxury food. Pakistani food is ‘anytime’ food that I grew up with. I can also live on bread, butter and cheese, which is my favourite, and, of course, mithai, which I eat often.”

         Shai is optimistic that the deluge of food programmes will manage to sustain themselves as Pakistanis love to eat, since there is not much else to do. She says, “The prime source of entertainment is television these days, and people seem to enjoy watching food shows rather than watching news, which is always depressing.”

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