Chef Kumar Mahadevan.
Born in Tamil Nadhu, Kumar Mahadevan is acknowledged as a forefather of authentic Indian cuisines in Australia. Mahadevan is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Abhi's restaurant in North Strathfield, NSW, which has welcomed more than a million customers since opening in 1990. His other restaurant is Aki's at Woolloomooloo. He travels back to India regularly for inspiration. See abhisindian.com.au.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE TABLE IN INDIA?
Dakshin in Chennai, which is South Indian food at its finest. It is large, very traditional, not contemporary at all – very classic. I visit every time I am in Chennai. See itchotels.in.
Regional variations is the country's best-kept food secret.
THE LOCAL FOOD DISCOVERY OF THE PAST YEAR?
On my last trip I discovered many different types of street food, for example slow-cooked meat in a fermented rice and lentil pancake (called Uttappam) in Chennai. I have already incorporated it into a dish at Aki's called Chukka Karri Appam – a modern take that uses a coconut and fermented rice pancake.
WHAT IS INDIA'S BEST-KEPT FOOD SECRET?
Diversity. You need to travel so much to find the real food of India – you must travel to each region and taste the food to understand the food of other regions, and Indian cuisine overall. It's what I went in search of when I was writing my book, From India, which is the result of extensive travel and research of Indian food.
PLACE TO GO ON A DAY OFF?
There is so much to see – I go and hunt for even more traditional flavours and find the inside secrets of places. When I am in India I find small, out-of-the-way places recommended by locals and I go in and find out what they are doing. There are many hidden gems to explore. My favourite is Arulanandam Mess, a small eatery with cooking that is fragrant, fresh and always delicious. (Kamarajar Salai. Virugambakkam, AVM Colony, Annamalai Colony, Chennai.)
FAVOURITE INDULGENCE IN INDIA?
Food, of course. In the north of India the kebabs are amazing, and so is the vegetarian food. When I am in the south I go for lots of very spicy, pungent dishes – and I have a weakness for Bengali milk sweets such as Sandesh.
WHAT SHOULD A VISITOR AVOID, FOOD-WISE, IN INDIA?
Cold, uncooked food on the streets. I travel to India regularly and I haven't fallen sick from the food yet – touch wood – because I always stick to cooked food. Otherwise I ask: for example with chutneys, I always make sure they are made using purified water.
WHAT'S HOT IN THE AREA RIGHT NOW?
The whole of India is undergoing a transformation food-wise. They are finally embracing and becoming more accepting of other cuisines and more chefs are modernising recipes and menus – there's a big food revolution happening there right now.
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