Author and former restaurateur Dhershini Govin Winodan enjoys her time in the kitchen and takes her enthusiasm for delicious flavours and exotic travel in pursuit of food to great lengths.
In this Silver Spotlight interview with SilverStreak, she talks about her love affair with food and how it has developed into an international passion involving travel and writing.
Dhershini Govin Winodan: The Long Table Of Food And Tales
Dhershini spends a lot of time cooking up feasts to feed family, friends and strangers drawn to her delicious fare.
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The former restaurateur, who started Chat Masala, has contributed to 11 cookbooks and has written three under her own name.
Her latest book, My Long Table: Memories & Recipes features around 130 recipes and little stories that accompany them to whet the appetites of those who can’t cook.
Dhershini, who published the book to coincide with her 70th birthday, admits that it took longer to recall the recipes and stories, but is pleased with the end result.
My Long Table, is a cookbook, travelogue and diary of sorts as she presents recipes with back stories and little travel bites from different locations Dhershini used to be a radio presenter before opening Chat Masala.
Dhershini Govin Winodan: Experimenting With Food
Dhershini will whip up dishes that are traditional and contemporary. She is not bound by geographical boundaries or traditional expectations.
While she acknowledges tradition, she is as happy to adopt a curious and contemporary mindset to concoct combinations of ingredients and resulting flavours.
Dhershini is game to try different types of cuisines.
The recipes in her book, My Long Table, are classical and contemporary. From traditional Kerala cuisine to new ideas that have evolved from her travels.
Living in Singapore, Dhershini feels families like to mix and match their food. She reckons everybody likes change in Singapore.
She observes that some people in parts of the world may be purists, but she finds people in Singapore and Malaysia are open to trying different types of cuisines.
She talks about international chefs who are cooking Indian food because of the growing awareness and demand for the Sub-continent’s fare.
Dhershini Govin Winodan: Unusual Food Experiences – From Unusual to Wow to Memorable
Dhershini recalls a bizarre meal she had with a group of friends. She found herself dining on a range of unexpected dishes when she visited a restaurant in Tampines.
She had eight courses of unusual food prepared Chinese style. On the menu were civet cat, monitor lizard, rabbit, among other exotic fare.
A more pleasant experience was trying bisteeya and tagines in Morocco.
She feels the vegetarian dishes and cuisine of Kerala, in south India, is underrated, while her most lasting memory of a meal is a goat biryani she had in Bombay; it proved to be an adventure well worth the intrigue.
Dhershini Govin Winodan: Making Pav Bhaji
Dhershini, author of My Long Table, shows you how to whip up a quick Indian snack.
Pav bhaji is a street food (chaat) found in Mumbai, India. It consists of a thick vegetable curry served with a soft bread roll.
Dhershini whips up some pav bhaji to spice up the conversation.
The recipe requires leftover vegetables in the fridge.
- Sautee onions, chilli and garlic in oil with chopped tomatoes.
- Add mixed vegetables and pav bhaji masala, chilli powder, turmeric and roasted cumin powder.
- Cook gently over a low fire.
She finishes with a flourish, layering on her topping agents — from tamarind to herbs to sev.
The dish takes around 20 minutes to prepare.
