Guy Shone and The Dialogue met with Surender Mohan, Executive Chef at Jamavar restaurants, to discuss his passion for cooking, from his childhood in India, to international recognition with a Guide Michelin star.
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00:00 Next on the dialogue, we meet a Michelin starred chef connecting Qatar with India and London
00:08 on a mission to make diners feel like royalty.
00:12 Well, chef Surendra Mohan's mastering of Indian cuisine, flavours and delicacies has earned
00:20 him an international reputation.
00:23 Hello, I am Surendra Mohan, I'm a Michelin starred chef from Jammawa, London.
00:31 And it's a passion for sharing knowledge that's helped create his business success.
00:37 Hello, chef.
00:40 Great to see you.
00:44 Nice to meet you.
00:46 Thank you so much for joining us on the dialogue.
00:49 Well, we're here at Jammawa, Doha.
00:52 Why did you choose Doha?
00:54 Doha is a combination of tradition and innovation in a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
01:01 And it's a very perfect place for Jammawa.
01:04 Jammawa is known for its richness, culinary heritage and holistic approach to the Indian
01:11 cuisine.
01:12 Now, you've had great success, but let's go right back.
01:15 What was it that first drew you to cooking?
01:18 Was it a family thing?
01:20 Yes, the food is my passion from the childhood.
01:24 I saw my mother always cooking for the whole family every day.
01:28 And I was very amazed when I see my mother is cooking every day with the same love and
01:33 generosity.
01:34 That time I understood what is cooking is.
01:37 I was helping her every time.
01:40 It means, you know, cooking is to convey a love to the people.
01:45 So I decided to be a chef in future.
01:50 So that's why it is always in my blood.
01:53 Now, I'm very honored, if not a little afraid, that you're graciously allowing me to assist
02:00 you with cooking one of your signature dishes today.
02:03 Can you tell us about the dish and the ingredients involved in it?
02:06 We're going to do today scallop moeli.
02:09 So normally moeli back home we make with the fish moeli, which is very famous.
02:14 As I said, we uplift our dish, so we are making with the scallop.
02:18 On the hunt for fresh scallops.
02:19 We've got your top team to assist us, so let's go shopping.
02:29 Chef, when you're creating new menus, new recipes, where does the inspiration, the motivation
02:43 come from?
02:44 Traveling gives wonderful inspirations.
02:46 I like to visit the old villages or small towns where the authentic dishes or recipes
02:54 is used and the old techniques.
02:57 So I always wanted to serve the authentic dishes, which dishes is not in the menu because
03:02 people are doing many modern things, creating a mix.
03:07 But for me, to put in these dishes, which is not in the market so much, so that people
03:14 should not forget all these dishes, for me it is very important to be consistent, whether
03:19 we are here in Doha, Jamowar, or in London, Jamowar.
03:24 Thank you.
03:25 We've got our ingredients.
03:26 Let's go and create some cuisine.
03:27 Yes, sure.
03:28 I mean, there's a lot to learn.
03:43 I get the impression, Chef, that the sharing of knowledge is something that's really important
03:48 to you.
03:49 If you think back to your early career, what advice did you find the most useful?
03:55 It's come through a mentoring.
03:57 My mother taught me.
03:58 I used to help her in the kitchen, a family tradition.
04:01 Of course, I did the three-year college, catering college.
04:05 You need to have a hands-on training on this, and sharing recipes, sharing techniques.
04:11 Most important, you should learn from the experienced chef, because they know what they
04:15 have gone through, and you need to respect them to learn for your betterment for the
04:21 career.
04:22 What I learned and what I understood, there are no shortcuts of doing good quality, consistency,
04:32 and dedication to achieve success in your life.
04:37 Wow.
04:38 Very poignant.
04:39 Very apt.
04:40 So, shall we start cooking now?
04:42 Yeah.
04:43 Now we put the oil here.
04:47 When the oil will reheat, and then we will put these whole spices on the oil and get
04:53 crackle, so that the flavor of all the spices will come in the sauce.
04:59 I'm a bit nervous that I'm doing this wrong, but it's very good.
05:02 See, the experience will come with the hands-on training.
05:07 Scallop.
05:10 The stars of the show.
05:12 Yes, star of the show.
05:14 So, your scallop mouli, which is our signature dish, is ready.
05:22 Wow.
05:23 This is the dish.
05:26 It looks incredible, chef.
05:28 Now, how hard is it to get a Michelin star?
05:34 It was quite challenging to get a Michelin star, but we focus on our authenticity, quality,
05:42 and consistency of each dish we serve in the restaurant.
05:45 And in my cooking, I give priority to the local and seasonal product, authenticity,
05:51 taste, and good quality of ingredients.
05:55 That's we follow, and I believe this is a success to get a Michelin star.
06:01 I mean, it's an incredible achievement.
06:04 You've done something even more rare in that you've fought to win back a Michelin star
06:10 that was lost as well, haven't you?
06:12 Yeah, I mean, Jamawar got his Michelin star in the very first year, and the second year,
06:17 we lost the star.
06:19 It was very disheartening as a group, you know, and I am the part of this group from
06:25 day one when we started the Jamawar, and it was very hard.
06:29 Three years, it took us to get a Michelin star back.
06:33 But getting a Michelin star is every chef have a dream, and when we got, you know, it's
06:39 look like dream come true.
06:41 And what is it about you, chef?
06:43 Most people can't achieve things like that, particularly when the odds are against you
06:46 as they were.
06:48 Is there something about your philosophy and approach which helps you through those tough
06:52 times?
06:53 You need to be dedicated on your work.
06:56 You need to be on top of everything.
07:01 You need to see every single plate which going out from the kitchen.
07:05 When the guest is coming to the restaurant, they should get the same taste, consistency.
07:10 They should not get surprised.
07:12 Same consistency, quality, good product, taste.
07:16 So that's the main thing, you know, to be a high-end restaurant or Michelin star restaurant.
07:21 Well, a dream come true for you, and it's a dream come true for me to get a chance to
07:26 eat this incredible food.
07:27 Is it okay if I have a taste?
07:28 Please.
07:29 It will be a pleasure.
07:34 Just taste the sauce first, and then you will have all the, and little bit of relish on
07:39 the top, and then all together, you know, later on.
07:47 Incredible, delicious.
07:51 The taste of hard-earned success.
07:53 Chef, thank you so much for joining us.
07:55 Thank you very much.
07:56 [MUSIC PLAYING]