Q up for a grand meal

Whether it's a korma, kebab or biryani, Qureshi is the name to trust when it comes to Indian cuisine. Imtiaz Qureshi, particularly.

Having worked in, around and on behalf of hotels across the world, Qureshi has this month received one of the greatest honours — having a restaurant branded after himself.

The new restaurant at the Chelsea Hotel, Bur Dubai, is simply called Qureshis. Period.

Family affair

And the recent launch was a truly family affair, with the sons attending as well.

Imtiaz's sons, who have helped develop the menu at the hotel, use their own blends and sauces. Mohammad Ashfaque and Mohammad Irfan Qureshi come from an illustrious line of chefs that span three centuries but say they owe everything they know to the master chef Imtiaz Qureshi, their father.

The boys have worked with the dum pukht style of cooking that was reinvented by Imtiaz.

Ashfaque said: "We are so proud of dad and what he has achieved and it is such an honour to come here to Dubai where we are all being recognised so openly. It is wonderful and we are very grateful and proud."

Early start

Working from as early as 5 in the family kitchen, Ashfaque never thought he would pursue a career as a chef, even though this father, uncle, and brother had decided to opt for careers in catering.

"We are a truly family orientated business," added Ashfaque, who, along with his brother chef Irfan, acts as chef consultants for Zaika restaurant at Al Murooj Rotana Hotel & Suites, Dubai.

Creative

He added: "When something like this [branded restaurant] happens it reminds you why you followed in your father's giant footprints. He is respected the world over and we hope that we can continue that for many generations to come.

"My parents never forced me into this career, but, as I am creative by nature, if I didn't become a chef then I'm sure I would have entered another industry that used creativity."

Chef Irfan too learnt everything he knows from his father. He began working alongside his dad from the age of 18, a move which he claims gave him the life experience and knowledge that you cannot learn from a professional course.

He said: "Our knowledge of cuisine comes not from working in hotels, but from our upbringing." Now running a global business with restaurants around the world, the Qureshi brothers say it is important to understand the origins of their cuisine. However they also say it's important to make new discoveries.

Qureshi is a name famous for the dum pukht style of cooking. Created in the Awadh region of India, the dum pukht style of cuisine was created to feed the villagers during famines. At the time, chef Ashfaque Qureshi says his family — who were the royal chefs — were asked by the king to create a dish that could be made in large batches.

Thirty years

He added: "The idea behind dum cuisine was to make a single meal using fresh vegetables, meats and certain amounts of cereal in huge porridge-style dishes. This type of dish took more than 30 years to perfect, but it now comes in different styles: in the form of refined gravies, kebabs and beautiful kormas. This is the type of cuisine that our family is the creator and master of and we are so proud to say its ours.
"We hope everyone enjoys eating at Qureshi at the Chelsea Hotel and samples a bit of the Qureshi way of life."