Meet Chef Boonlurah Panchai, Speciality Chef at Zen at Leela Palace. In conversation with Explocity, Chef talks about preserving the authenticity of a cuisine by sharing. The more recipes are shared the longer the authenticity of a cuisine survives.

Where did you grow up?

Surin a small village in Thailand.

What led you to becoming a chef?

My Mother was an incredible cook and the whole village loved whatever she cooked. They would come to our house to learn recipes, which my mother used to share with them, very happily. Most of the time she would cook those dishes herself and give it to the whole village to taste. This was where my interest for food started.

How long have you been a chef?

It’s been over 17 years now, that I have been a professional chef.

What do you enjoy more? Cooking or creating?

As a chef it’s always going to be cooking.

Do you feel there is virtue in preserving the authenticity of cuisine?

Yes it is very important to preserve the authenticity of every cuisine as this is the base for us to develop the cuisine further.

A lot of chefs very closely guard their recipes and do not share it with other and eventually the recipes die out or get diluted with people trying to make it.

What dish do you like eating the most?

Noodle soup with lots of vegetable and meat.

What’s your least favorite dish?

Ika shiokara (Japanese fermented squid)

How long have you lived in Bangalore?

Two years and counting.

Do you like it here?

Yes. I love Bangalore for its climate and I also have a lot of friends here.