Chef Prateek Sadhu on restaurant NAAR: ‘It’s soul is in the mountains, you can’t recreate it anywhere else’

Chef Prateek Sadhu’s NAAR (Photo: PR Handout)

From aspiring aviator to culinary innovator

Born and raised successful Kashmir, Sadhu erstwhile dreamed of becoming a commercialized pilot. Instead, an impulsive determination led him to culinary school, wherever helium recovered himself drawn to the kitchen. His puerility memories of visiting his maasi’s location successful Kashmir, surrounded by a thriving room garden, shaped his attack to cooking. “We ever got caller vegetables from there. That consciousness of freshness and transportation to nutrient stayed with me,” helium said.

A defining infinitesimal successful his vocation came during his clip moving an Italian edifice successful New York astir 2010-11. One Christmas, with his team, Sadhu decided to experimentation with Indian spices successful an Italian dish. “It wasn’t ‘Indian food,’ but determination was a subtle hint of India successful it—and it was a hit,” helium said.

The commencement of NAAR

After making a people arsenic the caput cook astatine Mumbai’s Masque—ranked 23rd connected Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list—Sadhu parted ways successful 2022 to unfastened NAAR (which means “fire” successful Kashmiri). Nestled successful the hills, NAAR offers a cleanable retreat distant from the hustle and bustle of metropolis life. “We’re trying to make a destination restaurant. The thrust up to the hills, the remoteness, the uncommon ingredients, the place—it each adds to the magic.”

Unlike accepted restaurants, NAAR is research-driven. Sadhu and his squad question extensively, forage, and root ingredients from Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and beyond. “Sometimes, we person to hold for months until an constituent is successful season,” helium says.

Sourcing natural, fresh, and section ingredients is the backbone of Sadhu’s ventures and NAAR is nary different. He proudly attributes it to his probe team. “Our nutrient is precise research-led. We bash research astir ingredients a lot, particularly successful the Himalayas,” helium said. Sadhu and his squad question extensively, forage, and root ingredients from Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, and beyond. “Sometimes, we person to hold for months until an constituent is successful season,” Sadhu, 38, said.

Experimenting with Himalayan flavours

NAAR’s paper features ingredients seldom seen successful mainstream dining. Dandelion, for instance, is simply a staple successful pahadi cuisine but is known for its aggravated bitterness. “It’s tricky to equilibrium that bitterness. But aft aggregate trials, we yet cracked it,” Sadhu said.

Sadhu’s attack to cooking is meticulous—every constituent undergoes 20-25 trials earlier helium finds “the champion mode to enactment it connected the plate.” “Even aft years successful the kitchen, it’s ne'er a one-shot process. There’s ever research, development, and adjustments based connected feedback.”

Askalu crockery (Photo: PR Handout)

“Personally, I would emotion bitter greenish connected my plate, but bitterness is thing Indians don’t subordinate nutrient with, but karela oregon bitter gourd,” helium said. Naturally, his adjacent experiment? Bitter gourd (karela). “I emotion its texture and the mode it looks,” helium said, hinting astatine a imaginable aboriginal dish.

On sustainability and the aboriginal of dining

Despite the buzz astir sustainability, Sadhu believes the edifice manufacture has a agelong mode to go. “We speech astir sustainability, but are we truly practicing it? We are not. We, arsenic chefs and arsenic individuals, request to beryllium much liable successful the mode we tally restaurants. I anticipation to capable the gaps successful the nutrient and beverages manufacture and make a bully model,” helium said.

With NAAR inactive successful its aboriginal stages, and lone a year-old venture, Sadhu is afloat committed to pushing its boundaries. “This year, I conscionable privation to cook, create, and physique unthinkable memories,” Sadhu said.

When asked if helium would ever grow NAAR to different city, Sadhu said, “Absolutely not. Its psyche is successful the mountains. You can’t recreate that anyplace else.”

Unwinding beyond the kitchen

With his life revolving astir food, however does helium unwind? “By doing nothing. I emotion watching TV, cooking for myself, and conscionable taking a break. I’m ever connected the move, truthful unwinding means genuinely switching off,” helium said.

Will helium beryllium portion of the ongoing play of Masterchef India arsenic a peculiar guest? “Only clip volition tell,” helium said.