It was a winning silver for chef’s Saurav Nath and Anup Nangwal from JKS Restaurant, who were crowned Tilda Chef Team of the Year, at the prestigious Salon Culinaire.
In association with the Craft Guild of Chefs, the new 2020 champions impressed the judges with their wild mushroom and tofu biriyani with a cucumber, mango and ginger Raita. The aromatic main was followed by a seasonal rhubarb rice pudding and a rhubarb confit with roasted almond flakes, orange skin and fennel cress. The dishes incorporated Tilda’s Original Pure Basmati Rice and Tilda’s speciality Jasmine rice effortlessly in their recipe as the base ingredient.
The innovative street food inspired menu impressed the judges and saw the JKS Restaurant team take home the iconic blue trophy and an all expenses gastro trip to discover the art of rice with Tilda.
Speaking after the trophy presentation, Saurav Nath, [title] at JKS Restaurant said;
“We were very excited, yet nervous, about this competition as it was our first one. As a vegetarian myself I was confident about the recipes we created. We took inspiration from the London street food scene and decided on a tofu biriyani. We cannot put into words how happy we are that we have won – I am lost for words”
Eleven competitors battled it out in a 45-minute showdown to showcase the endless culinary possibilities of Tilda speciality rice through their menus. Taking inspiration from the latest food trends influencing menus, including plant-based, street food and vegetarian influences.
As well as picking up Tilda’s biggest Salon Culinaire prize to date – an all-expenses paid gastro trip to Italy – the winners received a silver medal, framed certificates and the famous blue trophy. Alongside runners up Lexington Catering and Delaware North, the team will also be awarded with a VIP Tilda Innovation Day and go behind the scenes at Tilda’s mill in Rainham, Essex to discover the art of rice.
Judging on the day, Jo Witchell, Commercial Marketing Manager, Tilda UK added:
“The rice was cooked to perfection in both dishes and the classic street food basmati rice biryani was absolutely delicious. Saurav and Anup used so many amazing ingredients and spices which guaranteed wonderful fresh flavours coming through. The rhubarb jasmine rice pudding took a classic recipe to another level, with the tangy rhubarb flavour and crunchy texture of the almonds. Congratulations to our very deserving winners!”
The Tilda Chef Team of the Year competition aims to highlight just how innovative rice can be, helping chefs to cater for a wide range of food trends and diets – thanks to the grain’s versatility and wide appeal.
Tilda’s “Art of Rice” campaign encourages chefs to explore the infinite culinary possibilities of including Tilda rice in their dishes. Additionally, the campaign helps chefs to profit more from rice and by simply stating the name of the rice, Tilda’s research shows that 68% of people would be willing to pay more for a dish which includes Basmati & Wild rice versus a non-named rice. To learn more visit www.tilda.com/professionals/article/make-menu-work.
The chefs had to prepare, cook and present their dishes at London’s HRC Salon Culinaire in the tense finale. With rice needing to make up at least 50% of the dish, competitors were able to choose from any of the Tilda Speciality range including Easy Cook Basmati, Brown Basmati, Fragrant Jasmine, Arborio Risotto, Original Pure Basmati and Basmati & Wild.
