Tales from the chopping block

Raw chicken, kebab fails, catastrophes with cabbage, even exploding pizzas. Top chefs open up about their greatest kitchen mistakes and the life lessons to learn from them all

- Karishma Kuenzang

Megha Kohli

Megha Kohli, chef-partner at Delhi's Mezze Mambo and executive chef at the Wine Company and Cafe Mez in the NCR and Mademoiselle in Goa, is known for her excellent tandoor skills. So, it comes as a surprise to learn that the worst dish she ever made was lamb seekh kebab - it was raw on the inside, burnt on the outside and had absolutely no flavour. It was the late 2000s. She was 18, cooking at a posh resort hotel in Udaipur. "I had not spent any time in an Indian kitchen until then," says Kohli, now 33. "I remember being so embarrassed in front of the chefs, that I continuously worked on my tandoor skills. Today all my restaurants are known for their kebabs."

The worst food mistakes are those that endanger diners. Kohli recalls a time, more than a decade ago, when she served a prawn risotto to a VIP guest who was allergic to the shellfish and had requested chicken. His allergic reaction needed medication. His mood needed more work. Kohli apologised in person, "I also sent him our entire dessert menu because I didn't know what to do". He's been a regular at her restaurants since.

How mistakes are fixed are lessons unto themselves. Kohli was 17, learning how to make lamb jus, when the chef asked her to strain the stock that had been cooking for hours. Kohli did throwing away the precious liquid, and retaining the useless bones. "I will never ever forget the look on chef's face. I thought he would kill me," she says. "But he calmed down. We spent six hours remaking the jus. I think of him with so much respect and love when I make lamb jus today."

Dhruv Oberoi

A few years ago, Dhruv Oberoi, 35, executive chef at Olive Delhi and The Grammar Room Delhi, attempted a dish called braised red cabbage. He had two references, a dish from Kerala and one from Germany. But what promised to be a mash-up just ended up an epic mishmash.