I was interested in cooking ever since I was young. My father owned a catering business in Dehradun and I would often watch him at work. My grandmother has also had a great influence on my cooking and she is my biggest inspiration.
I would watch her in the kitchen for hours and learn from her. She was a very
patient teacher. She was the one who taught me how to make healthy spice rubs. Even though spice rubs are available at stores now, there's something different about my grandmother's recipes. You can feel the difference in flavours and it automatically elevates the taste of any dish that you are preparing.
I studied at the Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, and then worked in Australia for a few years. Iworked at a restaurant where I learnt everything about Himalayan salt grill. I was exposed to Western cuisines and different cooking techniques which have become my speciality now.
I returned to India to work with The Lalit Group. I also worked with Taj in Goa for a short period. But I'm back with The Lalit Ashok Bangalore as the Executive Sous Chef. It has been a roller-coaster of a journey over the years.
My wife is an excellent cook and she often gives me a run for my money. We went to the same culinary school but she chose to work at the front end rather than in the kitchen. But she learnt a lot of her recipes from her mother and it's always a feast at home. Ilove it when she prepares coastal dishes —they are absolutely lip-smacking.
Apart from having to cook something at home during the weekends, there are a lot of pros of being a chef.
Ilike it that there are always interesting ingredients in the kitchen that I can experiment with. I know each ingredient that is added to a dish and I can calculate its nutritional value. And the best part about the industry now is that we are transforming the notion of 'fat and chubby' chefs to 'fit and healthy' chefs. What tops the list is that I get to travel to various places and try different cuisines.
But it is not all fun and games in the kitchen as well. I remember when I was working in Australia, I was incharge of the salt grill station. Every dish I prepared on this particular day was sent back to the kitchen and it was a huge loss that day. When we speculated about this, we realised that the meat supplied to us was manipulated. Ever since then, I have been very careful with the orders and ensure that my guests get only the best.
That's why the 'Himalayan salt brick cooked OKO spice rubbed yellow fin tuna' is one of my favourites. It's quick to cook, high in protein and packs a punch with spice. With the combination of wasabi mayonnaise, this Japanese marinated dish is just what you need this festive season.
Mayank Istwal
(As told to Anila Kurian)
Himalayan salt brick cooked tuna
Recipe
Ingredients
Yellow fin tuna fillet, 180 gm
Healthy OKO spice rub
Katsuobushi (dried Bonito flakes), 5 gm
Dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 gm
Iriko (dried baby
anchovies/sardines), 3 gm
Kombu (kelp), 2 gm
Dried tangerine peel
powder, 2 gm
Garlic blossom dried
powder, 2 gm
Shallot powder, 3 gm
Poppy seeds, 5 gm
Black peppercorn powder, 2 gm
Flaked norri, 4 gm
Roasted sesame seed
powder, 4 gm
Wasabi mayonnaise
Wasabi paste, 15 gm
Mayonnaise, 35 gm
Method
Healthy OKO spice rub
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above for making this healthy spice rub.
Cooking
Marinate the tuna fillet with a teaspoon oil and coat it well with the OKO spice rub and then cook it on hot Himalayan salt bricks.
Mix wasabi paste with mayonnaise and serve it with the sliced cooked tuna fillet.
Note: Don't put any salt in the fish as it will acquire the salt and nutrients from the salt bricks.
![]( "INNOVATIVE Mayank Istwal")
I was interested in cooking ever since I was young. My father owned a catering business in Dehradun and I would often watch him at work. My grandmother has also had a great influence on my cooking and she is my biggest inspiration.
I would watch her in the kitchen for hours and learn from her. She was a very
patient teacher. She was the one who taught me how to make healthy spice rubs. Even though spice rubs are available at stores now, there’s something different about my grandmother’s recipes. You can feel the difference in flavours and it automatically elevates the taste of any dish that you are preparing.
I studied at the Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, and then worked in Australia for a few years. I worked at a restaurant where I learnt everything about Himalayan salt grill. I was exposed to Western cuisines and different cooking techniques which have become my speciality now.
I returned to India to work with The Lalit Group. I also worked with Taj in Goa for a short period. But I’m back with The Lalit Ashok Bangalore as the Executive Sous Chef. It has been a roller-coaster of a journey over the years.
My wife is an excellent cook and she often gives me a run for my money. We went to the same culinary school but she chose to work at the front end rather than in the kitchen. But she learnt a lot of her recipes from her mother and it’s always a feast at home. I love it when she prepares coastal dishes — they are absolutely lip-smacking.
Apart from having to cook something at home during the weekends, there are a lot of pros of being a chef.
I like it that there are always interesting ingredients in the kitchen that I can experiment with. I know each ingredient that is added to a dish and I can calculate its nutritional value. And the best part about the industry now is that we are transforming the notion of 'fat and chubby’ chefs to 'fit and healthy’ chefs. What tops the list is that I get to travel to various places and try different cuisines.
But it is not all fun and games in the kitchen as well. I remember when I was working in Australia, I was incharge of the salt grill station. Every dish I prepared on this particular day was sent back to the kitchen and it was a huge loss that day. When we speculated about this, we realised that the meat supplied to us was manipulated. Ever since then, I have been very careful with the orders and ensure that my guests get only the best.
That’s why the 'Himalayan salt brick cooked OKO spice rubbed yellow fin tuna’ is one of my favourites. It’s quick to cook, high in protein and packs a punch with spice. With the combination of wasabi mayonnaise, this Japanese marinated dish is just what you need this festive season.
Mayank Istwal
(As told to Anila Kurian)
Himalayan salt brick cooked tuna
Recipe
Ingredients
Yellow fin tuna fillet, 180 gm
Healthy OKO spice rub
Katsuobushi (dried Bonito flakes), 5 gm
Dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 gm
Iriko (dried baby
anchovies/sardines), 3 gm
Kombu (kelp), 2 gm
Dried tangerine peel
powder, 2 gm
Garlic blossom dried
powder, 2 gm
Shallot powder, 3 gm
Poppy seeds, 5 gm
Black peppercorn powder, 2 gm
Flaked norri, 4 gm
Roasted sesame seed
powder, 4 gm
Wasabi mayonnaise
Wasabi paste, 15 gm
Mayonnaise, 35 gm
Method
Healthy OKO spice rub
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above for making this healthy spice rub.
Cooking
Marinate the tuna fillet with a teaspoon oil and coat it well with the OKO spice rub and then cook it on hot Himalayan salt bricks.
Mix wasabi paste with mayonnaise and serve it with the sliced cooked tuna fillet.
Note: Don’t put any salt in the fish as it will acquire the salt and nutrients from the salt bricks.
I would watch her in the kitchen for hours and learn from her. She was a very
patient teacher. She was the one who taught me how to make healthy spice rubs. Even though spice rubs are available at stores now, there's something different about my grandmother's recipes. You can feel the difference in flavours and it automatically elevates the taste of any dish that you are preparing.
I studied at the Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, and then worked in Australia for a few years. Iworked at a restaurant where I learnt everything about Himalayan salt grill. I was exposed to Western cuisines and different cooking techniques which have become my speciality now.
I returned to India to work with The Lalit Group. I also worked with Taj in Goa for a short period. But I'm back with The Lalit Ashok Bangalore as the Executive Sous Chef. It has been a roller-coaster of a journey over the years.
My wife is an excellent cook and she often gives me a run for my money. We went to the same culinary school but she chose to work at the front end rather than in the kitchen. But she learnt a lot of her recipes from her mother and it's always a feast at home. Ilove it when she prepares coastal dishes —they are absolutely lip-smacking.
Apart from having to cook something at home during the weekends, there are a lot of pros of being a chef.
Ilike it that there are always interesting ingredients in the kitchen that I can experiment with. I know each ingredient that is added to a dish and I can calculate its nutritional value. And the best part about the industry now is that we are transforming the notion of 'fat and chubby' chefs to 'fit and healthy' chefs. What tops the list is that I get to travel to various places and try different cuisines.
But it is not all fun and games in the kitchen as well. I remember when I was working in Australia, I was incharge of the salt grill station. Every dish I prepared on this particular day was sent back to the kitchen and it was a huge loss that day. When we speculated about this, we realised that the meat supplied to us was manipulated. Ever since then, I have been very careful with the orders and ensure that my guests get only the best.
That's why the 'Himalayan salt brick cooked OKO spice rubbed yellow fin tuna' is one of my favourites. It's quick to cook, high in protein and packs a punch with spice. With the combination of wasabi mayonnaise, this Japanese marinated dish is just what you need this festive season.
Mayank Istwal
(As told to Anila Kurian)
Himalayan salt brick cooked tuna
Recipe
Ingredients
Yellow fin tuna fillet, 180 gm
Healthy OKO spice rub
Katsuobushi (dried Bonito flakes), 5 gm
Dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 gm
Iriko (dried baby
anchovies/sardines), 3 gm
Kombu (kelp), 2 gm
Dried tangerine peel
powder, 2 gm
Garlic blossom dried
powder, 2 gm
Shallot powder, 3 gm
Poppy seeds, 5 gm
Black peppercorn powder, 2 gm
Flaked norri, 4 gm
Roasted sesame seed
powder, 4 gm
Wasabi mayonnaise
Wasabi paste, 15 gm
Mayonnaise, 35 gm
Method
Healthy OKO spice rub
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above for making this healthy spice rub.
Cooking
Marinate the tuna fillet with a teaspoon oil and coat it well with the OKO spice rub and then cook it on hot Himalayan salt bricks.
Mix wasabi paste with mayonnaise and serve it with the sliced cooked tuna fillet.
Note: Don't put any salt in the fish as it will acquire the salt and nutrients from the salt bricks.
I was interested in cooking ever since I was young. My father owned a catering business in Dehradun and I would often watch him at work. My grandmother has also had a great influence on my cooking and she is my biggest inspiration. I would watch her in the kitchen for hours and learn from her. She was a very
patient teacher. She was the one who taught me how to make healthy spice rubs. Even though spice rubs are available at stores now, there’s something different about my grandmother’s recipes. You can feel the difference in flavours and it automatically elevates the taste of any dish that you are preparing.
I studied at the Institute of Hotel Management, Guwahati, and then worked in Australia for a few years. I worked at a restaurant where I learnt everything about Himalayan salt grill. I was exposed to Western cuisines and different cooking techniques which have become my speciality now.
I returned to India to work with The Lalit Group. I also worked with Taj in Goa for a short period. But I’m back with The Lalit Ashok Bangalore as the Executive Sous Chef. It has been a roller-coaster of a journey over the years.
My wife is an excellent cook and she often gives me a run for my money. We went to the same culinary school but she chose to work at the front end rather than in the kitchen. But she learnt a lot of her recipes from her mother and it’s always a feast at home. I love it when she prepares coastal dishes — they are absolutely lip-smacking.
Apart from having to cook something at home during the weekends, there are a lot of pros of being a chef.
I like it that there are always interesting ingredients in the kitchen that I can experiment with. I know each ingredient that is added to a dish and I can calculate its nutritional value. And the best part about the industry now is that we are transforming the notion of 'fat and chubby’ chefs to 'fit and healthy’ chefs. What tops the list is that I get to travel to various places and try different cuisines.
But it is not all fun and games in the kitchen as well. I remember when I was working in Australia, I was incharge of the salt grill station. Every dish I prepared on this particular day was sent back to the kitchen and it was a huge loss that day. When we speculated about this, we realised that the meat supplied to us was manipulated. Ever since then, I have been very careful with the orders and ensure that my guests get only the best.
That’s why the 'Himalayan salt brick cooked OKO spice rubbed yellow fin tuna’ is one of my favourites. It’s quick to cook, high in protein and packs a punch with spice. With the combination of wasabi mayonnaise, this Japanese marinated dish is just what you need this festive season.
Mayank Istwal
(As told to Anila Kurian)
Himalayan salt brick cooked tuna
Recipe
Ingredients
Yellow fin tuna fillet, 180 gm
Healthy OKO spice rub
Katsuobushi (dried Bonito flakes), 5 gm
Dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 gm
Iriko (dried baby
anchovies/sardines), 3 gm
Kombu (kelp), 2 gm
Dried tangerine peel
powder, 2 gm
Garlic blossom dried
powder, 2 gm
Shallot powder, 3 gm
Poppy seeds, 5 gm
Black peppercorn powder, 2 gm
Flaked norri, 4 gm
Roasted sesame seed
powder, 4 gm
Wasabi mayonnaise
Wasabi paste, 15 gm
Mayonnaise, 35 gm
Method
Healthy OKO spice rub
Mix all the ingredients mentioned above for making this healthy spice rub.
Cooking
Marinate the tuna fillet with a teaspoon oil and coat it well with the OKO spice rub and then cook it on hot Himalayan salt bricks.
Mix wasabi paste with mayonnaise and serve it with the sliced cooked tuna fillet.
Note: Don’t put any salt in the fish as it will acquire the salt and nutrients from the salt bricks.