Ishtiyaque Qureshi

A masterchef who has impressed celebrities with his amazing array of finger-licking Awadhi kebabs and biryanis. Each time there is a celebrity wedding in India, masterchef Ishtiyaque Qureshi is on his toes. 

 At present, Qureshi has a number of restaurants and take-aways — Kebab Hut / Kebab Corner, Chote Nawab and Kakori House at Mumbai, Pune and Delhi. He is also consultant chef to the very well-known Kebab Hut, Sun n Sand, in both Mumbai and Pune.

Known for the tongue-tickling delicacies he dishes out for most of the well-heeled in the country, Qureshi is the son of the renowned chef Imtiaz Qureshi. Coming from a well-reputed family of chefs, it’s little wonder that chef Qureshi has a creative streak, an enterprising attitude and a razor-sharp mind.

Years ago, father Imtiaz, started the famous Dum Pukht and Bukhara at the Maurya Sheraton, Delhi. After starting out under his father at the Maurya Sheraton, Delhi, Ishtiyaque worked at several five-star properties before shifting to the frozen food business. Of course, chef Qureshi finally moved back to his first love – restaurant and banquet catering.

Chef Qureshi says humbly, “I do not have a hotel management degree. My father is my ustad, my guru. I have learnt everything on the job.”

When he was just 13, chef Qureshi started training in the kitchens of hotels. In 1981, he joined Maurya where he worked for two years to learn everything he could. After that, he was deputed to the Dum Pukht kitchen where he started working with his father. “Dum Pukht cuisine is one of the most interesting because it dates back centuries. It involves cooking meat in it own juices by sealing the vessel,” says the chef.

In 1990, Searock Sheraton in Mumbai opened its dum pukht restaurant and brought down Qureshi junior. The restaurant was a hit. In 1993, it shut down due to the bomb blasts and Qureshi rejoined his father at Maurya. Immediately, he was deputed to set up a dum pukht restaurant in Bangalore at the Windsor Manor. Later, he went on to work with the Leela Kempinski, Mumbai. “Once I finish work on a project, I move onto the next assignment to face up to the next challenge,” says the dynamic chef. 

So what is it about weddings that make chef Qureshi such a popular figure? Weddings in India are lavish affairs and we go all out to celebrate. “There is always a live grill with assorted kebabs - reshmi, galauti, kakori, along with the special nehari-kulche biryani as was the case for Hrithik’s (Roshan) do. For Karisma (Kapoor), we catered in both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian sections with a grand kebab display,” reveals the chef who has celebrities eating out of his hand.

What’s the key ingredient? “I am very particular about the kind of food I cook and serve. I would never serve anything, I wouldn’t eat myself. It is a myth that Indian food is overtly heavy and spicy,” says the master of spices.

Now, he looks to the future, “I want to take Indian food all over the world. I feel that it has been vastly unexplored.” And the enterprising chef believes that the way to promotion lies not with the five-stars but with the smaller stand-alone restaurants, clubs and take-aways. The setting up of Kakori House in some parts of India is part of this initiative.

Kakori House was conceptualised to bring Awadhi food out of five-star restaurants without compromising on the quality and authenticity of the cuisine. “Awadhi food is well-known for its melt-in-the-mouth kebabs, tantalising curries and mouth-watering biryanis. Indian food is so diverse and varied. There is so much more that can be done. It is my dream that each region in each country should have an Indian kebab unit.”

CELEBRITY SHAADIS

• Hrithik Roshan’s mehndi ceremony
• Karishma Kapoor’s wedding
• Riddhima’s (Rishi and Neetu Kapoor’s daughter) wedding

CELEBRITY MEALS

• Anil Ambani
• Amitabh Bachchan
• Yash Chopra
• Parmeshwar Godrej
• Dilip Kumar
• Jeetendra
• Shatrughan Sinha
• MF Husain
• Amjad Khan’s family

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