One of my main intentions of starting a blog was to write about food and its origins along with the Chef’s journey, they are the main people who bring us these delicacies while toiling hard in the kitchen, whether it is a 5 star hotel or a home kitchen the painfully grueling hours of hard work often goes unappreciated. This is just a small way from my end to highlight the real stars of Food.
As I start my journey of meeting, interviewing & knowing these folks, many names come to mind who are amazing in whatever they whip up in the kitchen.
My First “Chef’s Corner” article starts off with Naaz Anjum of “Anjum’s Kitchen” Fame
It would be safe to say that her tasty food has been the talk of the foodie groups since inception and I have myself tasted many dishes made by her on more than one occasion.
Q: When did you first start cooking (Commercially) and what was the inspiration behind it?
A: I love to cook, learn and experiment with new cuisines as much as possible, it makes me happy to share that love of food with others. Started off my journey doing Feazt events that boasted my confidence and which translated into the idea behind starting Anjum’s Kitchen in June’16
Q: What has been your family’s contribution in your culinary journey?
A: Thankfully, I have a very supportive family. My pillars of strength are my Husband and Mother-in law without whom I wouldn’t have been where I am today. She taught me the nuances of making authentic Hyderabadi food. While I spend majority of my time in the kitchen, the other aspect of food which includes procuring the raw materials to delivery of the final product to our customers is looked at by my husband
Q: How has been the journey so far?
A: The Journey has just begun and it has been very exciting as well. Dealing with different types of customer requirements to different vendors and their orders have been quite a new learning for me
Q: How do you deal with negative comments about your food?
A: I always welcome constructive feedback which helps me correct any mistakes that I might have made unintentionally and grow on from there. Some negative comments & feedback did affect me initially as I was new into this field and didn’t know how to deal with it, but I am learning to cope with such situations with a customer centric approach. “ A happy customer leads to more orders in future”
Q: Which type of cuisine(s) are you good at?
A: Hyderabadi cuisine has become my forte and I also make excellent Veg & Non-Veg Chinese, Mughlai, Maharastrian dishes as well
Q: If you have to choose one dish that you make which can be termed as a must have or a show stopper?
A: Many of the dishes I make, have received tremendous appreciations like Double ka Meetha but if I have to choose one then I would go with Aurangabadi Naan Khaliya
“Naan Khaliya has its origins from Aurangabad . It is prepared with mutton along with a variety of spices. Naan is a bread primarily made in a tandoor but different options available to make it at home without a tandoor as well, while Khaliya is a gravy which has a mixture of mutton and various spices”
Q: Which chef’s do you follow or get inspiration from?
A: I do not follow any particular Chef’s style of cooking via cook books or television as such. My inspiration and the greatest chef I know is my mother in law. Her words of wisdom and encouragement are the best things for me
Q: What lies ahead for Anjum’s Kitchen?
A: We have just started a new venture of taking catering orders for birthdays, weddings and other functions. Want to grow from there to ensure that dishes from Anjum’s Kitchen become famous all across.
Naaz Anjum
I wish her all the very best for the future
~Palate Journals (Taher Syed)
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