Prince of Spice, Reza Mahammad by Yashika Ramautar


Flamboyant Prince of Spice, Reza


Oh My! Some interesting questions here

My moment with Reza Mahammad

Reza Mahammad
The Spice Prince

by Yashika Ramautar

YR: Where did your passion for cooking and food begin?
RM: In many ways it began from staying with family in India, learning to make jams and all sort of stuffs. I used to help my mum make samoosas by filling it up and so on. Then with the restaurant business, my father passed away when I was 15, so I did a Hotel Management course, and then went straight into the business. I do love it, its fun but a lot of hard work too, and I tend to bring the fun out of it more than anything else! When you enjoy what you do, its like art or music where you can be expressive, and I love that.

YR: Is there any part of being in the kitchen that you don't like, and why?
RM: IThe thing is that,if you are doing something, then you've got to do it at the end of the day. For me every aspect is as important, from the preparing to the washing up and cleaning, its all important because it all relates to each other. But to be honest, I hate mopping floors, really hate it!

YR: What is the most memorable meal and setting that you created?
RM: My best one is a big Christmas dinner I did for 27 people, and what I did create was amazing. Everyone came in the most elaborate costumes, and I arrived in  a Vivian Westwood, 16th Century kind of ballroom gown with  a 12 foot train, and it was hysterical!!! We went onto the streets like a big procession thereafter, and it was the most funniest thing ever! I had 800 "dhiya" or clay lamps which I had gilded in gold so that when the flame reflected off it, it looked like little orbs. Even the name cards where specially inscribed in gold, placed on an orange which was painted in gold and studded with cloves, which all looked very opulent. So when I do a theme, I really put myself all out, and its all about the fine details, which I just love doing. Its more than just the food, it all about the atmosphere you create.

YR: What is the worst thing you've ever tasted?
RM: Oh, it was actually very recent when I had to eat tinned fruit and custard, it was awful. But then again I hate tripe. I can't stand tripe. I won't eat tripe. Just the smell of it makes me…shew…its just not my cup of Darjeeling!!! I'm very discerning as to what goes into my palette, and tripe just gives me the "heebie jeebies".

YR: If you didn't have to run a restaurant, what would you be doing?
RM: Well theres a lot of things I would be doing, but I think I would have gone into the performing arts, the creative side of. But I am opening a cookery school in France soon, that will have yoga, music, art classes, writers retreat and lots more. So thats what I'm planning to do next. I do however love TV, and I am filming one now through Southern Africa currently, called Reza's African kitchen, which comes out here in February.

YR: What is your take of Durban, its people, culture, cuisine etc?
RM: Durban has always been warm and friendly. But I think things have changed as the generations have progressed since the time of uprootment, so as to speak. The food now is much more intensely flavoured, with so many spices all mixed together and in ready made formulas. We were in Durban filming and at one of the markets, there was "mother-in-laws" masala and "mother-in-law exterminator" masala, makes one think that everyone here has a mother-in-law complex!

YR: If you had to have a final meal, what would that be?
RM: I think a comfort food. A pie of any sort with  mashed potatoes, or a shepard's pie with mashed potatoes, as its lovely and creamy and would just hit the spot! 

My favorites…

Desert..Namib desert
Spice..Cardamom
Indian actress…Rekha
Actor…Brad Pitt, Tom cruise, George Clooney and Johnny Depp
Book…Perfume by Patrick Suskund and The God of Small things by Arundhati Roy 
Aphrodisiac…Cardamoms or Oysters and champaign
Dance move…Contemporary and classic dance

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