Some people say that cooking is a skill learnt by rigorous training and dedication. Something that takes years to master with experience, practice and training.But then there are some amazing talents, like Akarsh Agarwal, who prove that the art of cooking is a byproduct of natural talent.
Akarsh Agarwal has a natural flair when it comes to cooking.
From a very early age, without any exposure to the world of cooking, Akarsh had this innate sense of timing and taste when it came to food. Following recipes is not his style, as he commandeers your taste buds with his self-created, spur-of-the moment experiments that more often than not will leave you wanting for more.
Known amongst his friends as the do-it-all, his skillset includes skateboarding, beatboxing, baking, dancing, axing the guitar, playing the mouth-organ and keyboard etc.
He is currently pursuing class 12th and is aiming to fill into the shoes of his father to become an architect.
Although the logical choice is to become an architect, he recently has decided to follow his heart and pursue his passion, to become a Chef.
Cooking is the only activity that can get Akarsh’s undivided attention.
Impressed by his zeal and fervor, I decided to witness the journey of this budding chef on his way to achieve his food dream.
Akarsh offered to serve up a 3 Course Meal and I decided to accept as it was interesting to see what and how a 17 year old could prepare an edible three course meal.
First up, he served a refreshing mocktail of his own creation he likes to call sunrise surprise. A colorful concoction of pineapple and orange juice with a secret ingredient of his, it made for a surprisingly tasty drink.
Sunrise Surprise Mock tail, his own concoction.
Following the mocktail was the entrée. In an almost professional attitude and style, he served up a delicious cream-of–chicken soup which was very generous in terms of both cream and the chicken. The rich soup was perfectly cooked and was on the thicker side, which is how I prefer it.
Cream-of-chicken Soup.
Alongside the soup, as a vegetarian alternative, he had prepared a corn salad. Since he was resourcing the ingredients out of his own pocket money, you could really appreciate his cooking with the limited ingredients.
Corn Salad.
The main course was an ensemble of finely balanced ingredients. Pepper coated char grilled chicken, saffron rice with baked vegetables and a thick gravy on the side made for an amazingly fulfilling meal. Although the chicken would have been too peppery for some, the infusion of flavor to the bone and the crispy skin made the chicken a standout dish.
Char grilled chicken, saffron rice with baked vegetables.
The dessert came next and with it came a lot of expectations as desserts was his specialty. Truth be told, it didn’t disappoint. Chocolate fudge infused with crackers, served alongside homemade ice-cream dipped in caramel sauce made for a positively sweet note to end the meal on.
Chocolate Fudge with homemade ice cream.
Overall, I was really surprised to see such dedication and finesse in a 17 year old boy with an otherwise distracted view on life. I guess when you have a passion for food, and the skill to back it up, it shows up in delicious overtones. The quality of food was really good and his no-recipe free hand cooking experiment proved to be a success.
I really hope that he can find a way to fulfil his dream of being a Michelin-star Chef one day. If you have any suggestions or questions for Akarsh you can contact him through Facebook.
And if you have a similar food story to share you can write to us at info@oneworldnews.in
