Category: Kharcha paani

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‘Masterchef Australia is great for housewives’

Chef Phongthorn Hinracha
…because it teaches the basics, says chef Phongthorn Hinracha, who’s recently started working at the Red Zen, Courtyard by Marriott.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

He admits to a torrid love affair with food, adding that people are becoming careful about the nutritive value of what they’re putting into their mouths. The executive sous chef at pan Asian restaurant Red Zen has had an illustrious career backing his foray on Indian shores – he has worked with Parisa Resorts in Phuket, Thailand as the executive sous chef, and in some of the finest hotels such as Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort (Malaysia), Koyao Island Resort and Spa Phang-Nga (Thailand) and IOI Palm Garden Hotel (Kuala Lampur). He began his career with the Kohchand Grand Lagoona Resort in Thailand as a sous chef.

In his own words, the famous chef talks about his food journey, retaining the taste of India and what aspiring chefs must do if they have a food dream.

What is your earliest fond memory of food?

My mom’s steamed fish. I remember [the first time] when mom had cooked it, when I was back from fishing. It is eaten with ginger and soya sauce. The dish has a very natural taste of fresh fish. The sauce used is locally made, not factory made. Even now when I go to back to Thailand, I ask my mom to make it for me.

What was the first dish you ever cooked? Whose recipe was it?

Thai omelette is the first dish I ever cooked. It contains fish sauce, meat and pepper. It goes well with rice. Singles in Thailand generally cook such food. [When I cook it now] I like to improvise by adding some curry paste and basil.

Please describe the moment when you decided that food was your calling, and that you wanted to make a career in food.

My family is very involved in every aspect of food. Many of my family members are chefs. There are some perceptions about adult life that are created during childhood, for instance, when a person grows up he has to work, or has to get married, or simply that a person has to become tall! Because of my family’s involvement in food, I had the perception that when I grow up, I have to become a chef. Hence I started working and helping my dad in his restaurant business since the age of 10. My passion started increasing every day, seeing people getting happy eating food. My creativity started developing. At the age of 16 or 17, I asked myself, ‘Is this what I want?’, and do you know what the answer was? The answer was, ‘This is not a want, but an involuntary need just like eating food, or the heart beating or breathing’.

Tell us what your favourite cuisine is.

Chinese is my favourite cuisine. It’s again because of my family. I’ve been eating Chinese food since childhood. I like it may be since I’m habituated [to it]. It has a real taste of fresh ingredients. The taste is very clear, with no complexity.

What was your first job like? For how long did you work there?

If you’re asking [about] my first paid job, then it was at the age of 17 at the Marina Hotel. I was a kitchen apprentice. My father’s friend was an executive chef there. I worked there for six months. But I’ve been working and helping my father in his restaurant business since the age of 10.

What differences do you see in the food industry from the time you started out, and now?

When I started off, people loved to eat food that was great in taste. But now, people care about healthy food. They worry about the intake of calories, carbs, proteins, vitamins etc.

Have you ever worked in India before? What has your experience been like till now?

No, this is my first ever visit to India. It’s been a great experience with [a] new culture. I used to never eat Indian food earlier. Now, I’ve started eating Indian food, especially butter chicken and chicken tikka masala with garlic naan.

Coming to work in India, with its defined palate of spices and flavours, have you had to do things differently since you came here?

I have preserved the authenticity of the food, except when my guests request me to adjust the food to their tastes.

What qualities should a sous chef possess?

The ability to judge the quality of food, extremely high levels of hygiene and proper planning are the three keys to being a good sous chef. (In his current role, amongst other things, chef Hinracha is involved in preparing menus and designing daily specials as required. He is responsible for the quality of the food, hygiene matters and monitoring the kitchen.)

Please describe how a person can set up his/her own restaurant. What are the skills, technology, knowledge, funding required? How did you plan the setting up and opening of your own restaurant?

Not anyone can open and run a successful restaurant. Budget planning, location setting, equipment selection, manpower hiring, marketing, know-hows of current trends of that area are all necessary, and if he possesses cooking skills,  it’s an added advantage. Service skills are also very important. I planned my restaurant in the same way. During the operating hours, I don’t be in the kitchen, but instead I be in the guest area. I get regular customers by chatting with them.

What is your opinion of the various cooking shows on television these days? Even non-cooks are interested in shows like Masterchef Australia.

These shows are very helpful for housewives. They show a good amount of the basic skills required for cooking. It’s a stage for inspiration.

How can one build on a new trend in the food industry? Also, how can one start their own trend in the food world?

People should keep a tab on food science. News [about and] from food science helps a lot. Earlier not many people drank green tea, but now a lot of them do drink it. Also, once you become  a celeb chef, then it’s easier to start your own trend as celebs will start talking about your food.

Do you wish you had done a few things differently in the beginning of your career? What would you do differently?

Due to my passion for food, I started working at a very early age. I had a romantic relationship with food. I wished I had completed my degree. May be it could have helped me.

What is your advice to aspiring chefs in India?

Taste a lot. Read a lot and make sure the food trends around you, you jot!

Chef Hinracha owns Maha Sarakham, a restaurant 300 kilometres from Bangkok. He has won many carving competitions in Phuket. His culinary flair earned him the sixth place in the Best Asian Chef category at the Hospitality Asian Platinum Awards 2010-2011 held in Malaysia. He has also participated in the series, ‘Thai Ultimate Chef Challenge 2011-2012’ held in Bangkok. When he’s not cooking, he enjoys fishing, food photography and food carving.

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Your fingers tell your secrets

Sudhir and Shweta Hattangadi can tell if you’re a compulsive liar, or if you’re better off pursuing sports than academics. A science called dermatoglyphics reveals all.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Imagine having your thumb print reveal the best and the worst about you. What’s more, under the right conditions and with accurate equipment, it probably will. For over two years now, former teachers Sudhir and Shweta Hattangadi have tested over 1,000 children and adults in Mumbai and other Indian cities, and come up with brain pictures that gave away the most intricate personality traits in 10 areas of human intelligence.

“We’ve been able to tell if a person can be easily influenced, or is a compulsive liar, or such factors as being better at research than analysis. We use a thumb print that helps map the person’s brain. We come to know what the person’s strengths are, and his or her weaknesses. Based on the inputs, we give an impetus to the strengths and help minimise the weaknesses. This is helpful especially for very young children, much before they are forced to make career choices that may not be suited to their natural aptitudes,” says Shweta.

If you think this seems a bit far fetched, think again. Sudhir and his wife Shweta are actually practicing a science known as dermatoglyphics – the scientific study of fingerprints. “The brain and fingerprints start developing at the same time at about 13 weeks for the foetus,” Sudhir explains. “The ages zero to six years are known as the ‘golden age’ for a child, because the brain is still developing and any corrective ideas can be implemented at this time. Ages six to 12 are when reformation happens, when ideas can be cemented. After 12 years, we concentrate on the strong areas only.” He says that behavioural alterations are possible in children up to 12 years old. “However, nutrition also plays a big part in correcting certain anomalies,” Shweta says.

This is how your brain can be mapped: your fingerprint is taken on a biometric device. Then it is recorded on a computer and relayed to a server in Thailand. The fingerprint is then classified into one of four types – whorl, loop, reverse loop and arch – and the final analysis is then generated back. “The analysis is quantitative, and Shweta then exhaustively makes notes on each case. We have about four to five sessions per person.”

Shweta recounts how the analysis may even give early warning signs of things to come. “We had analysed this boy who showed the tendency to be easily influenced by others. We told his parents this. Later, he and a friend killed his grandmother for money to buy a bike. We were stunned to learn of this,” she says.

The couple has tested close to 1,000 persons so far, most of them children. “However, this science can really come in handy for corporates, when they want to employ the right people. But the idea has not yet caught on amongst people. Even the children who come to us are brought by their parents because they exhibit some worrying symptoms. However, getting this test done at an early age helps children chart out their future better,” Sudhir says. “And why just children? Even couples can get their compatibility tested. Or employers can test potential employees for reliability, loyalty to the company, whether they can be trusted with money, and so on.”

The test costs Rs 5,000 and comprises of exhaustive discussions and analyses over five sessions. “Many parents are satisfied with just two sessions also. But I give them my notes to keep so that they have all the material about their child handy. Generally, students who are about to make a career choice come to us for testing. Our teaching experience and the training we’ve taken (from their Hong Kong-based trainer) helps us minutely analyse each case and offer solutions,” Shweta says.

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Kids talking money

Jigisha Shah’s pint-sized protégés invest in gold, understand the share market, and know how to make the best money choices. And that’s not all.
by Beena Parmar | beena@themetrognome.in

Does your child save his pocket money? Does he keep an eye on silver and gold prices? Have you found him scanning the financial pages of your daily newspaper?

Do you think children and money don’t mix? You obviously haven’t met those trained by Jigisha Shah.

Robert Kiyosaki, financial guru and author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, which continues to rock the financial world even today, teaches people to become millionaires. Jigisha Shah 37, a Kandivali-based educationist, read Kiyosaki’s financial teachings comprehensively while doing her CA internship. “I realised that the subject of financial literacy has been widely ignored in our society. Most people struggle to take quick and correct financial decisions due to financial illiteracy. As a result, we see economic and social challenges in the country,” she states.

Following Kiyosaki’s teachings, firm in her belief that imparting financial education to children at an early age builds a strong foundation for their future, Jigisha started her FLP (Financial Planning Programme) in 2006, to help bring up generations wise in real life education. “My goal is to train people, especially children, with true knowledge and power to take control of their financial future to achieve their goals and dreams,” she informs.

But why deal with children, not adults? There’s an interesting back story. Jigisha initially started taking money seminars for adults. These produced excellent results, as some of her participants effectively saved thousands of rupees. However, during a seminar for women, a mother shared her concern about her son not valuing money and over-spending, and Jigisha was hit by the urgency to take programmes for kids.

“This mother’s concern was not an isolated case, but a reflection of slow and steady change in the behaviour patterns among children in double income families. In cities, where both parents are working, they are unable to give sufficient time to children. They usually compensate this feeling of guilt by fulfilling the material demands of their children. As a result, their children do not learn to value money,” Jigisha explains.

In just three months, she created a detailed programme for kids. Her biggest challenge was to make money interesting for kids. Hence, she created the Money Education Plan, which was realistic and fun to learn. The programme immediately became popular with children and Jigisha took it forward.

One of the modules is ‘Build money IQ’ which enhances children’s financial IQ. Another one is ‘Smart Kids Score’, which she has planned keeping numeric ability, relative analysis, value demonstration and accountability of money in mind.

So far, Jigisha has educated more than 600 students through seminars in public and private schools, and summer camps. “These children are now aware about money and are empowered to take conscious money decisions from their formative years,” she claims. Initially it was challenging to make parents understand the need for such a programme for kids. But she now feels that things have changed.

“Our country is being influenced by western culture, where loans and borrowing are fast becoming a part of life. Now more and more disposable income in the hands of the younger population is becoming a matter of concern. Educated parents with young kids have begun to understand the situation. They are getting into proactive thinking mode and so can relate to my programme,” she explains.

The kids are all right

While Ajit Mhatre, a 13-year-old student admits that he learnt about goal-setting, pyramid of life, saving and investments, how money travels and about banks, coins and currencies, Jigisha was amazed by the learning of 12-year-old Kunal, who participated in her workshop two years ago. “Last month, he came to me and said that he had collected Rs 6,000 in two years, and bought silver to invest the saved money. I was happy at his thoughtfulness about his first ever investment at the age of 10,” she beams.

But she was even more stunned when Kunal said, “I bought silver now, and when silver prices go up, I will convert it into gold, because gold will give me lots of money in the future.”

Parents are thrilled with Jigisha’s programme. “She needs just five minutes with your child, and she can exactly tell you which area your child needs support in. Her workshop has made my daughter Pari so aware about money, that when asked what she learned from Jigisha aunty, she answers in Marwari, our mother tongue, ‘Paisa waste ni karma’ (don’t waste money),” says Anita Bafna, an advocate and Pari’s mother.

Jigisha has two sons, Vatsal (10) and Jayaditya (9). Both have participated in her seminars, are money smart and have made different money investment choices. While Vatsal  has bought 100 grams of silver, Jayaditya has been investing his money in bank fixed deposits for the last three years.

Over the years, Jigisha has noticed some gender-specific behaviours among her participants. “Girls wish to save for buying things that give them emotional satisfaction, like jewelry, clothes and gifts. Boys mostly opt for sports gear and electronic gadgets,” she smiles.

Schools benefit, too

Jigisha has taken her FLP to two BMC schools inGrant Road, where almost 300 children participated. “I got a great response from the children. They were eager to learn. I emphasised on saving early and its benefits, and everyone in the programme promised to start saving,” she shares.

Iravati Mane (name changed), principal ofManavMandirSchool, Grant Road, was delighted with the FLP. “If I had the opportunity to learn from such a programme in my childhood, my life today would have been more fulfilling,” she says. But though Jigisha would like to continue such programmes in BMC schools, the lack of coordination between schools and students is keeping her from implementing her programme in a bigger way.

“It is necessary that we consciously impart money education to kids at an early age. Parents should not hesitate sharing financial information with their children,” she concludes.

 

 

 

 

 

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Trends

Oh no. Ketchup again.

Do not put ketchup over everything you eat. Please treat it like it should be  treated – like a base.
by Rakshit Doshi

The single worst invention of mankind, in my opinion, is ketchup. There, now I have offended 1.2 billion people who can’t live without it. But it’s true.

We are conditioned to add ketchup to anything western – pizza, pasta, bread, sandwich, burger… some people even mix it with (I’m cringing as I type this) daal and rice! Without understanding its taste or purpose, its use is lethal.

In case you didn’t know, ketchup came from the far east Asian culture of salted/pickled fish that was used as an accompaniment (the Malay word for the sauce was kĕchap). Today, it is essentially tomatoes cooked with salt and a large quantity of vinegar, which is what makes it sour. Then there is sugar and an assortment of spices, the use of which depends on the maker. It can have even onion, garlic, oregano, the sky is the limit.

What ketchup can be used for is a base for sauces – like a lazy man’s Arrabbiata can begin with ketchup, or maybe when you want to cook up a quick dip for those potato wedges.

I guess I was a little harsh on ketchup at the beginning of this piece, but hey, I stand by my opinion on how we use it. So the next time you handle that bottle, check if you really need it. Okay? Okay.

Rakshit Doshi writes for broadcast media to earn his bread and butter but also is a foodie who loves to make a fat club sandwich of it.

 

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Trends

Security beyond hotel buildings and guest rooms

Post 26/11, security levels in city hotels are changing. They now factor in contingency plans to deal with terrorism too.
by Mehernosh Pithawalla

The whole concept of security at star hotels is undergoing a paradigm shift today. Earlier it was only about guarding property, whereas now, there is additional focus on fire safety, operational security, guest and employee security, as well as the need for contingency plans to deal with terrorist threats and abnormal crisis situations.

Security officers have to think beyond the buildings and guest rooms. Total security plans have to be drawn up to cover the perimeters, guard rooms, the gardens, illumination, all entry points, reception facilities, vulnerable equipment and power facilities, the regular staff and those of suppliers and contractors, and maintenance of the intrusion and fire detection systems. One of the top 10 global issues and challenges in the hospitality industry is the uncertainty in safety and security.

We do come across incidents of how hotels are coming under threat by anti-social elements. Due to this increased vulnerability, hotels are also now beefing up their security systems. Travellers are also now more aware and more concerned about their safety. Hotels are now looking at more than just CCTVs, alarm systems and swipe cards for security. Technology is opening new doors to hotel safety, and the way we navigate hotels is set to change in the near future. Improved biometric systems, RFID cards, CCTVs with enhanced features are all security products that have become more advanced and more sensitive to impending threats.

The awareness in this category is considerably rising, due to the terrorist attacks we witnessed in Mumbai (in 2008) and the hotel bombings we read about in other countries. The hospitality industry is now beginning to take proactive measures to curb security threats. However, I would still say that it is still at a very nascent stage and the industry has just about started to look at security beyond basic CCTVs and alarm systems. What is indisputable is that hotels now need to invest more in security of their premises and their customers to give them peace of mind. However, the problem is that unlike their western counterparts, the biggest hurdle faced in the Indian hotel industry is the monetary investment, time and effort to upgrade their security systems.

Mehernosh Pithawalla is the Assistant Vice President, Marketing, Godrej Security Solutions.

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A rags to bags story

We chat with Bhairavi Malkani, whose ‘waste to wow’ bag business literally started from scratch. And the stuff is pretty!
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

So many people, so much waste. On a daily basis, we generate more waste products than we can sneeze at, and what’s more, we unthinkingly throw away scraps of paper, metal, cloth and other materials after using a major chunk of them. After you cut out a large portion of cloth for a dress, you throw the rest away, right? But what if somebody, somewhere, could use that extra discarded portion you just chucked away? If you could productively use that discarded portion to create something, and what’s more, make money out of what you just created, you could potentially be sitting on a great business idea.

That’s exactly what Bhairavi Malkani thought of, 10 years ago.

Who is she? Bhairavi is 29, an Andheri resident, and the creator of Creative Box, a kickass solution to what she calls ‘upcycling’ those materials that have been discarded. She was studying at Jai Hind college when she started aligning with several social causes, primarily environment-related. “Environment and its conservation were not as big as they are today,” she says. “When you’re in college, you get really involved with such subjects.

Later I started doing small arts and crafts workshops with children, which were mainly about drawing and painting. Later I expanded to glass painting, paper crafts and tribal arts. I once took a batch to a village in Palghar, where we met a very interesting community and learnt about their art. I discovered that their art was very unique, but people were commercialising their work, so I started direct selling for them. But more than selling, I started teaching their art and creating awareness about it.”

What’s the big idea? “Through our workshops, we moved on to conservation of paper and then went on to upcycling. Conservation can happen at a basic level – after using a sheet of paper for craft, don’t throw away the bits and pieces. Upcycling is when you use the discarded bits to create something entirely new. So we started by collecting stuff around the house, like wooden spatulas, tissue rolls, bits of wood, etc. I met a lot of people to get ideas on how to reuse these items,” she explains. Basically, the idea is to create, from materials that would otherwise have been thrown away, entirely new things for resale.

It all started when… “Things went to the next level when I was doing promotion work for the World Fair Trade Organisation two years ago. Fair Trade supplies organic materials for reuse around the world, and we had put up a small exhibition to sell bags made of organic cotton. Surprisingly, I got a very good response, considering that I had produced the bags at home.

But I actually got the idea for my business after a visit to my tailor. All tailors have a mound of material left over after cutting out the required portion of cloth. He told me that the leftovers go to the dump yard, and I found that all tailors in the area also gave away the excess for throwing away. If you consider all the tailor shops in your area, it adds up to a huge volume of discarded material that is just thrown away. I realised that you could make a complete dress out of all the discarded material. I tied up with my tailor at first, explained the entire concept to him, telling him that I wanted the scrap. Now I have a network of tailors, shopkeepers, family and friends who keep reserve material for me. I have about six regular donors a month.”

Look out for: “Shops dealing in clothes have accessories to spare. These accessories, like laces, buttons, some decorative element, are either stuck or stitched on the cloth, and they come from China. Stuff from China comes very regularly, and the excess accessories have to be dumped pretty quickly, which can be used in your own designs when you make bags or clothes,” Bhairavi explains. “The shop will throw away half a metre of a two-metre lace, but that half metre can make a nice handle for a bag, for example.” Look for places that you can source your add-ons from, Bhairavi counsels.

Getting your act together: “After this, I got a karigar, who is a tailor with his own shop but who is so good at his work that I just have to explain my concept to him once and he understands exactly what I want. I haven’t hired him exclusively for my work; that way I can save on daily wages. Plus, I’ve given him the freedom to reinterpret a design, because he knows how to get the best result. And that makes the end result better because he is going to involve himself with the creative process. All I have to do is give him the material, the design and the measurements. I pay him about 20 per cent of the retail price of the final product.”

Low investment, great returns: Bhairavi was sure that she did not want to start a business with a high initial funding. “You can have a great idea and get it started without much initial investment. Besides, retailing on the Internet works out well for people who start small because you don’t need to spend too much money setting up your wares, and people are taking to online shopping in a big way, so sales happen quickly, too.”

What kind of marketing and advertising has she done for her business? “It’s mostly been word-of-mouth,” she says, adding that she channels social networking sites to spread the word as well. “A lot of people come to me not through my site on the Internet, but because they’ve heard of my range of products from my students and their mothers. Besides, there is a lot of awareness these days about ‘being green’ and using eco-friendly stuff.”

The price is right: She is intelligent enough to judge the psyche that makes customers pick one product over another. “If you have a bag priced under Rs 1,000 and another priced Rs 1,500, most people will opt for the lower-priced one,” Bhairavi explains. “I price my products below Rs 1,000. And I put up exhibitions all the time, where I find that a lot of people add bags and other things to their shopping cart without checking the price tags, once they’ve understood the overall cost range. Pricing is important because it drives sales directly.” She also explains how shipping costs charged to the customer can make or break a deal. “Customers are reassured when they see that shipping is free. Some people might think twice before purchasing an item that comes with an additional shipping cost.”

Where she’s at today: “It took a long time, but things are looking up. People are catching up on trends and actually demanding to see quirky, sometimes weird designs. Today, there is no ‘popular’ or ‘fast selling’ design, because there is a market for every creation. Also, I find that I most enjoy the workshops I take with children, because that’s where many brilliant design ideas originate. After a point, you get into this rut where you’re constantly thinking only of selling, and this can mar your creativity.” Bhairavi admits that her business alone makes her about Rs 1.5 lakh per year. She also holds regular workshops and exhibitions.

Bhairavi’s tips to start a green business:

­– Start small. If you can’t devote time every day, work on your business over the weekends. Try and invest a bare minimum of money.

– You will have to be very patient. Your business may not pick up right away, and you might get sidelined into trying to make as much money as you can. Don’t lose focus of why you started the business.

– You will have to make people aware of what you are doing and why. Do a lot of self-promotion, talk to friends and family, leverage social networking sites.

– Save on production costs and time by reducing customisation wherever possible. Though I do customise products on demand, I request customers to first browse through the designs I already have. If they select an existing design, it saves time and effort for me.

– Have a day job or an alternative career if you can, because your business may not yield immediate money. It may not be something you or your family can immediately bank on. Besides, income from other sources can fund your business. A good way to generate income and keep in touch with your business is to hold regular exhibitions and run creative classes at home.

– If you can create simple things at home, do it. The ability to create things without always having to depend on hired help will get you through emergency orders.

– Retail with shops that align with your design philosophy.

– Most importantly, ensure your family’s support. If you’re going to work from home, they will need to be very understanding about your work and that it is important to you.

Bhairavi Malkani runs Creative Box that sells bags, clutches, potlis and travel pouches of all descriptions. 

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