Hoppers Co-Founder Karan Gokani to bring Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine to The Halcyon Maldives
The Halcyon Private Isles Maldives will welcome Karan Gokani, Co-founder and Creative Director of London-based restaurant group Hoppers, for a festive culinary residency featuring Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine, beachside tasting dinners and interactive cooking masterclasses.
Gokani will collaborate with the resort’s Executive Chef Harpal Singh, combining recipes and techniques developed through his travels across India and Sri Lanka with locally sourced Maldivian ingredients.
The residency forms part of The Halcyon’s inaugural festive programme and will feature seafood from the surrounding atolls alongside herbs, fruit and vegetables grown in the resort’s Traveller’s Garden.
For chefs and culinary professionals, the collaboration will highlight South Asian cooking traditions, particularly open-fire techniques, regional spice preparations and the use of seafood in Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine.
Beachside tasting dinners with Karan Gokani
The culinary programme will centre on two beachside tasting dinners at Firepit Beach and Thari, each limited to 20 guests.
The multi-course menus will explore regional cuisine from northern and southern India through to Sri Lanka, with Gokani personally hosting the evenings and introducing the dishes and their culinary influences.
Among the planned preparations are pol rotis with truffle butter, buttermilk crudo, grilled Maldivian line-caught lobster hodi with string hoppers, Hoppers lamb chops and BBQ butter chicken.
The dishes reflect Gokani’s approach to combining traditional South Asian flavours with contemporary presentation and locally available ingredients.
The inclusion of Maldivian line-caught lobster is particularly relevant to the collaboration, connecting Sri Lankan-inspired preparations with seafood sourced from the destination.
The menus will draw on recipes from Gokani’s travels, his cookbooks and dishes served across Hoppers’ London restaurants.
Masterclasses focus on open-fire cooking and regional techniques
Alongside the tasting dinners, Gokani will lead a series of interactive masterclasses designed to introduce participants to techniques associated with South Asian cuisine.
A Southern Indian BBQ Masterclass will focus on locally sourced shellfish, coconut sambol and string hoppers, exploring the preparation of ingredients central to the region’s culinary traditions.
Another session will introduce guests to the preparation of marinated Maldivian reef fish, which will be wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over an open fire.
Banana leaf cooking is widely used across South and Southeast Asia, with the leaves helping retain moisture while protecting delicate ingredients from direct heat and adding aroma during cooking.
A further masterclass will explore coal-smoking techniques through the preparation of a spiced lamb chop curry, with participants taking part in the preparation, cooking and plating process.
For culinary professionals, the programme offers an opportunity to examine how traditional grilling, smoking and leaf-wrapping methods can be applied within contemporary restaurant cooking.
From London’s Hoppers to the Maldives
Gokani co-founded Hoppers, which opened its first restaurant in London’s Soho in 2015 and received a Michelin Bib Gourmand during its first year.
He currently oversees the restaurant group’s food, brand and creative direction, drawing inspiration from his travels across India, Sri Lanka and the wider region.
His residency at The Halcyon will bring those influences into a Maldives resort kitchen, where local seafood and produce will be incorporated into dishes associated with different South Asian culinary traditions.
The collaboration with Executive Chef Harpal Singh will also provide a platform for culinary exchange between the visiting chef and the resort’s resident brigade.
Culinary discovery at The Halcyon
Located across two private islands in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, The Halcyon Private Isles Maldives operates a food and beverage portfolio that includes Thari, Yuzu, Yapa Sunset Bar and Bell Bar.
Visiting-chef collaborations form part of the resort’s wider culinary programme, introducing different cuisines, techniques and dining experiences.
“Karan’s cooking is shaped by his journeys through India and Sri Lanka, and there is something very special about bringing those flavours and stories to our resort,” said Adriana Borcean, General Manager of The Halcyon Private Isles Maldives.
“We’re on two private islands in one of the Maldives’ most untouched atolls, where local fishing remains an important part of the destination’s culture and way of life.”
Borcean said the residency reflects the resort’s emphasis on discovery and its connection to the destination.
Through the collaboration, The Halcyon will bring together South Asian culinary heritage, Maldivian seafood and contemporary cooking techniques, with the tasting dinners and masterclasses offering different opportunities to explore Gokani’s culinary approach.
For chefs and food and beverage professionals in the Maldives, the residency will highlight how regional culinary traditions can be adapted through local ingredients while preserving the techniques and flavours that define them.
