Nouvelle Indian

Straying from authenticity happens for one of three reasons. The first,as seen with Chinese food in this city,is to adapt a cuisine to specific tastes.

Straying from authenticity happens for one of three reasons. The first,as seen with Chinese food in this city,is to adapt a cuisine to specific tastes. Then there is the introduction of ingredients unnatural to that cuisine,which enhances the cuisine but borders on being fusion food. Lastly,some chefs simply try to contemporise existing recipesmost famously experienced by the French during the Nouvelle cuisine wave of the last century.

However,these three deviations are accepted as evolution of a cuisine only when the country internally drives these changes. This is happening to Indian cuisinemost visibly at Vineet Bhatias restaurants in Mumbai and at Varq at the Taj in New Delhi. Hemant Oberoi,Executive Chef of the Taj Group,says that despite incorporating imported ingredients such as sea bass and goose liver in Indian dishes like Kadi Patte ke Scallops and the varqui crab (a mille feuille of peppered crab and tandoori prawns),he wouldnt consider it fusion food. These ingredients may add their own taste,but the overall flavour is still very much Indian, says Oberoi. Bhatiawho recently opened Ziya at the Oberoi and has another restaurant,Azok,which opened in Januaryemphasises on contemporary presentation and merges influences from within and sometimes outside the country. We try and borrow ingredients from different Indian cuisines and infuse them together; our aim is to try and give the food some soul, he explains.

Even with Ziyas dishes such as the Uttapam Lasagne,Bhatia says that each component (the uttapam and the kheema) is cooked the classic wayit is simply assembled to look like lasagne. The food at Ziya has distinct and clean flavours. This,though,isnt aimed towards the stereotypical Indian palate that likes spicy food,but meant for those who appreciate the subtlety of European cuisines. Ziyas Mushroom Khichdi served with Makhani ice cream typifies Bhatias ethosit is astonishing in presentation and has varied textures,temperatures and flavours. Though subtle,it is ultimately still Indian.

At times it is necessity that leads to the creation of contemporary dishes. A case in point is the Intercontinentals Indian restaurant,Kebab Korner,on Marine Drive. A year ago they introduced such items in their menu to make it healthier. We wanted to attract more customers at lunch time; most avoided Indian food due to the perception that it is heavy, explains Paul Kinney,Executive Chef. The restaurant introduced an Indian Ceaser salad; other than iceberg lettuce,the salad has Indian flavours of yogurt-based dressing,paneer or murgh tikka and crisp naan in place of croutons. The need for more vegetarian kebabs also led to the creation of their Tandoori Broccoli,which uses a marinade of Philadelphia cream cheese and yogurt. Kinney sums it up by stating,These subtle changes make a huge mental difference.

While the above are examples of restaurants at five-star hotels,stand-alone restaurants arent far behind. At Jiggs Kalras Punjab Grill,one has to look closely but there are several examples of evolved Indian food. It serves a salmon tikka,a kurkuri that resembles a spring roll and offers a paan-flavoured shot as a digestive. Indian food cannot just remain stagnant,it has to evolve, explains Zorawar Kalra,Managing Director of the Delhi-based chain. He claims that,despite the deviation from conventional Punjabi food,these dishes are embraced by customers.

Ultimately,though,this trend will prove to be evolutionary only through longevity. Kalra admits that he doesnt see low-end restaurants following suit,stating You have to have a certain skill and repertoire to create such food. The biggest hindrance to its permanence therefore will be exclusivitythere need to be more restaurants at lower price points that offer such food. Then again,the same doubts were expressed about Japanese food six years ago.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Mumbai
talk