Where kitchen becomes the canvas

He would’ve been a painter but chef Saby finally found colour in food.

If there were to be a beauty pageant for food, Chef Sabyasachi Gorai’s aka Saby’s creations would win hands down. There is a reason for such attention to detail that Saby, who oversees the kitchens at the Olive and Ai, both promoted by A D Singh, brings to his food. Saby is an artist at heart and therefore is almost lyrical when he talks about colour, texture and what all he can do with just a handful of ingredients. He says, “You give me just three vegetables and I can make 10 different paintings. There are hundreds of ways of cooking just one vegetable, and giving it different tastes and textures.” Continuing with that thought, Saby adds, “A chef is there to make the ingredients shine.”

Saby’s journey to the kitchen began from the easel. Saby was happily studying art during his school years and would go to apprentice at a famous artist’s studio after classes. His other preoccupation was percussion instruments. Food didn’t figure anywhere in his scheme of things. And then came a reality check which finally got him to the kitchen and cooking. He recalls, “When I wanted to join art college, I realised that studying there was an expensive proposition. My father was retiring at the same time, and I didn’t have enough money. I also calculated that it would take very long before I would be able to earn as an artist.”

With all this on his mind, Saby, on a friend’s advice, enrolled himself in a catering college. The years there were tough, and it was only when Saby reached the kitchen as part of his training that he realised he had found his calling. Says Saby, “I understood that the centre of power in a hotel was in the kitchen.” But there was one other thing that felt just right for Saby in the kitchen. He says, “I loved the colours of fruits and vegetables. That really attracted me.” Working longer and harder hours than most of his peers, Saby was able to climb the ladder very fast. At the age of 25, Saby had become executive chef.

“I went through the grind when I was learning the ropes. I learnt the basics really well. Just as in art you have to be very good at the basics before you can be truly creative, so too with food,” says Saby about his early years in the kitchen. Saby’s strong foundation helped when he embarked on his foreign travels as it helped him understand, and appreciate, food cultures from as diverse countries as France and Japan. Now that he is in Delhi, Saby says that the city is no longer the tandoori chicken capital, and that people here are willing to try new cuisines and styles.

Saby still puts in long hours at work and cooks himself every day. He says, “Whether one is Pele or Maradona, you still have to score every time you come out to play. It’s the same for me.”

FAVOURITE RECiPE 
LIGHT BROCCOLI CAPPUACCINO 
400 gm broccoli
5 gm smoked paprika
70 gm Parmesan cream, grated
20 gm garlic, chopped
10 gm thyme
50 ml white sauce
30 ml single cream
100 ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the broccoli till it’s tender. Let it cool and then puree it. Sauté the garlic, thyme and pureed broccoli along with the vegetable stock in a saucepan over high heat. Once it reaches boiling point, remove from the gas. Add thin white sauce and cream to this. Heat it, stir and check for seasoning. Pour the soup in a tall cup.

To make Parmesan cream, boil the cream and grated Parmesan together and then pass it through a fine sieve. Whip the Parmesan cream with a hand whisk/foamer. Top with Parmesan foam and then sprinkle paprika dust.