Auckland chef Jinu Abraham's vegetarian dish wows

Chef Jinu Abraham

Jinu Abraham, executive chef of Heritage Auckland, has won the New Zealand Vegetarian Dish Challenge 2014, in the lunch category, with his dish of organic tofu and pea stuffed potato, smoked tomato and onions.

This is a second win for Abraham, having been the recipient of the inaugural Vegetarian Dish Challenge in 2012.

"Vegetarian dishes are becoming more and more popular and as a chef I am constantly challenging myself to get really creative and develop new ways of delivering vegetarian meals," said Jinu.

Heritage Auckland was the first hotel in New Zealand to offer vegan/vegetarian options in its main stream menus.

The hotel went on to become the first Vegetarian accredited restaurant in New Zealand and recently introduced a Raw Bar alongside its extensive breakfast buffet.

"This is an opportunity to change the perceptions of hotel food," said Abraham.

"We are preparing vegetables, fruit, herbs, beans and nuts in ways that retain their natural flavours and nutritional value. Our raw dishes utilise a number of techniques such as preserving, pickling, compression, dehydration and sprouting to enhance the taste. With every meal, we're celebrating New Zealand's vibrant and varied cuisine."

Abraham, has also just been nominated in the best hotel chef category by HM (Hotel Management) magazine.

He joins a roll call of top Australasian chefs on the short list of the Australian magazine's annual award nominees. The winner will be announced in September in Sydney.