Chef Manav Tuli: To be recognised by the Michelin is the best thing for a chef

Recently, Chef Manav Tuli gained the Michelin Star for his restaurant CHAAT in India. He is the 2nd Indian chef in Hong Kong to gain a Michelin star (the first is New Punjab Club). CHAAT alsoo remains one of the hottest restaurants in Hong Kong with a 2-3 month waiting list, although it opened during the pandemic in May 2020.

Question 1: Congratulations on your first deserved Michelin Star! How does it feel to be recognized by Michelin?

Thank you so much. The whole team had worked very hard during such difficult times and with full dedication, everyone had been expecting to hear this good news. I cannot describe in words how it felt when I was told we have been awarded a Michelin Star. I actually discovered that I am an emotional person. That feeling is unmatched. It’s like winning a gold medal in the Olympics for an athlete or winning a Grand Slam for a tennis player.

To be recognised by the Michelin is probably the best and the most important thing for any chef in this world. The moment a person decides to have a career as a chef, I can tell you for sure – all they dream of as their ultimate goal is to achieve a Michelin star.

When I started my journey as a young student at Institute of Hotel Management in Kerala, one of our lecturers Mr Ranjith Pillai one day gave us a set of black & white printed sheets which had small briefs about the then top chefs in the world like Marco Pierre White, Charlie Trotters, Joel Robuchon, etc. After handing us those sheets he said, “These are the gods of kitchen, these are the ones you should follow if you ever want to be successful as a chef.” After reading those papers, I first discovered what Michelin star was and since then it has been my dream. I always used to think that Michelin Star chefs were like Greek gods… You could only see them but could never touch them.

It’s dream come true for me, a dream since 1999, when I started my Hotel Management course and discovered what it meant to be a Michelin Star chef.

Question 2: What does this achievement mean for Indian cuisine in Hong Kong and around the world?

In my opinion Indian cuisine is the most diverse, complex and vibrant cuisine in the world. That was the reason why I got so fascinated by Indian cuisine and thus chose to be an Indian chef. But there’s so much to discover, know and learn, that I also believe that one lifetime is not enough for me to learn all.

It’s not just a cuisine about naan and curry. Every dish has a history, story and evolution path; just like the great history of India itself.

Michelin Star gives us the platform to bring and share those stories, history and evolution of food in India through the dishes that we present to our guests in Hong Kong and at the same time create a buzz all around the world, thus changing the perception of Indian cuisine all around the world that it’s not just not about curry and rice..

Question 3: The pandemic has had a significant impact on the food industry. What do you believe has been its most significant learning?

Covid came along with a time and duration that had never been imagined by anyone. It was very tough on everyone, but especially the hospitality industry, which has been the worst hit.

But it did teach me a few things –

Never take things for granted, cherish and enjoy what you have.

Things can change in an instant. One has to be flexible and adaptable to survive.

People who love to have an easy kill will find it the hardest to go through such times.

The most significant has been – “Never let go of your ‘quality’ and ‘consistency’ “. These are the two Vardaans that we as a team have always strived for even during the most challenging times.

Question 4: How is Indian cuisine perceived in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong has one of the most diverse culinary scenes.

The major influence of the Indians came to Hong Kong when the British hoisted the Union Jack in 1841, that is when Indian soldiers and merchants landed in Hong Kong. In fact Indians had a major role to play in the early development of Hong Kong as Indian Gold Mohur and Rupee were legal tender. A lot of Indians have been calling Hong Kong home for a long time.

Whenever such an exchange happens, the culture and food also get incorporated and become a big part of the diversity of a region. This is what has played its role in Hong Kong too. The years of British Raj in Hong Kong also helped the roots of Indian food go deeper in the Hong Kong culinary culture.

Hong Kong loves Indian food and they perceive it as a complex cuisine. Our guests at CHAAT love to hear the stories that we share with them about the origin and evolution of various dishes like – Biryani, butter chicken, kulfi, chaat, etc. They are fascinated to know more about the complexity of spices and also the immense diversity that the Indian food universe has to offer.

I think we are just getting started, there’s so much more to share.

Since we opened we always used to share stories behind different dishes at CHAAT – this was so much loved by our guests that we have started a special lunch – Taste of India (every first and last Friday of the month) where in we invite 10-12 guests and prepare 6-7 dishes for them that are very different from our menu and share each and every story and tale associated with those dishes. It’s a very intense experience that takes around 3-3.5 hrs to complete. It has been so well-received by our guests that we were fully booked for this program for 4 months in advance. This does tell you the love for Indian food in Hong Kong.

Question 5: What is your signature dish? Tell us about it. 

At CHAAT we do things a bit differently. All the dishes on the menu have a recipe and approach that is very authentic, but we do give it our own touch to give it our identity and a slight twist. Every dish is passed through a sieve of two approaches – refined and balanced.

One of the dishes that have been my signature is the Baked Samosa. This dish was actually developed by Chef Siddharth Krishna, who was my Head Chef when I joined Chutney Mary in the UK.

The inspiration was the Hyderabadi Patti Keema samosa, in which a thin pastry is wrapped around the lamb mince and deep-fried.

We used the same principle, but instead of wrapping it around, we made it into a cone that was easy to bake and easier to keep crisp for a longer period. Stuffing was done as the order came. It started off as this and has evolved to this stage – where now I use whole plant-based meat made from Jackfruit and serve it in standing cones. This dish is a showstopper. It’s a dish that is ordered by each and every customer that comes to CHAAT, it’s so popular.

Question 6: CHAAT has been redefining the Indian dining scene in Hong Kong for some time now. Do you think Indian cuisine is changing the dining landscape of Hong Kong?

Indian cuisine always has been perceived as comfort food. People mostly know about curry, naan and rice. A lot of Indians too only have knowledge of dishes that are specific to their region of origin. But Indian food is much much more than that. I always say this to my guests – to know all that Indian food has to offer in various regions (present/past) – one lifetime is not enough, there’s so much to it.

Indian food can be comfort food like samosa and jalebi, wada pav, kulche chole, rajmah chawal, etc., but it can also be much more refined than any European cuisine, like the Kerala Sadya meal that can have a range of 25-64 dishes served for one meal with a specific time, rule and purpose for every dish.

Since the opening of CHAAT this diversity is what we are trying to share with our guests. This is what has brought about a noticeable change in the Indian food scene in HK. People have started moving up from just butter chicken and chicken do pyaza and are happy to try dishes like Meen Pollichathu, Tandoori Lobster, Octopus Biryani and Salli Boti.

At CHAAT we don’t focus on a single region, but the whole of India.

We do look at and utilize the skill set that is available within our kitchen and create a dishes from those personal experiences. For example, guys in my kitchen are either from or have experienced working professionally in at least nine different regions of India, like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, etc.

I think this approach definitely gives us the ability to have a diversity and variety on the menu that is unlike any other; at the same time, it also gives the team a sense of pride and ownership.