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'It's tricky to come up with a recipe that everybody will like'

In conversation with Suresh Kumar, Executive Chef, Mughal-e-Azam, Bollywood Parks Dubai

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Your favourite memory of food.
Freshly caught anchovy fish and green mango curry cooked by my mom. My taste buds tingle at the memory of that dish even today and I find myself missing it very often.
What's the most challenging part of your job?
Taste is really subjective so, as a chef, it can be quite challenging to come up with a recipe that everyone will like - or one that will leave a lasting or positive impression on all diners alike.
Do you have a personal mantra or motto that drives the way you cook food?
Quality over quantity. I prefer that every dish is consistently made with the exact same standards. It might take an extra bit of time, but it's worth it.
If you could cook for a high-profile personality, who would it be and what would you serve them?
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I'd serve her poached salmon on a bed of braised leeks in duck fat, topped with orange cardamom chutney.
How often do you eat out?
I seldom find the need to eat out because my wife cooks such delectable food at home. We do, however, head out on special occasions or to just get together with friends and family.
What's your favourite place around town?
Zuma is hands down my favourite, followed by Pai Thai at Madinat Jumeirah.
After cooking all day, are you able to cook for yourself at home too?
This might be one of the expectations my wife had (and, perhaps, what led her to marry me!). But no... When you're surrounded by good food all day, cooking for yourself when you get back home is the last thing on your mind. It also helps that my wife is a better cook at home than I am.
You're asked to invent an unusual dish - what would it be?
Tandoori lobster and pan-fried foie gras with wild mushroom risotto and fig chutney.

Who do you admire most in the culinary world, and why?
Chef Paul Allaert, Chef Pierre Fonteyne and Chef Scott Webster. They are my idols as they moulded me when I was at a very impressionable stage in my career.
Favourite comfort food?
Anything my wife cooks for me.
One ingredient or dish you can't stand, and why.
I can't stand the smell of the root vegetable swede while cooking - and avoid it as much as possible.
If you could choose a last meal, what would it be?
Butter chicken or lobster thermidor (Canadian live lobster). If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out.
Your favourite culinary destination, and why?
There are two culinary destinations that vie for top place in my book: Delhi and Hyderabad. One can enjoy authentic Indian food anywhere on the streets there.
Where can we find you, when not in the kitchen?
On long drives with the missus.
- Staff reporter