By Leigh O’Connor.
For Manoj Kumar Jangra, his culinary dream was invigorated at an early age creating hearty dishes in the kitchen for his mother to enjoy when she returned from a hard day’s work.
Born in New Delhi, he was just 12 years old when his father passed away, Manoj’s Mum continued working without any domestic help – a challenge with four very active and intelligent children to raise by herself.
"The warmth and love my family had for our mother inspired me to experiment creating hearty dishes in the kitchen. I surprised her when she would return home from work, removing some of her daily worries,” he tells AGFG. "The joy she felt from this made me realise how the core of a person can be touched through simple, fresh and nourishing meals.
"My older brother, who became like a father figure to me, also motivated me to cook and this daily act became our favourite routine.”
These days, Manoj brings this inspiration to the kitchen of Chef-hatted Newmarket Room restaurant on Governor Macquarie Drive in Warwick, where the menu is centred around paddock-to-plate fare featuring local produce, all served in a stunning vibe showcasing a boutique equine theme.
Part-way through training with the Delhi police force, Manoj decided to pursue his culinary dream:
"I felt Australia was the best country for a young aspiring talent like myself to further explore academic knowledge and professional skills."
Working at venues like The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at the start of his career Down Under, Manoj moved on to hatted restaurants such as The Hyatt Regency Hotel, Me-Gal at Taronga Zoo and the new ICC Sydney, which continued to push his culinary boundaries.
Now based in the William Inglis Hotel, he says this venue is another gem that inspires him to cultivate a culinary presence for the food lovers of South Western Sydney.
Farmers’ markets provide a great culinary influence for Manoj, seeing what is fresh and just coming into season and also asking the farmers what their favourite dish is with which ingredient and how they would best use the produce.
"I am inspired by the passion farmers have for their produce, it really makes me explore what they put their heart and soul into to cultivate the raw ingredients. My job is to make those efforts shine without getting in the way.
"I am also inspired by the seasons – understanding what is in season, most flavourful and abundant. I used to enjoy hearing from friends of friends what other Chefs were doing and reading about culinary success in papers and magazines. Now with Instagram, as soon as someone does something fun and unique, it is copied around the world within minutes.”
Manoj says this skips the interpretation of hearing about something and being forced to put your own spin on it, time in developing the dish and how to plate it.
Sharing his recipe for duck breast, pumpkin mousse, roasted beetroot and rosella jus, Manoj says this delicious entrée has very unique flavours, pulling together the indigenous ingredients of wattle, rosella and macadamia, along with Winter favourites like beetroot, cherries and pumpkin.
While this dish is as pretty on the plate as the palate, it is instant noodles with shallots that take this Chef’s fancy when he can’t be bothered cooking!
