INTERVIEW WITH IMRAN NATHOO

Imran Nathoo is a rising star on the Cardiff food scene.

After gaining success as a blogger he promptly applied for MasterChef, reaching the quarterfinals in 2017. Imran's journey through the food landscape has been one I've been really inspired by.

I was lucky enough to chat to Imran and discuss his passion for food and find out what drives him to succeed.

What inspired you to start blogging? 

My love of food and cooking was the catalyst for me starting to blog. I was also looking for something to alleviate the stresses of my day job. It seemed to do the trick! I felt less stressed about work as I had something else to focus on and it was a way I could share my love of food and cooking with others. I was also inspired by other blogs that I am a fan of Gourmet Gorro and Hungry City Hippy to name a couple.

If you had to pick a signature dish to cook, what would it be and why? 

I would say it would be Daal, Dal, Dhal or however you want to spell it! My mother taught me how to make it before I did MasterChef and it sort of brought me closer to my parents and my culture. I didn’t often cook Gujrati food which is what I grew up on. Instead, I focused more on a western style of food; potentially I was thinking that’s what I had to do before being taken seriously.

Daal seems so simple but the spicing can be so varied and intricate and like many other styles of cuisines around the world, each region has its own way of doing it. This can even vary from family to family.

Daal is for me is one of the cornerstones of Indian cookery.

What prompted you to apply for Masterchef? 

My love for food and cooking had reached fever pitch and quite simply writing about it wasn’t enough! I also had the opportunity to meet some inspiring people while I was blogging who were not from a traditional food background like Hangfire, Dave and Lee from Pettigrew and Phil and Debs from Dusty Knuckle. I was inspired by these people to follow my own food dreams and being a fan of the show I thought I would apply and test myself. What’s the worst that could happen?!

What did you learn from the experience? 

I learned that I loved cooking even after potentially the most stressful experience of my life doing the show. If that didn’t put me off then I definitely needed to pursue it. I learned to be true to myself and my style of cooking and don’t try to be something I’m not. Also, there is no such thing as the right time, if there is something you want to do, do it now. I think the embodiment of this is a famous quote by Mohammad Ali – “don’t count the days make the days count!”

Your favourite place to eat in Cardiff? 

I couldn’t possibly say as I love eating at quite a few for different reasons! Needless to say, a restaurant that sources quality produce, a concise menu, a well thought out drinks menu and excellent service are where you are likely to find me.

Imran will be running cooking classes throughout June and August. You can book your place for June here and August here. 

Instagram and Twitter @kitchenclonc for more information.