Two Culinary Masters, In One Kitchen

A wonderful evening at Thali, New Canaan, just blew me away!  Chef Prasad Chirnomula invited his dear friend and celebrity chef (judge on Chopped), Maneet Chauhan, to cook with him. And to my delight, chef Prasad invited me to come earlier and spend time with him and Maneet in the kitchen.  It was the most fun I have had in a long while.

I have savored chef Prasad’s culinary delights many times, and I AM a fan.  I had never met Maneet before, but I have watched her on Chopped and really admired the grasp of culinary knowledge she has.  I was all starry eyed about meeting this celebrity chef.  It was so humbling that Maneet came up to me as soon as she saw me.... and from that point on we chatted like long lost friends!  Our topic of conversation: you guessed it ..... food!!!  She is so vivacious and super friendly with a great zest for life and living.  

Chef Prasad and chef Maneet are super cool in the kitchen.  It helps that they are very good friends.  They laugh and kid around while cooking.  Nothing phases them. They have the utmost respect and utter excitement for each other's culinary skills. They love collaborations like these.... To a true chef, I guess this is what it's all about. 

The dinner that night was to be a there course meal.  Chef Prasad made the appetizer and dessert, while Maneet prepared the welcome cocktail and the main course. I got to do a taste test of each dish with the two chefs - before evening service started.  Each course was absolutely flavor-packed and had me licking my plates clean!

The tone was set from the first sip of the cocktail, which was made with Van Gogh Cool Peach Vodka, jalapeño and lime!  My taste buds began to tingle and I was so eager for the rest of the food to come.

Chef Prasad made a delish Cinnamon Prawn with Butternut Squash.  Wow!  Talk about making a bold statement with flavor and spices!  This dish will make you sit up and take notice.

For the main course Maneet pulled a recipe from her new cook book. A Hungarian dish with an Indian twist, it was Dalcha Hungarian Goulash.  Tender cuts of lamb, slow braised with a vegetable stew and yellow lentils, sitting on a bed of Basmati pulao. Genius!  And truly inspiring.  Despite the Indian flavors in this dish (which tend to be overwhelming) I was amazed to detect the gentle, aromatic floral notes of rosemary in there.  Maneet told me that rosemary is a key herb in this Hungarian dish.... and it was great to see it shine through.

The dessert.  OMG!  The dessert!  Chef Prasad outdid himself with his Cardamom Ice Cream and Apricot Sweet.  There was a great crunchy texture from a caramel-brittle.... it was a perfect compliment to the soft, melt in your mouth textures of ice cream and apricot sweet.

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