Executive Chef Aaj Fernando of La Bodega Negra, St Regis Doha, on inspirations and his beloved chillies.

Do you remember the first time you prepared something in the kitchen and knew that this was your calling?
Yes, I do. The first time I mastered cooking fish. As I grew up in a beach town, my home cuisine was based on seafood. When my mother finally taught me how to take care of and cook fish, I knew then that this was for me.
I do love cooking our local favourite hamour.

What’s that one ingredient that makes Mexican cuisine outstanding and devises the entire flavour?
Mexican chillies!
It’s not as obvious as you may think, this isn’t about heat it’s about flavour. The many different chillies we use add depth and taste to sauces. Chillies can, of course, just add heat but they can do so many other things to a dish and they develop flavour over time, like in a mole. The difference between raw, ripe and dry is also amazing! It is such a versatile and clever ingredient.

What is your process in developing a menu? Where are you looking for inspiration?
My inspiration simply comes from everywhere around, either from my travels, reading about a new ingredient and experimenting, researching Mexican food history, chatting with other chefs around the world. It’s a pretty organic fluid process to be honest. There needs to be some balance to a restaurant menu. However, the key is first making a great dish.
Each one needs to be able to stand up on its own, I then worry about the balance of the overall menu later once I’ve created the dishes. Often one dish leads naturally to another.
You have to have a natural interest, searching for a flavour or a base ingredient and developing a dish from there. Once I have an idea in my head then its trial and error and refinement.
Most dishes are never totally finished or perfect you always want to tweak and make them even better.

Can you share with us your signature dish or style and what makes it special to you?
My signature dish is roasted hamour with smoked tomatillo and jalapeño sauce and charred cheese.
When I moved to Doha, I was on the hunt to find the perfect piece of fish to tie both lbn (La Bodega Negra) and Doha together. I naturally looked at the obvious ones but then I found hamour – I love that it is rich and flaky with a hint of meaty flavour, I think it is great.
We make it with a sauce of smoked tomatillo and jalapeños, the idea is that you make your own fish parcel using fresh crispy lettuce and top it with charred cheese and smoked green sauce. ✤