Chef Mohammad Islam


In just 13 short years, Mohammad Islam has gone from a computer engineer to an award-winning chef who has worked with culinary greats and who now owns and is executive chef for a top Chicago restaurant, Aigre Doux.

This transformation from computer engineer to chef happened in 1995 on a Colorado trout fishing expedition. He had an epiphany - his first love was food and that was going to be his new professional journey.

As a small child in Bangladesh, he was influenced by his family's cooking using fresh, seasonal ingredients. In Bangladesh, there are seven seasons, not four, so cooking truly revolves around seasonal fare, and with no frozen or prepared foods, everything is organic straight from the farm and freshly prepared. To this day, Mohammad cooks simply and tries not to hide the delicious flavors. He also shops for the best purveyors, so only the freshest ingredients are used.

Islam's friend, acclaimed chef Gabino Sotelino, helped him land a job as a line cook at the four-star Dining Room at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Chicago. For three years, he worked under James Beard Foundation Award-winner Sarah Stegner and executive chef George Bumbaris. It was more than his training ground - there, he first met the pastry chef who later became his wife and business partner, Malika Ameen. They were married in 2002 and have three children.

Islam moved to New York City in 1998. He landed a job as sous chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Mercer Kitchen in Soho's luxurious Mercer Hotel, owned by André Balazs. Working closely with executive chef Chris Beisher, he was rapidly promoted to executive sous chef.

In 2003, Balazs asked Islam and Ameen to head the kitchen at his Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood. This legendary hotel had once been considered the "home away from home" for many of Hollywood's elite, and the two brought this illustrious venue to culinary life as it had never been before. Islam's creations received rave reviews from the Los Angeles Times and Angeleno Magazine, describing Islam and Ameen as "among the most exciting chef duos in town", and said that together they have "completely transformed the glamorous little dining room at the infamous Chateau Marmont, making it for the first time in history a true dining destination."

In January 2007, Islam and Ameen opened Aigre Doux.

Sautéed Shrimp with Quinoa and Asparagus and California Avocado Salad

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Sautéed Shrimp with Quinoa and Asparagus and California Avocado Salad

Ingredients

  • 6 large asparagus
  • 2 ripe Fresh California Avocados
  • 4 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • Coriander-Citrus Vinaigrette (see make-ahead recipe below)
  • Quinoa (see make-ahead recipe below)
  • Sautéed Shrimp (see make-ahead recipe below)

Instructions

  1. Peel asparagus lengthwise into ribbons with a peeler. Discard outer layer. Continue to peel and place ribbons into a bowl.
  2. Halve the avocado and remove pit. Cut the halves into 1/4-inch chunks, remove the fruit with a spoon and add to the bowl.
  3. Then, add the basil and tomatoes to the mixture.
  4. Toss together with salt, black pepper and Coriander-Citrus Vinaigrette.
  5. To serve: Place hot Quinoa in the middle of a platter and top with Sautéed Shrimp and Asparagus and California Avocado Salad. Serve immediately.

Coriander-Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp. grated orange peel
  • 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
  • 2 tsp. toasted and cracked coriander

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Quinoa

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 cup dried quinoa
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock or water

Instructions

  1. Place olive oil in a saucepan and warm over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the onions to the pan and sauté them until translucent. Season with salt and black pepper.
  3. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté it for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
  4. Then, incorporate the quinoa, bay leaf and thyme into mixture, cook for one additional minute.
  5. Slowly add in the chicken stock or water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.
  6. Season with salt and black pepper.

Sautéed Shrimp

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 16 large shrimp, deveined and shelled
  • ½ tsp. paprika
  • Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the olive oil in a pan and warm over medium heat.
  2. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with paprika, salt and black pepper.
  3. Add the shrimp to the heated pan. Cook for 2 minutes on each side until shrimp are cooked through.
  4. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

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