SIGN IN WITH GOOGLE
SIGN IN WITH FACEBOOK
08 Min Read Thumbing through Instagram posts by friends, a lazy lockdown afternoon, one caught my attention. A friend had posted an image of a plate of chilli chicken calling it her Michelin favourite dish made at home. Apparently she had found the recipe on Instagram.
Following her, I too homed in on the ‘michelinguide’ Instagram page and was in for a pleasant surprise. The famous red guidebook, the last word on gourmet dining, had indeed been posting recipes provided by their star chefs. Even the much revered (and feared) Michelin inspectors have been offering their favourite recipes too.
View this post on Instagram
Calling it #MICHELINGUIDEATHOME Some Easy Homemade Recipes From Your Favorite Chefs, they have been posting easy-to-cook recipes (the 'easy' factor is, of course, dependent in which part of the world you are and what is commonly available in your local market) from their star chefs, one recipe a day. And the followers are just loving it as the number of ‘likes’ and the trail of comments show.
View this post on Instagram
The first recipe up on the hashtag was, of course, Gordon Ramsay’s famous Marinara Sauce. And, in typical Ramsay style, he goes on to advise, “If you don’t have fresh garlic or basil, raid your spices cabinet. As a general rule, use what you might like on a pizza like garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, fennel, celery salt.”
View this post on Instagram
I soon found my friend’s crispy chilli chicken recipe. It was from the repertoire of late Chef Kenmin, who opened the first Shisen Hanten in Japan in 1958 and is regarded as Japan’s ‘Father of Szechwan Cuisine’. The legacy lives on with the family and today, his grandson Chen Kentaro is the chef of the Singapore Shisen Hanten, a two-star establishment in the Michelin Guide Singapore 2019.
Keeping in mind the global reach of the posts, chefs have provided alternative ingredients and condiments in special cases. Even the equivalents of original measurements have been provided to make the cooking easy. And thankfully, of the recipes that I checked, none required gadgets beyond what is normally available at home.
View this post on Instagram
But taking followers on a round-the-world tour through star recipes is not the only idea behind this. The Guide is also encouraging the use of local ingredients so that local producers can get a boost when business is rock bottom owing to the pandemic crisis.
View this post on Instagram
I came across Vicky Lau’s Pork Dumplings, where the chef owner of Tate Dining Room, a one-star establishment in the Michelin Guide Hong Kong 2020, gives away the secret of her favourite Hong Kong-style dish; George Blanc’s Potato Crepes where the venerable chef of the eponymous restaurant (with three stars in the France 2020 guide) shares his recipe for Vonnassiennes crepes or French speciality potato crepes; Guy Laussausaie, head chef of his eponymous one-starred establishment in the France 2020 guide, shares his recipe for his celebrated creamy coffee pana cotta; a simple split pea soup from Emma Bengtsson, executive chef of Aquavit NYC (two stars in the New York 2020 guide); a decadent baked honeycomb pudding recipe from Chef Marcus Wareing, head chef at Marcus (a one-star establishment in the UK & Ireland 2020 guide) located within The Berkeley in Knightsbridge. The list is huge.
View this post on Instagram
So while the lockdown prevents you from visiting these fantastic places, take a look at this sensory overload, enjoy the visual extravaganza, try some of the recipes at home (nobody to shout at you if you go wrong), maybe add your own tweak to the recipe, and wait for the good times to return.
04 Min Read 
Offbeat destinations
