5000 years of culinary history in a 300 Grams Jar

I have toyed with the idea of marinades for a long time. "Vasudhaiwa kutumbakam" Sanskrit: the whole world is one family...My mum used to teach us a children. The fragmented world we live in today with its complexities of beliefs , customs and traditions baffles me sometimes. After all there are certain things which people do irrespective of boundaries and identities. Cooking and enjoying good food is undeniably a major one. How amazing will it be if households in the West use Eastern cooking techniques and households in the East use Western techniques. I feel it will definitely bridge the gap and give us a much better understanding of each other. If I can I would encourage warring nations to hold food festivals showcasing each others cuisines. Israelites and Palestinians, the Koreans countries, Indians and Pakistanis...the list goes on. If nothing it will help bring misunderstood and divided people together. Feasting together is the greatest form of bonding.

Thanet is special!

Taking Thanet produce to Earls court in London.

It is a matter of great pride to show case produce from our area at National forums. The Real Food festival at Earls court in London was great fun. Quex Rapeseed oil was our star product. There is a buzz around Rapeseed oil . It seems as if it is the cooking oil of the future.Cold pressed oil from our fields produced using environment friendly farming clearly stood out in the crowd for the most distinct flavours. Its the fertile soil of Thanet after all!

The sky is the limit!

A big thank you to dearest dada (Big brother).Thursday was one of the greatest escapes I had since months. Flying is addictive. It is a strange sense of freedom...almost as if it is intrinsic human nature to be air borne. May be the exhilaration comes from being able to challenge your intrinsic natural capabilities. I do not know as yet .Perspectives change in the cockpit and you realise how insignificant our day to day pursuits are in the bigger scheme of things. The most mind blowing sight is our coast. Its pristine. It looks like a perfect piece of art by the greatest artist in the universe.Canterbury looks like a chess board with the mighty cathedral as the centre piece. The most amazing sight is the landing at Headcorn . You feel transformed back in time landing amongst sheep in the flat lush green meadows of Kent.

Air travel chaos,No Nile Perch, Kent 2020 , Lambs heart etc

Hi
The day started with no supply of my favourite Nile perch from Tanzania. I love the fish for its firm texture and subtle flavour. Its also fully traceable and reduces pressure on demands of local fish some of which are overfished. So the Icelanding Volcano Eyjafjallajokull (God knows how its pronounced!) is hitting us hard in sunny Margate. Anil is still stuck in New Delhi. I was glad to see an email from him today. The highlight of the day was the return of a full alcohol license for the restaurant. I would personally extend a heartiest "Thank You " to our licensing manager and his team in Thanet district council. I spent most of the day at Detling preparing for the Kent 2020 with the team from Quex Park. I am looking forward to be a part of the event tomorrow.

Its time to fall in love again.

Hi everybody

I am sure all of us go through this. I am not the only one. You do something regularly for a certain time and then the joy goes out of it. We all crave for inspiration from time to time. Moments of love in what we do are rare sparks in life. In my case these are bursts of intense creativity with ingredients, textures and flavours . Ideas about food and new culinary experiences fire me up. I am experimenting with some new flavours for a new spring menu. We are working on ways to cook rabbit in three different ways. I have never had more respect for the beautiful animal in my entire life. I have found a way of using every part of the animal. Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg lift the sweet gamey flavour of the meat to divine proportions. A sugar free fig pudding is also turning out well. I have plans to serve this with an unique betel leaf ice cream. I feel its time to fall in love again...

Dev ,the Michelin dilemma and Thanet

Hi friends! The Indian Princess finally got recommended in the Michelin guide this year. However the excitement was shortlived as the initial jubilation was drowned in a series of events that followed. First it was rumors of The Indian Princess closing down followed by a follow up visit by an anonymous Michelin inspector who wasnt happy with the building and location of the restaurant. The final blow came as an enforcement by the local licensing authorities on the alcohol license. I had a taste of local bureaucracy neat on the rocks. Life all of a sudden turned very dramatic. I remember waking up one morning and thinking "Why is it so difficult? What is going to hit me today? My heart goes out to all the people who came out to stand by us during these turbulent times. I received help from unexpected corners. Genuine people and real friends who follow section 27 of "The Common sense Act". Thank you Mariette, Tim, Liam Louise and all other friends and well wishers in TDC. The story of The Indian Princess is getting more and more interesting as months go by. My determination to stay and serve customers in Margate is also getting stronger.