Growing up in Chennai, Peter Joseph heavily drew inspiration from his upbringing and surroundings. Now, with his extensive experience in British kitchens, he aims to combine this with the traditional Indian cooking he grew up on, as well as adding a modern twist to his cuisine.
We caught up with Peter Joseph to talk about Kahani London and Indian food.
How did it all start?
I had been running Michelin-starred restaurant Tamarind for more than eight years as head chef. I’m always on the lookout for new opportunities, challenges and I knew that one day I wanted to open on my own restaurant to showcase my 20 years of experience in the food industry. A site came up in Chelsea and that’s when Kahani was born.
Tell us about your story driven menu at Kahani.
A good story educates, entertains, and fascinates its listeners. We crave them both for entertainment and the chance to relate to people. Kahani means story in Hindi. Our menu is focussed towards entertaining and we aim to enchant our guests though the dishes they taste.
Kahani is the place where I could put together my 20 years of learning in Indian cookery and also fuse my own lighter modern approach with traditional Indian dishes. I wanted to create Kahani as an Indian restaurant, but rather than focusing on one region in India, I wanted to be able to showcase my menus by drawing from across the vast country of India and all of its regional differences.
What future signature dishes are you working on?
A truly special dish is one you never want to end. Creativity and skill are obviously important factors which I always believe in. I am working on few new dishes which include a morel mushroom biryani covered with puff pastry, sirloin boti kebab with Lahori spices, goat milk paneer tikka with fenugreek and royal cumin and a rabbit korma with Keralan yam. I’m also working on a few desserts but I have not named them yet.
What are your top tips on making a curry at home?
- Marinate your meat before making a curry. It is essential to a delicious curry.
- Bhuno in Hindi means roast or simmer. That process of slow-frying or slow-cooking certain ingredients like onion, ginger & garlic creates that depth of flavour.
- Use fresh ginger and garlic for curry rather using bottled pastes.
- Always season your curry carefully with a balance of lemon juice, salt, chilli or black pepper.
If you could award a Michelin star to someone right now, who would it be to and why?
I would give a Michelin star to Chet Sharma and BiBi restaurant for their great quality, authenticity, and blend of Indian flavours.
What are your three favourite restaurants in London?
- a.wong (Victoria)
- Quilon (Buckingham Gate)
- Dalchini Restaurant (Wimbledon Park)
What will the future of Indian fine dining look like?
Like many of us in the hospitality industry, we have had to adapt and change through Covid. We now have a Kahani at Home offering where we will come to your home and cook for special events.
Many Indian restaurants are under-staffed and are now looking inwards, hiring people from different backgrounds in the UK and training them to take on specialised jobs.
What is next for Kahani?
We have just launched bottomless brunch and we are working on a new menu which will be launching this spring so watch this space.
To discover more or book a table, visit: kahanilondon.com
All imagery courtesy of Kahani London.
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