The weather was far from ideal on Saturday morning at the Kite Beach in Jumeirah as a severe sandstorm swept Dubai, but that didn’t stop Scottish tennis player Andy Murray from cooking up a storm. Under the guidance of Indian celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Murray was in a come-rain-or-shine-I-will-cook-curry mood.
He was clueless about cooking and curries, but he didn’t let that deter him as he set out to make a signature dish christened “Murray Curry” at a cooking station at the Beach Canteen erected as a part of the Dubai Food Festival.
“I am not a good cook and it’s my first time making a curry. Sanjeev gave me his book now and I should ideally try a few at home now,” Murray told tabloid! after his cooking session.
Whether he makes good on that promise is yet to be seen, but it was interesting to see Kapoor and Murray hammer out a curry that was culled from the tennis player’s food tastes.
So what makes his taste buds come alive? “Spicy mayonnaise”.
The moment those words were out, chef Kapoor decided that Murray Curry would have to be laced with fresh cream to give it a rich texture. Their culinary adventure was not scripted in the perfect sense, as ingredients were added and edited out based on Murray’s knowledge of food. While Murray started off with a disclaimer saying that he was clueless about cooking, he was game to replicate Kapoor’s moves. They got off to a sizzling start as they added chopped onions to some oil. Swapping a tennis racquet for a ladle came easy.
“It was fun teaching him. He did very well because it’s not easy cooking with these giant industrial pots and pans. It can be intimidating, but Andy was willing to try out new things. And that’s what creates winners. He’s bold,” said Kapoor, rating his student high.
Murray, who’s a fan of Japanese food and Dubai’s Nobu restaurant at Atlantis The Palm, also familiarised himself with Indian spices and herbs such as mint and coriander in no time.
“I love to go out and eat. It’s one of the nice things about travelling. We get to try different foods and go to nice restaurants. Most big cities have some very good places to eat. In Dubai, there are so many places to choose from. Recently, I went to a French restaurant in One & Only Mirage Hotel and absolutely loved it. But the downside to all this travelling is that we spend a lot of time away from family and friends,” said Murray, who isn’t a fan of healthy meals.
“Chocolates and ice cream are my favourite comfort foods,” said Murray.
While he may have a sweet tooth, his signature curry packed a spicy punch. As the curry simmered away, those in the audience were already queuing up to taste what Murray had cooked. With a huge grin, he happily distributed his culinary creation and scooped a bit for himself too. In this case, the proof was in the curry as a loud cheer erupted when he doled it out.
“It’s always a good sign when a person takes back a bowl of steaming curry and rice with them. Since he liked something spicy, creamy and crunchy, I knew right away that there has to be onions and cream in Murray Curry,” said Kapoor, who made it a point to give a signed copy of his cookbook to Murray before he left to practice his game for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which starts its men’s week on February 23.
“Food is something that brings people together. And I hope my recipe book will encourage him to do more cooking. He already pleases people with his game of tennis, but I hope he can please his friends with some curry too,” said Kapoor.
