Gurugram: A year ago, Rohini Kaul was steering marketing campaigns for top-tier companies such as American Express and HSBC. Today, she’s swapped boardrooms for the kitchen.
At We The Chefs—a platform for home chefs—cook-off, she showcased her culinary prowess with pecans as the hero ingredient.
“My corporate career shaped my cooking journey,” said Kaul, who specialises in Kashmiri food rooted in family traditions. “Like marketing, cooking is an art that appeals to all senses to create memorable experiences.”
Her vegan banana and pecan cake, created with whole-wheat flour, dates, and jaggery, wowed judges.
“The pecan flavour shines through beautifully,” the judges said.
Hosted by Vishal Sinha, the co-founder of We The Chefs, in collaboration with the American Pecan Council, the event organised in Gurugram’s Sector 5 saw 26 home chefs presenting pecan dishes, from chaats to sushi. The objective was to show how pecans can be versatile and star ingredient in recipes, even in India’s evolving food scene.
Leading Delhi NCR chefs such as Dr Parvinder Bali, Avijit Ghosh, Dhruv Oberoi, Nishant Choubey and Ruchira Hoon judged the entries.
And it wasn’t a competition. The event focused on food innovation rather than the best or worst of recipes. Chefs prepared their dishes at home, saving the final flourish for the cook-off in Gurugram.
“Home Chefs have emerged as an important link in keeping alive efforts around the country to retrieve and revive lost recipes, and celebrate the virtues of home cooking,” said Sourish Bhattacharya, food writer and consultant to We The Chefs.
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Creativity in full swing
While the stage buzzed in the lawn area, the real action was brewing indoors.
In the kitchen, home chef Lata Kapoor stirred a pot of purple-hued liquid while crushing roasted pecans.
“I’m making raab, a traditional winter drink crafted with maize flour,” she explained. Giving a healthier spin, she used pecans, edible gum, jaggery for sweetness, and a pinch of black pepper.
Kapoor’s tasting menu featured six dishes, including amla pecans thecha with thepla, golden pecans halwa, spinach sushi sprinkle, pecans chaat masala with curd dip, and a pecan orange brownie.
Out of the 40 dishes that were presented in total, her raab and golden pecans halwa became instant hits with the judges.
“It (raab) was delightful and refreshing,” said Chef Choubey. “The pecans lent a nutty texture to a drink that is typically made with yogurt.”
His other favourites included pecan chaat, coconut dumplings, and an upside-down pav bhaji.
“Some of these dishes could easily make it onto restaurant menus,” Chef Choubey added. However, for the home chefs, the event was more about learning and experimenting.
“In the end, it’s one big family. And, we are here not to compete but to learn and broaden our horizons,” Kaul mentioned.
Behind the scenes, the home chefs tasted each other’s dishes, shared feedback, and lent a helping hand with presentation and plating.
“The camaraderie and creativity was inspiring,” noted Bhattacharya, lauding Sinha for his remarkable initiative in the form of We The Chefs.
Sinha started the platform 30 months ago after a 19-year-long stint with British Airways. He has since created opportunities for over 200 home chefs, many of whom run cloud kitchens or take orders via WhatsApp.
“We The Chefs provides them with a platform to shine. Today’s dishes are just the tip of the iceberg,” Sinha said, proud of his community’s efforts.
Pecans over walnuts
As the tasting session wrapped up, home chefs eagerly lined up for photographs with the celebrity chefs. But, in no time, the stage was transformed.
Chairs made way for a culinary setup: an induction stove, a large bowl of American pecans, and an array of ingredients.
The spotlight shifted to Chef Avijit Ghosh as he began his masterclass on crafting an American pecan, salted caramel, and chocolate tart.
This dessert, he shared, was a hit at Smoor, a cafe in Bengaluru. Chef Ghosh drew a comparison between pecans and walnuts, emphasising the superior storage and taste qualities of pecans.
“With walnuts, there’s the risk of rancid bites that ruin the experience of eating a dessert, and roasting isn’t ideal. Pecans solve all these issues,” he explained.
Chef Choubey’s loyalty also lies with pecans. Some of his popular recipes, from pecan-stuffed chicken roulade with makhani sauce to pecan and truffle cappuccino, highlight the nut in all its glory.
Sumit Saran, representing American Pecan, highlighted the surge in walnut prices due to shortages in major exporting regions like California and Chile.
“At the moment, pecans are priced similarly to walnuts, but within a month, they could be cheaper,” he predicted.
He also underscored pecans’ unique properties, like their exceptional roasting potential, which makes them a preferred choice for bakers.
Health-wise, while walnuts boast high Omega-3 content, pecans shine as the nut with the lowest carbohydrate count.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)