31st Oct 2011 - 00:00
Abstract
Muraliraj Narashimaraj, head chef at the Lasan Restaurant in Birmingham, has won the prestigious annual South Asian Chef Competition (SACC) recently held at Leeds City College.
The SACC, established by the Aagrah Group of Restaurants managing director and executive chef Mohammed Aslam seven years ago, is open to professional chefs from all culinary and cultural backgrounds working in restaurants, hotels and for food manufacturers, who are able to produce creative and adventurous South Asian recipes. In the national final eight chefs competed for the top prize of £1,000, seven days at the world famous Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India, for two people working for renowned chef Hemant Oberoi, one year's free membership of the Craft Guild of Chefs, and a gold medal. Narashimaraj's menu wowed the judging panel, which included Craft Guild chairman Andrew Green, Dr Shyam Patiar from College Llandrillo, the international centre of excellence in culinary arts for Wales, and Stephen Gomes, chef patron of Moksh Restaurant in Cardiff, to take the award. Second place went to Ankur Baria from the Turtle Bay Caribbean Restaurant in Milton Keynes, and third place to Tina Ditchfield of College Llandrillo, each receiving trophies and £500 and £250 respectively. Two special prizes were awarded for the best healthy option and the most innovative dish. The award for best healthy dish went to Amardeep Singh Anand, a quarter finalist in the BBC Professional Master Chef competition 2010 and currently based at the Endimaj Restaurant in Leicester. Santhosh Kumar Parmeswaran Nair from the Mint & Mustard Group in Cardiff received the award for best innovative dish. The competition helps to raise the profile of the chefs and restaurants participating, and brings highly skilled chefs and the establishments they represent to the attention of UK's leading businesses attending the awards ceremony. Its supporters include businesses such as Kingfisher, LWC, Cobra, Barclays and Leeds law firm DLA Piper. The winners were presented with their prizes at the Aagrah Annual Charity Business Dinner held at the Aagrah Midpoint Suite on October 24.
• For further details, visit www.saccuk.com