Exclusive! The word balance has a meaningful approach from the culinary point of view, says Chef Kaviraj Khialani

Chef Kaviraj Khialani has been with the food and hospitality industry for 25 years now, he is an iconic name known in his field of international culinary arts- hospitality management & education sector.  

Chef Kaviraj Khialani shares the challenging moments in his culinary career and emphasises balancing flavours and textures in your dishes.  
 
While discussing his professional life, he emphasises, “There are lots in the memory card- well refreshed and all of them on top of the charts- makes me look back – laugh at them. One of the incidents which takes me back in time is while with hotels. Here I came across a guest who ordered a pao bhaji specifying he is pure Jain and has not consumed garlic since birth ever. Being a five-star hotel, the order was well executed by my chefs and was presented artistically at the right temperature to offer a perfect dining experience of the dish sitting in a five-star hotel. After having eaten half of the pao bhaji this guest complained that there is garlic in it and that he was very upset and didn't want to eat further. The complaint was then handled by me when I happened to hear out the guest first completely and sympathize totally with what he was going through but once he was done I had just one question to ask him and which was sir, “If you have never touched, eaten and felt garlic in your life as you said, how do you know that there was some in your pao bhaji?” This left a very awkward expression on his face, and somehow he just turned away the topic saying that he thought there was some and quietly continued eating the entire plate and moved to his dessert! This was one of the so many situations encountered over the years. My point of mention here would be that one should think twice before trying these kinds of stunts with professionals like us in the food industry who do not really wish to offer any unpleasant experiences for the guests unless someone is really sure of the facts, we would be surely open for discussions.”

He also emphasises balancing flavours and textures

Chef Kaviraj Khialani is certified by the Swiss Hotel Management School, and American & Irish Universities. While talking about his approach to balancing flavours and textures in the dishes to create a harmonious culinary experience, he says, “The word balance is a very inclusive one, and it has a very meaningful approach from the culinary point of view. In my opinion, a dish or a recipe should be able to Convince- Connect & Cooperate with the consumer, which is the guest! The foodie who has just read the menu card and read up a nice fancy-sounding dish has made up an impression about the same as it comes in front of him in the next few minutes. This means that the dish has to be well expressed not only in words but also justify itself as it appears to the guest too. My approach has always been on the 3 C's as above. To prepare the dish in a convincing manner being able to connect with the guest on the plate and to ease and cooperate with the guest in order to be enjoyed purposefully! There have been cases where chefs present food on a very attractive plate, but the question in the mind arises: where to start eating? The plate looks too very confusing or not in sync with the guests' expectations.

He also emphasises balancing flavours and textures

“These plates are truly the low-on feedback ones. At times I have seen the guests asking the server where the real stuff has to be eaten since the garnishing is so elaborate on the plates, the real content has to be looked out for. Therefore, putting it all in a nutshell, I personally believe in creating colourful gastronomic delights well balanced, composed and full of stories to envisage reality,” he concludes.