When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to a packed Marvel Stadium in Melbourne about Australian milk, vegetables and lentils coming alive with Indian tea and spices, few realised those same authentic flavours had already been served at the highest level of diplomacy.
Behind the official lunch hosted for Prime Minister Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Melbourne’s Sofitel Hotel on 9 July was Melbourne-based chef Ujjwal Sarin, better known as Chef Sarin, who was called in at the last minute to prepare the vegetarian menu for the two leaders and dozens of senior officials.
Chef Sarin, who owns Oye Bombay in Altona, said he received the unexpected call from his mentor, Sofitel Melbourne Executive Chef John Savage, while preparing for dinner service at his restaurant on the evening of 8 July.
“John Savage barely made the offer before I handed dinner service over to my staff and rushed to the Sofitel,” Chef Sarin recalled.
With Prime Minister Modi known for following a strict vegetarian diet, the menu required careful planning and authentic preparation.
“I was the main cook, and John Savage and his team helped while I directed the kitchen,” he said.
Chef Sarin explained that authenticity was the highest priority.
“They wanted us to provide very authentic Indian flavours,” he said.
To achieve that, he prepared fresh spice blends rather than relying on pre-mixed seasonings.
“These people were coming from India, so I wanted to provide that special flavour for them.”
By Thursday morning, the dishes were ready before Prime Minister Modi, Prime Minister Albanese and around 60 delegates from both countries arrived for the diplomatic luncheon.
Chef Sarin described the extraordinary security arrangements surrounding the event.
“There were ADF personnel with machine guns and sniffer dogs,” he said, adding that he only caught a glimpse of both leaders from a distance.
The biggest reward came afterwards when he heard the food had been well received.
“I heard the Paneer Butter Masala was a big hit,” he said with a smile.
For Chef Sarin, however, the experience was about far more than cooking for two world leaders.
“It’s not about the money. To do that function successfully was satisfying for me,” he said.
“Australia and India are both my countries, so to cook for the leaders of my countries was a big pleasure.”
The luncheon formed part of Prime Minister Modi’s three-day official visit to Australia from 8–10 July, centred in Melbourne, where he also addressed more than 30,000 members of the Indian diaspora at Marvel Stadium alongside Prime Minister Albanese.
During that address, Modi used food as a metaphor for the India–Australia relationship, saying that while milk, vegetables and lentils may come from Australia, tea and spices remain unmistakably Indian.
The comments resonated with many Indian-Australians who have built lives in Australia while maintaining strong cultural traditions — a philosophy Chef Sarin says was reflected in the meal served during one of the most significant diplomatic engagements of the visit.
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