March 5, 2009
Guest chef
A healthy balance
Owner of award-winning Chat Masala restaurants tells POON CHIAN HUI she achieves diverse yet complementary flavours in her dishes with just a little oil
Her spacious kitchen and larder well-stocked with food and spices reveal much about Ms Dhershini Winodan's passion for food. Indian food, in particular.
'North Indian, South Indian and not so Indian - that's the tagline,' said Ms Winodan, 55, with a laugh.
The owner of the award-winning Chat Masala restaurants - one at Upper East Coast Road and the other at Greenwood Avenue - was no trained chef.
Yet, the self-taught cook has managed to create a successful culinary career and has even penned two books of Indian recipes. One of these books also comes in a handy pocketbook edition.
The secret to success, said Ms Winodan, is to trust your own tastebuds.
'If you like what you've cooked, who's to say that it's not good?' said the former food writer, who from 1982 to 2000 contributed original recipes to Her World magazine.
Ms Winodan's style is to combine many ingredients in one dish to achieve an array of diverse yet complementary flavours.
However, she does this with a healthy dose of balance and moderation.
'My cooking has always been about combination and balance,' she said. 'For instance, if I make chapati, it always comes with a bowl of vegetables on the side.'
Another cooking principle that she adheres to is to hold back when it comes to ingredients like oil.
'I think it's important to keep food light,' she said. 'Too much oil or too many spices does nothing for the food except to make it unhealthy.'
Take, for example, her vegetarian dish, Sugee Magic, which comprises semolina and a colourful variety of vegetables, fruits and nuts.
The natural flavours of the ingredients take centrestage in this dish that requires only a few teaspoons of cooking oil and a dash of salt.
Based on a popular Indian breakfast dish, it has been given Ms Winodan's own twist with the addition of healthy ingredients like dried cranberries and sunflower seeds. This makes the dish versatile and a good choice for lunch or dinner.
'I like this dish because you can eat it at any time of the day,' she said, adding that it can also be considered 'fast food'.
'I like to cook a large batch and keep some in the fridge for days when I come home late. All I need to do is to pop it in the microwave and have it for dinner,' said Ms Winodan, who is married to a pilot. They have two sons, aged 28 and 29.
Her older son is a cordon bleu chef currently in Sydney, Australia, while the other is a lawyer who often travels for humanitarian work.
Although she is not quite a globetrotter, Ms Winodan loves to travel because she gets to experience the food cultures of other countries.
'The highlight of any trip is a visit to the supermarket,' she said.
Her advice for those who are keen to switch to a healthier diet is to be adventurous.
'There's something good in every cuisine,' she said.
'When you explore other cuisines, healthy eating can turn out to be a fun experience.'
RECIPE
SUGEE MAGIC
Ingredients
1 cup sugee (semolina)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp dhal
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 onion, minced
2 green chillies, minced
50g cauliflower, shaved
50g broccoli, shaved
50g carrots, finely chopped
50g mixture of cashew nuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins
2 cups of water
Salt to taste
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced
Method:
Heat a wok and dry roast the sugee till it is hot to the touch. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Heat 3 teaspoons of oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds, dhal and curry leaves. Then add the onions, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and green chillies.
Cook over a low fire till vegetables are al dente (cooked but still firm) and the onions have softened. Then, include the nuts, cranberries and raisins. Fry until the nuts turn golden brown.
Pour in the water and add salt to taste. Bring to the boil. Taste to see if the amount of salt is all right.
Now lower the fire and add the semolina, stirring quickly. Continue to mix and stir until water is completely absorbed.
Keep stirring till the semolina is soft but dry. Turn off the heat and serve hot with ripe bananas.
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