Lexington, KY - Whatever your idea of a "traditional career path" might be, chances are that the career of Rip Sidhu - - geo-scientist turned software consultant turned chef/owner of Lexington's Bombay Brazier - - doesn't qualify. Sidhu came to the United States from his home in Bhopol (widely known as the central Indian city where the Union Carbide toxic gas disaster of 1984 killed up to 15,000 people), shortly after presenting a well-received research paper at the Environmental Research Institute in Michigan in 1989. Before taking a job with Brown-Williamson Tobacco in Louisville, the city where he opened his first restaurant, he lived in New York, Texas and Oklahoma, spending much of his time on the road.
"When you travel, the first thing you do is look for a really good restaurant," Sidhu said. He found himself looking for a good Indian restaurant everywhere he went - - a search that was met with almost consistent disappointment. A longtime lover of food with no professional cooking experience, he decided to see what would happen if he gave it a try himself.
"I read about it and slowly started practicing," he said. "All of my recipes, they are my own."
The unconventional career move has been met with success. Sidhu and his wife moved to Lexington and opened Bombay Brazier in 2002, and have been "in very good shape" ever since. They recently signed on for another five-year lease.
The most rewarding day in Sidhu's career came in March 2008, when Bombay Brazier was chosen by the local Indian Association to cater for former Indian president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he came to Lexington.
"I personally had a chance to meet him and shake his hands, which I think is one of the greatest honors I could have ever imagined," Sidhu said.
Westernization of Indian food
"I don't know who started this (buffet) trend in the Unites States, but it has absolutely killed Indian food," Sidhu said.
Indian food and spices are designed to be customized for individuals based on their specific needs and palettes, Sidhu explained, which is why his menu, paired with the questions asked by his servers, allows the customer to choose the meat, sauce and level of heat for their dish.
If you've ever eaten Indian food, you probably realize that much of the cuisine centers on the spices used - - spices that "absolutely get killed when you cook the food in bulk and throw it on the steam table," Sidhu said.
"Spices tend to lose their flavor, their potency, if they are kept on heat for even more than 30-40 minutes," he continued. "Food loses its moisture, becomes saltier, and loses everything. It's just eating the hay then."
The theory behind the spice
Until recently, this part of the world wasn't even aware of most Indian spices, Sidhu said. "About 20 years ago, people in the United States didn't know much about spices other than black pepper, crushed pepper and salt. Before then, coriander, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, anistar, bay leaves, mustard, cracked mustard, fenugreek - - all these spices were just a myth."
These spices have been used for cuisine in South Asia, where they grow easily due to the hot climate and rich vegetation, for thousands of years, and are widely touted for their numerous health benefits. If you look at the number of heart attacks and obesity in Asian countries that are familiar with the medicinal use of spices, Sidhu said, you will find it to be comparatively lower than in other the parts of the world.
Some like it spicy, some like it hot
According to Sadir, the terms "spicy" and "hot" are often misused.
"Spicy does not mean hot," he said. "The food is spicy because of the spices in it. After you eat [spicy food], you will not sweat but you will feel a body warmth coming up, but your mouth is not burning. Using red chile pepper, cayenne, habanero or green chile, that will make your food hot, not spicy."
Servers at Bombay Brazier ask how hot you want your food: medium, American hot or Indian hot. The complimentary sauces (red for onion and tomato; green for mint and cilantro; brown for tamarind) at the beginning of the meal represent a 5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being absolutely, blazing hot).
If your dish is too hot, yogurt (Raika) can cut the heat, as can fresh-squeezed lime. But Sidhu said the best way to cool a burning mouth is to eat a dry piece of bread, which serves as blotting paper, soaking up the spices from your taste buds. "Water does not help, and anything sweet will aggravate it more."