Legendary chef Imtiaz Qureshi, of Dum Pukht fame, dies at age 93

Legendary chef and Padma Shri recipient Imitiaz Qureshi is no more. Qureshi died on February 16 at the age of 93. 

Chef Qureshi, the renowned master chef at ITC Hotels, was celebrated for creating the culinary brand of Bukhara.

Born into a family of chefs in Lucknow in 1931, Chef Qureshi was also acclaimed for reviving the Dum Pukht cooking technique.

Speaking to a media outlet in 2015 during an interview, Chef Qureshi had said, “There is no such thing as biryani. Every dish is a pulao. In every so-called biryani, rice is three-fourth cooked when added to either raw or cooked meat. So technically, all of them are pulaos.”

Of his career, Chef Qureshi added: “I have worked honestly, without greed all my life.”

Meanwhile, tributes poured in for Chef Qureshi on social media soon after his death, as celebrity chefs Kunal Kapur and Ranveer Brar posted condolence messages.

“With great sadness and a heavy heart, I regret to inform you of the heartbreaking news of the passing of Padmashree Chef Mr Imtiaz Qureshi, who departed from this world earlier this morning. His culinary legacy and contributions will forever be remembered and cherished. May his soul find eternal peace and may his memory continue to inspire us all,” Kunal Kapur posted.

Celebrity chef Ranveer Brar posted a throwback picture of Chef Qureshi and wrote in a heartfelt post, “As a Lucknow boy with dreams of becoming a chef, the folklore of Imtiaz Qureshi is something I grew up with. It was around 1998-1999 when I was working as a trainee chef at the Taj Palace in Delhi. I remember once taking the Rs. 612/- I had earned to ITC Maurya next door and having only the Galouti Kebab at Dum Pukht.”

Qureshi joined ITC Hotels in 1979. The Government of India awarded him the fourth-highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2016 for his contribution to culinary art, thus making him the first chef to receive the honour.