Srishti Godbole

Hi Srishti, it is lovely to talk to you. I listened to your podcast with Dani Valent so I feel as though I already know quite a bit about you. That was such a great chat, but Dani spoke to you before the competition and I thought it would be good to chat to you now that you have done the competition. But lets start off with where you are now. You are in Adelaide and working at Maximilians Restaurant. Is that a big winery?

I wouldn't say it is really big, but it is one of the best restaurants in Adelaide and it is a really beautiful place. It has beautiful views, beautiful food and beautiful wines.

Do they have a kitchen garden?

Yes, they have a small garden.

I really love the idea of chefs wandering out to the garden to get herbs. I have had a chat to Robin and Jackson who also competed in the S. Pellegrino Young Chef competition, and I am interested to hear how it went for you and what your experience was and I would love to hear more about your dish, your take on the nihari. Well done on competing in this competition, there were only ten chefs in that regional competition. What made you take part in the competition?

I had heard about this competition, and I had been wanting to take part in it for quite some time. There was a time when I had applied for it and at that time, I wasnt selected, and that was a few years ago. It has always been on my mind, and this was the last chance I could apply for it because of the age criteria. This was the moment where I had to take part and somehow, I just did and I got selected. My main motive behind this was to introduce people to an Indian cuisine they had never heard of or seen before in its authentic self.

I am very interested in the background of the dish. There is a lot of historical background to it. Can you tell me about that?

It has a lot of history and tradition. I named this dish Farmer's Table and I used beef cheek instead of beef shanks because traditionally it is beef shanks but beef cheeks are a more sustainable cut. The word nihari in Arabic means morning and this dish was usually had by labourers in the morning to give them energy for their days work. It was brought to India by the Mogul emperors and basically they settled in different parts of India and they brought with them their rich cuisine and nihari was one of those dishes. Since it is one of my favourite dishes, I thought I had to show this to the world.

And there was something particular about the carrots you used as well.

Because I believe in sustainability and fresh produce, I didn't want to waste any ingredients. I used the carrot from top to toe. I made carrot top chutney, I roasted the carrots and pickled the carrots. It was all about the carrots.

Are they in the stew or around it?

It was part of the dish, but not in the stew, it was a side that goes along with the nihari.

There were some pretty delicious sounding spices in there as well, cinnamon and cardamom, and cumin. It sounds delicious.

It is more of a winter dish. Every morning you have it and get the energy from it and the spices keep you warm.

Traditionally when it was made, would that have been simmering overnight?

Traditionally yes, they would start the day before. They would start making the dish at night, and it would be ready to eat first thing in the morning. It is more like a breakfast dish than anything else, a rich, hearty breakfast.

I was reading that some restaurants aways take a spoonful of the last pot to add to the new batch. Is that something you are familiar with?

Yes, definitely, it adds to the flavour. The more you simmer it, the more you keep it resting, the more the flavour develops.

I know that you are judged on technical skills, sustainability of the dish and how it made sense in terms of gastronomy, how did you go on the day?

I think on the day it was really exciting for me personally. There was a time when my table was surrounded by different chefs wanting to taste my food because of the smell. It was an amazing experience. Technical skills and relating to gastronomy, I think my dish truly hada rich history which I explained to everyone; where it comes from, why it is eaten in the morning and for technical skills I used the carrot in different ways and the beef cheek was simmered slowly for four hours, so I guess it was a great part of the dish to show it to the esteemed judges and they all enjoyed it.

Do they give you feedback in those competitions?

I didn't get any feedback during the competition but after the competition during the awards ceremony I managed to talk to the judges and they said they loved the dish so much they just wanted to keep having more and more. That was a win for me. I just went into the competition without thinking about anything, win or lose, I just have to participate. And they loved my dish, that was a win.

Absolutely. Robin and Jackson both mentioned that it was great to meet other chefs and to be aware of the community that you are part of and I really liked the sound of that as well. Did you have that experience?

Yes, definitely. I have always believed that competing in any competition is always beneficial because you get to meet so many people from different cultural backgrounds; you get to learn about their dishes and their cuisine and you get the same from them so you just keep learning and growing as a chef.

Do you feel stressed in the moment of competing? Or do you love that? You're no stranger to being in competitions. I hear you represented India in karate. What is you approach to those situations?

I go though an adrenaline rush when I am really focusing on what I have to do and I dont think about anything else. I stay calm before any competition and when it starts, I just go for it.

Are there similarities in training for a martial art and training as a chef? There is a lot of discipline involved with both.

That's true. You build focus through months of practice, refining flavours and techniques.

It sounds to me as though you had some really lovely role models growing up, your mum and your great grandmother sound like they were really great cooks.

I spent a lot of time with my grand mum and when I would come home from school, she would cook up these delicacies for me every day and I would wonder how she did that every day, where did she get all that energy? My mum was a really good baker and she would make all these great pies, cakes, souffles. One day I was helping her make a souffle and something clicked and I thought, I love coking, and I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life.

You have really pursued that. I dont think there is anyone I have spoken to who has done quite as much study as you have. You started off doing your BA Honours in Culinary Arts in India and then you have also done Cordon Bleu courses in London and Australia. What is it about learning more for you?

I just feel the more you learn, the better you get. I have always believed that there is no end for a chef, we always keep learning wherever we go, whether that is in different kitchens or different culinary schools. Everyone teaches differently so you learn from every chef who teaches you and you improve your skills that way.

I think you have been brave too going off on some adventure. You went to Noma in Denmark. How was three months at Noma? It sounds incredible, but was it nerve-wracking?

At first it was nerve-wracking but the more I got into it, the more I realised how much I respect food. Noma is the place that taught me to see every ingredient from a different perspective. Even if it was a small ant on the plate, there was something different about it. Especially when chef Rene Redzepi was there, there was a certain rhythm to the way he worked and you just wanted to see him cook and the way he worked. It was an inspiration for me.

When you say, you learned to see ingredients from a different perspective? Did that mean they used those ingredients in an unexpected or different way from what you were used to?

Before that I was never exposed to those kind of ingredients and I learned that you can do so much with them and I started doing some research and I realised that in India you make a chutney out of ants, then I started recognising each and every ingredient and to learn all the different things you can do with them. It was really exciting.

Do you think about food 24/7?

I live for food.

Great. Do you write things down in a notebook, do you read books, what's your main inspiration?

I write my notes down. If something pops into my head, I start writing it down. For me I work differently, I can imagine a dish in my head and I start working towards it whereas some chefs know what they want to do and just start doing it.

You have really experienced some different cuisines and different cultures; Australian food versus Danish food versus Indian food, what have been some things that have stood out for you?

It is mostly the diversity that stands out for me. There is so much you learn from different cultures, different traditions, different cooking methods and styles. It is beautiful to learn things from every cuisine.

Srishti you have had lots of different experiences and you have travelled with cooking, what would be your advice to people who were thinking about becoming a chef.

It is a hard job but if you have the passion and willingness to commit, then go for it. Have an open mind, work with different chefs, work with the best to be the best. And never stop learning. Most importantly, cook with your heart and work hard, you'll be just fine.

Maximilians Restaurant

Adelaide Hills