Yasmin Qureshi, daughter of legendary chef Padma Shri Imtiaz Qureshi, who handed away final 12 months, wears many hats with ease and pleasure — she is a trend advisor, a fancy dress designer, and now, a chef. Whereas her early profession was rooted in trend, she finally discovered her calling within the kitchen, the place she feels most related to her roots.
Centered on increasing the attain of her father’s legacy whereas including her personal artistic contact, Yasmin has been curating meals pop-ups that carry genuine Awadhi flavours to new audiences. Most just lately, she collaborated with actor Mona Singh’s restaurant Kona Kona for a four-day Kona Kona x Yasmin Qureshi Pop-Up, an intimate culinary showcase of considered one of India’s most iconic meals traditions: slow-cooked dum pukht delicacies.
Raised in a household the place “meals was a lifestyle,” Yasmin recollects being surrounded by the aromas and self-discipline of Awadhi cooking, watching her dad and mom and siblings pour love, self-discipline, and intuition into each dish. As a “heartfelt tribute”, her latest showcase featured Lucknowi mutton biryani, kathal biryani, galouti kebabs (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), barra, dahi kebab, prawns, rooster curry, nihari, marrow nihari, her mom’s favorite dal, and desserts like shahi tukda and phirni.
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Indianexpress.com caught up with Yasmin for a candid interview, and the chef mirrored on holding her late father’s legacy alive, Awadhi delicacies, and ditching every thing else for slow-cooked or dum pukht cooking. Learn edited excerpts under:
Q: Take us by your journey as a chef now.
Yasmin Qureshi: Trend allowed me to discover creativity and storytelling by visuals, however meals connects me extra deeply to my roots and household legacy. Rising up surrounded by the aromas and methods of Awadhi cooking, I all the time had a deep respect and fervour for the culinary arts, even when it wasn’t my preliminary profession path. After my father handed, I felt a calling to step into the kitchen and carry ahead his unimaginable legacy as he all the time desired. Cooking lets me mix custom with creativity — it feeds each physique and soul. It additionally retains me related to my father and permits me to share his classes with the world.
Malai Phirni (Photograph: PR Handout)
Q: How was it collaborating with Mona Singh for her restaurant?
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Yasmin Qureshi: It was an exquisite expertise. From our first dialog, it was clear we shared a love for genuine meals and storytelling by delicacies. Our conversations have been very open and provoking. We talked about mixing conventional Awadhi flavours with a contemporary eating expertise that her restaurant goals to supply. Mona’s enthusiasm, love, and respect for meals and heritage made the collaboration clean and inventive. Collectively, we’ve been in a position to craft dishes that honour custom whereas interesting to right this moment’s diners.
Kona Kona felt like the proper associate due to their heat, power, and inventive openness. There was an prompt consolation—no stress, simply real enthusiasm. For me, this wasn’t only a pop-up; it’s a really private journey. Kona Kona supplied an area the place I might be myself, honour my roots, and categorical my father’s legacy with out compromising its soul.
The concept grew very organically. I didn’t sit down and plan it like knowledgeable chef constructing a menu. I went with emotion. These are dishes I’ve grown up consuming, cooking, and watching my household make, from my father to my mom, my grandparents to my brothers. They’re stuffed with reminiscence and which means. I began with what felt near my coronary heart and constructed from there. The concept was to carry alive flavours that formed me, in a manner that also feels gentle, accessible, and soulful.
Q: How do you look again at your late father, Ustad Imtiaz Qureshi’s journey?
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Yasmin Qureshi: He taught me that cooking is not only about recipes however about endurance, respect for components, and fervour. From him, I realized humility, dedication, self-discipline, and the artwork of sluggish cooking that brings out the soul of a dish. I really feel extremely grateful for his knowledge and values, which information me in each life and work. Carrying ahead his legacy with my brothers is an honour. For me, meals is tradition and love, and I wish to preserve bringing folks collectively by the tales behind every dish.
Q: Can you are taking us by a few of his most cherished suggestions and methods that you simply nonetheless comply with within the kitchen?
Yasmin Qureshi: My father by no means used measuring spoons; he believed in intuition. He insisted on letting meat and greens prepare dinner in their very own juices, with out including water, and all the time prevented stress cookers for meat, preferring sluggish dum pukht cooking to construct deep flavours. Above all, he stated meals should be made with love — with out it, no dish can actually style good. That’s the lesson I carry in all places.
Q: Do you are feeling the restaurant and meals area has grow to be overpopulated with folks and cooks craving for area?
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Yasmin Qureshi: Sure, it’s positively crowded, with many proficient, passionate cooks coming into the sphere. Whereas that’s thrilling, it makes it more durable to face out. For me, the hot button is authenticity — staying true to my roots whereas including my very own artistic contact. Real storytelling and constant high quality are what create an enduring impression.
Q: There’s quite a lot of debate on nepotism in Bollywood. And it additionally applies to different fields. As a daughter of a famend chef, what’s your take?
Yasmin Qureshi: I acknowledge that my household title opens doorways, however legacy alone isn’t sufficient. You need to show your self day-after-day. There’s stress to dwell as much as expectations, however I’m dedicated to carving my very own path whereas honouring my father’s legacy. On the finish of the day, expertise, ardour, and perseverance maintain a profession, not only a surname.
Q: Is there added stress on you to carry out each time?
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Yasmin Qureshi: Sure, there may be positively added stress to carry out each time. Being related to my father’s legacy means folks have excessive expectations from me. However I attempt to see that stress as motivation, to consistently be taught, enhance, and produce my finest to the desk. It pushes me to keep up excessive requirements and preserve evolving whereas staying true to the roots.
Q: What do you wish to be remembered for?
Yasmin Qureshi: My aim is to maintain the soul of dum pukht and frontier meals alive but in addition current it in a manner that resonates with right this moment’s diners. I hope my cooking displays each respect for heritage and a private expression of flavour and innovation.
Q: With a lot meals throughout, what’s your mantra to eat mindfully, or do you prefer to indulge?
Yasmin Qureshi: Whereas I’m obsessed with cooking, I’m truthfully not the largest fan of consuming my very own meals. I are usually extra of a feeder than an eater! That stated, I do like to bask in good meals, whether or not it’s attempting one thing new at a restaurant or having fun with easy home-cooked meals. To stability that, I be sure that to work out not less than thrice per week. For me, aware consuming is about appreciating flavours and permitting myself guilt-free indulgence whereas sustaining a wholesome and energetic life.
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Q: What’s your mantra to unwind after a protracted day?
Yasmin Qureshi: I really like sharing every thing, the ups and downs of my day, with my brothers and shut pals. After that, I often curl up in mattress, hearken to calming music and I often meditate and pray earlier than going to sleep, thanking God for the blessings. It’s a chilled routine that helps me discover peace and prepares me for the following day.
Mutton Galawati Kebab (Photograph: PR Handout)
Q: Is there any recommendation you wish to point out for newbies within the subject?
Yasmin Qureshi: To remain humble and be affected person. Respect the traditions and methods, but in addition be open to studying and experimenting. Ardour and consistency are key. There will probably be challenges, however when you love what you do, you should preserve pushing ahead to do what you’re keen on.
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Q: A number of the Indian dishes that you simply assume want extra consciousness, and why?
Yasmin Qureshi: Many Indian dishes deserve extra recognition, particularly from the Awadhi and Mughlai traditions. Sluggish-cooked dals, lesser-known kebabs, and regional curries and rice dishes usually get overshadowed by extra standard gadgets. These dishes carry wealthy historical past and distinctive flavours that inform tales of tradition and heritage.
I imagine elevating consciousness about them helps protect these culinary traditions and introduces folks to the depth and variety of Indian delicacies.
Q: Do you may have a love-hate equation with social media?
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Yasmin Qureshi: Sure. It’s great for connecting with meals lovers and sharing tales, but it surely may also be overwhelming — the stress to consistently create content material and the negativity at occasions. I attempt to deal with it as a device, not a lure, and discover stability in how I take advantage of it.
