Meet the Chef : Naved Nasir
The Executive Chef at Dishoom shares one of the most popular dishes on his menu; Prawn Moilee
Dishoom pays loving homage to the Irani cafรฉs that were once part of the fabric of life in Bombay. These were the first spaces in the city where people from all walks of life shared tables, rubbed shoulders and broke bread together. The first Dishoom opened in London in 2010, serving Naved Nasirโs lovingly curated menu of Bombay comfort food. From hearty breakfasts to street food staples, nourishing dishes of biryani to the curries of Mohammed Ali Road, and the famous grills of Colaba, Chef Navedโs menu brings together the food of all Bombay.
Dishoom now has eight cafรฉs, including the much-loved Dishoom Manchester, which took up residence on the ground floor of Manchester Hall, a beautiful 1920s Grade II listed building originally used as a Freemasonsโ Hall, in late 2018 โ a most impressive setting for everything from a laid-back breakfast to an opulent evening feast.
After attending catering college in Delhi, Naved joined one of Indiaโs best hotel chains, ITC, working in the Bukhara restaurant, before moving to Dum Pukht restaurant in the hotel groupโs Bombay outpost. He moved to the UK in 2010 and has been Dishoomโs Executive Chef ever since.
Everything the Dishoom team does shares their love for Bombay โ its food, its history, its culture and its quirks. Chef Naved tells us โWhen I first worked in Bombay, I hated it โ it was so crowded. Over time, I fell for its charms, and it feels a great honour to bring the flavours of this cherished city to our guests. Each of our cafรฉs is a small love letter to Bombay, and all our dishes are deeply rooted in the heritage and flavours of the city.โ
Chef Naved is perhaps best known for Dishoomโs signature House Black Daal โ a dark, rich, deeply flavoured dish that it lovingly cooked over 24 hours โ but itโs not the restaurantโs only must-try dish. For each restaurant Chef Naved creates a Chefโs Special, and Dishoom Manchesterโs special, Nalli Nihari Biryani, is another of his most cherished creations. โNihari is a rich and hearty lamb dish that is regularly enjoyed during religious celebrations like Eid al-Adha. In Manchester we make it into a biryani that sees a tender shank of lamb layered with rice and caramelised onions then sealed beneath a pastry blanket. The results are really quite gratifying.โ
CHEFโS RECIPE
Prawn Moilee
Itโs a light, fragrant and utterly delicious south-Indian-style curry, packed with juicy prawns and tempered with coconut milk. Although it looks impressive, it is actually very easy to make, so you can serve it either as a week-night supper or as an indulgent dinner. We serve it with idiyappam, the white, lacy noodle pancakes, also known as stringhoppers. If you canโt get these, it goes just as well with steamed rice.
INGREDIENTS
SERVES 4 PEOPLE:
6 green chillies, 55ml vegetable oil, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 30 fresh curry leaves, 300g Spanish white onions, sliced (a little chunky is good), 15g garlic paste, 15g ginger paste, 2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 1โ4 tsp ground turmeric, 25g fresh root ginger cut into matchsticks, 400ml coconut milk, 250ml coconut cream, 24 large prawns, 300g medium tomatoes, cut into small bite-sized wedges
METHOD
Remove and discard the stalks from the chillies, then slice each one into 3 or 4 long strips. Set to one side.
Place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add 40ml of the oil, let it warm for a few seconds, then add the mustard seeds and 20 curry leaves. Let them crackle for a few seconds.
Add the onions and sautรฉ lightly for 12โ14 minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes, salt, black pepper and turmeric and sautรฉ for 3 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the sliced chillies and ginger matchsticks and cook for 3 minutes.
Pour in the coconut milk and cream and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the curry is simmering, place a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Toss in the rest of the curry leaves and fry for 1 minute, until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Add the prawns and tomatoes to the sauce and simmer gently for a further 5โ6 minutes, until the prawns are cooked; do not overcook or they will be tough.
Serve scattered with the fried curry leaves, with lemon wedges on the side.
Note: If youโd like to prepare the dish in advance, make the sauce (up to and including the fifth step), chill and refrigerate, then reheat and continue from step 6 just before serving.
Extract taken from Dishoom by Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar & Naved Nasir (ยฃ26, Bloomsbury)
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