Look at the chicken consommé that Chef Dewan has made for us. The original dish is a watery chicken broth with various vegetables and flavouring. The chef serves us a dollop of soft, creamy white garnished with the green of the spring onion, nothing like the watery soup you expect. What bursts in your mouth is an eruption of flavours. The reassuring taste of chicken blended with the creaminess of the egg white.
Despite the rather intimidating array of syringes and pipettes involved, molecular gastronomy does not thrust chemicals down your throat. “The chemicals used are plant extracts like citras, lechite and algin and are safe,” says Chef Bakshish Dean of The Park, Delhi, who has been researching the subject for six years.
The technique involves high precision. Unsuccessful attempts don’t end up in explosions but do manage to spoil the texture and look permanently. While handling liquid nitrogen, used as a refrigerant, chefs must be extra-careful. The substance, after all, boils at 195.9°C, when it’s so cold that it can freeze your hands within a few seconds.

In some ways, the hypermanipulated food of molecular gastronomy is a logical culmination of the use of processed cereals like shredded wheat and cornflakes that started in 19th century—an emphasis on flavours and convenience rather than fresh ingredients. In the 1990s, it became a cult thanks to the efforts of Chef Ferran Adria and his revolutionary cooking. “As a student of science, the concept of molecular gastronomy fascinated me. I had heard a lot about the famous Spanish chef Ferran Adria and his restaurant El Bulli where exotic molecular gastronomy specialties like Parmesan ice-cream and barnacles and tea foam jostle for your attention,” says Chef Mukherjee.

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