Indian cuisine is right up there amongst my favourites: Matt Preston

Renowned TV presenter and food critic Matt Preston, who gorged on sev puris on his visit to Mumbai recently, talks about his love for food

Isn’t food a very subjective experience?
This is a view I used to subscribe to but as Gary (Mehigan), George (Calombaries) and myself seldom disagree on dishes, this makes me think that there is objectivity in what is a good or bad dish. Tastes can change over cultural borders however and this is something that a critic needs to be aware of. Having said all that I see my role as a critic as explaining what an experience is like rather than just scoring it.

Are you aware of your huge fan following in India? Is that why you chose to fly down here?
I never realised quite how popular the show was but after seven days in Mumbai and Bangalore I have been left in no doubt about the popularity of the show! The reaction of viewers has been very humbling indeed. I really came to Mumbai to catch up with friends and to eat well post the end of series 3 but I was happy to help out with the promotion of the new series of the show while I was here!

Your show has set a standard that the other versions have to match up to.
That’s very kind of you to say so but I would not be so arrogant as to presume that I have anything of wisdom to share with the experienced producers of the Indian version! My feeling is that the success of our show has been to focus on the joy of food. As far as we judges are concerned we like to see ourselves more mentors than tormentors!

What is your favourite in Indian cuisine?
Indian (in all its many vibrant regional and cultural variations) is right up there amongst my favourites. Few other cuisines offer quite the same diversity! This trip I have eaten exceptionally well. There has been so much to love, from the paneer at Neel or the sev puri at Swati to a very fancy dish of goat’s brain, smoked lamb tongue and a puree loaded with the rich flavours of haleem from Manu Chandra’s modern Indian tasting menu at Olive in Bangalore. I’ve also enjoyed anything cooked with katchampuli; this so-called black vinegar has been a wonderful discovery for me.
 
Often age-old traditional dishes fall into oblivion. And that way a great dish gets wiped out from food history. How could one preserve those recipes?
What a great question and such an important issue. I am a firm believer that great recipes and culinary techniques are as much held by home cooks as great chefs in restaurants. Here I have met a number of chefs and food writers keen to research, preserve and even reignite this great culinary heritage of India. Our show is exploring a way to feature the recipes and some of Australia’s more senior amateur cooks. I have a collection of my family’s recipe books dating back to 1769 crammed with those sorts of traditional recipes. Put aside an hour a week to ask the best older cook in the family to teach them those recipes which should be our birth right.
 
Is there a secret to a great dish?
Yes — a great dish combines deliciousness with that dish’s longevity. Only then can a dish be declared truly “great”.
 
What do you love cooking?
Cooking is a beautiful way to show people how much you care for them - so the simplest recipe is “cook with love”!