Indian chef Sanjeev Kapoor opens restaurant in Muscat

India's popular chef and entrepreneur Sanjeev Kapoor has opened his restaurant chain here in Oman, a media report said.

The Yellow Chilli opened in Muscat offers spacious indoor seating for 95 people and an additional space for 40 people outside the restaurant, the Muscat Daily reported.

"Oman is well poised for tourism exposure. It has the infrastructure, the natural sights, people and great hospitality, and the respect that the people have for other cultures is what makes them different," Kapoor was quoted as saying.

"I think young people can take their country forward through Omani cuisine. They need to use media to promote and showcase their food and also create cuisines," he said.

Kapoor has trained the executive chef of the restaurant Manoj Radi in India.

"We have plenty of Omani students in India who take training and we would like to see such individuals come up and take their cuisines to the rest of the world," he added.

The restaurant serves many signature dishes that Kapoor created, including Peru Pyala (guava and lemon juice with a hint of mint and rimmed with red chillies) and shaam savera (spinach koftas filled with creamed cottage cheese, served in a tomato butter gravy).

Kapoor is a popular name in Indian households and stars in the TV show "Khana Khazana" -- the longest running show of its kind in Asia broadcast in 120 countries.

He launched his own channel "Food Food" in January 2011.

He received many awards including the Best Executive Chef of India Award and the Mercury Gold Award in Geneva, Switzerland.