Chef reveals seven-hour secret to award-winning pub parmi
Pub food has come a long way in recent years. And while dishes like a classic chicken parmigiana may look simple to make, the real skill is to make it a good one.
Tourist Hotel in Queanbeyan is where you will find the best chicken parmi in New South Wales, with the hotel picking up the Best Parmi award at this week’s AHA NSW Awards.
Tourist Hotel in Queanbeyan is where you will find the best chicken parmi in NSW. Tourist Hotel
Suresh Upreti, Head Chef Tourist Hotel, has told nine.com.au creating this dish requires “a bit of cooking technique”. To start with, each chicken schnitzel used to create the dish is made that day.
“We don’t use the same schnitzel for the next day or the day after because we don’t want that crumb to be soggy,” he explained.
He said creating this dish requires ‘a bit of cooking technique’. Tourist Hotel
The result is a golden, crispy, crumb, just waiting to be adorned with layers of rich Napoli sauce, ham, and mozzarella.
Then, the final step that helps explain why Tourist Hotel’s chicken parmi is so special. Each is cooked in a pizza oven rather than a conventional oven.
“So you get that high, high heat,” he explained. “The schnitzel’s already cooked, you just need that bit of that nice, golden colour for that cheese.“
Each is cooked in a pizza oven rather than a conventional oven. Tourist Hotel
The schnitzels do come lightly crumbed, however Upreti then adds his own unique Panko and spice blend to it which includes dried parsley flakes and some chicken salt.
His rich Napoli sauce is used in the pub’s chicken parmi as well as the pizzas, and takes up to seven hours to cook.
“So we use celery, carrot, onion, garlic. We sauté that first and then we add a bit of tomato paste and tinned crushed tomatoes.” Once cooked, the sauce is blended with some basil.
Upreti explained the lengthy cooking time is how the flavour develops.
The pub serves three types of chicken parmi: traditional chicken parmi, Hawaiian which includes pineapple, and a Mexican version.
The Mexican chicken parmi sounds epic. It includes jalapeño, sour cream, guacamole, and then some corn chips.
Prices start from $24 on Fridays for Parmi Night, and $29 on the other days of the week.
Suffice to say, Tourist Hotel’s award-winning chicken parmi is one of its most popular dishes, and they easily sell hundreds each week.
Sides include chips and salad, or mashed potatoes with vegetables.
“Mostly they choose chips and salad,” he said.
Tourist Hotel licensee Sally Bridgford told nine.com.au the award is a testament to the team.
“It shows all the hard work that the guys do in the kitchen, and all their dedication pays off,” she said. “Everyone does a parmi. To win something that everyone does means we’re doing it right, and keeping customers happy.“
The pub serves three types of chicken parmi. Tourist Hotel
Bridgford has been in the pub business for almost 20 years and has witnessed how pubs up their food game over the years.
“Don’t get me wrong, they’re still about drinking, but pubs are so much more about family and food now than they used to be. They are trying to get good value for money,” she said.
“Obviously life is hard, finances are hard for people these days ... we’re still continuing to grow, so I put so much of that down to the food that is bringing people in.”
