A Sumptuous Food Trail

CHEF ANA ROS/ Fresh Off The Farm

Three-Michelin star chef Ana Ros, who grew up in Slovenia, is all about using creativity and hyper-local ingredients to create memorable dishes — from wild herbs, and mushrooms, to fishes and vegetables from local farmers. Chef Ana has the coveted Three Michelin Stars for her restaurant Hiša Franko in Slovenia (she’s also the recipient of a Michelin Green Star). She was in Delhi and Mumbai recently, to do pop-ups at the Taj Mahal and Taj Mahal Palace hotels. Both her dinners were paired with Suntory Toki and Ardmore whisky.

Two signature dishes from Hiša Franko that embody chef Ana’s lifelong oeuvre include the Corn Beignet filled with fermented cottage cheese (for vegetarians), or trout roe, topped with corn and roasted polenta flour. The other is Potato with Hay Crust, Sour Butter with Indian spices, and fermented pumpkin. “We call it the €1 potato. It’s bio-dynamically produced, and cooked in a hay crust,” she says. “You enjoy the potato with whatever we serve it in that season, usually with sour butter. Then we combine that with whatever’s in season.”

The Hiša Franko Harvest, another dish, is an assemblage of the best ingredients chef Ana could find in the market, transformed by special techniques in the kitchen. She uses pumpkin juice, while fermenting another vegetable. Another Hiša Franko specialty is her risotto that’s made with barley, and not rice. “I use hydrated watermelon, with cauliflower and hazelnuts for the crunch,” she says. The liquid used is young coconut water with coconut flesh, all procured locally, in Delhi and Mumbai.

CHEF JITIN JOSHI/ Indian Childhood Favourites in Paris

Chef Jitin Joshi’s food philosophy is about the ingredient, technique, and spicing. “Applying these can create great dishes,” says the chef who’s known for his family style dishes that evoke a childhood in India, previously seen at his One Michelin-starred restaurant Gymkhana in London. And now, he’s just opened The Crossing, Indian Bistro at Le Gourmet, part of Paris’s iconic Galeries Lafayette department store, his second address after The Crossing in Dubai.

The Crossing, Indian Bistro pays homage to the vast network of railways that connect India, its people, cultures, and food. “Through the cuisine, I celebrate the diversity of the many cultures and specialties of my homeland,” says chef Jitin.

Beloved dishes are tweaked to create a subtle and enhanced experience. Chef Jitin’s famous Methi Mathi Chaat is inspired by the popular papdi chaat, and is served with a pickled purée and an assortment of chutneys. His Chiken Tikka, which he says cannot be reinvented, is served on a mint and coriander yogurt.

Other favourites include Lamb Keema Pao, served with buttered soft rolls, Chicken Biryani, made with basmati rice and saffron, Paneer Butter Masala in a rich tomato gravy, and the popular Gol Gappa (with a mint lemonade), all washed down with a Lassi or Kadak Chai, of course.

CHEF DAVID THOMPSON/ All Fired up for Thai

Behind an airy Portuguese villa in a quiet Goan riverside corner of Siolim, sits arguably the most exciting Thai restaurant in India today. The man behind the world-famous Indian Accent restaurants, Rohit Khattar, chairman of EHV International, after his tryst with modern Indian cuisine, felt it was time to turn the heat up, this time for Thai. So Fireback — which not only alludes to cooking with fire and grills, but the Siamese Fireback is also the national bird of Thailand — was chosen as the name for the unveil in December.

In a lush, tropical setting amidst water bodies sits a minimalist glass house that can seat 90 people, mostly outdoors in a setting designed by Russell Sage Studio from London, there’s a Josper grill at the centre out of which come out skewered turmeric prawns, sweet potato and pumpkin, turmeric chicken and aromatic lamb. “We wanted to broaden the Thai food experience, and thought, why not get on board masterchef David Thompson, who’s revered by Thais as someone who really knows that cuisine.” Chef David spent a month in Goa working on the menu, and visits every month. Sydney-born David Thompson is credited for creating the first Thai fine dining establishment, the One Michelin Star Nahm in London, 15 years ago.

At Fireback, chef David has gone for dishes that are bold on the palate. “I’m faithful to the cuisine, without alienating Indian customers,” he says. So, the Tom Yum soup (a traditional hot and sour soup from Thailand where the core ingredients are chilli, lemon and herbs) also contains roasted tomatoes and roasted shallots.

Miang Kham — eaten with betel leaves — is another surprise on the menu. “It’s a royal dish from northern Thailand, and is influenced by Laos. Miang Kham means a bite-size wrap eaten during the monsoon, with flavours and textures that explode in the mouth,” says chef David. The vegetarian version (with no shrimp or fish sauce) includes fresh herbs and pomelo, shallots, fresh coriander, young coconut, and lemon grass.

For the mains, Chicken Krapow with Thai basil and Bird’s Eye Chilli, the Massaman Curry with pumpkin, potatoes, onions and peanuts (with or without lamb), and soft-shell crab Red Curry, are particularly satisfying.

CHEF ANDREW WONG/ A Light, Novel Regional Chinese

Legendary rooftop Chinese restaurant BaoShuan at The Oberoi, New Delhi, has an association of five years with its mentor chef Andrew Wong, since its inception. UK-based Michelin-starred Andrew Wong, who owns A.Wong in London, has always been a part of BaoShuan, making it the only restaurant in India to be mentored by a Two Michelin-starred chef.

“Every gastronomy is going for a lighter, healthier style,” says chef Andrew. “We don’t want heavy stews in the middle of summer. We have incredibly light broths, with tofu, truffle, goji berries — cleansing tonics that are in sync with the people and lifestyles of today.”

“For instance, if you look at the dimsum, it isn’t traditional in the north of China. It’s thicker there. We try to make ours thinner and lighter, and add acidity to it. Our menu strips down the dish to the bare technique. We start with whether we will use lamination for the pastry for our dim sums, or double steam them, or put them in a clay pot. And then we decide on the flavour,” says chef Andrew.

Even the Shanghai Soup Dumpling — from a recipe dug out from his grandfather’s box — is done in a very specific way, where he adds a secret flavour to the soup inside the dumpling.

Chef Andrew is now working with local markets — for prawn, lobster, squid — to use these in the hotel environment, to refine his menu.

CHEF SURESH D.C./ Modern South Indian With A Twist

Hosa literally means ‘new’ in Kannada, and this restaurant in a large Portuguese villa in Siolim, Goa, has been a ‘dream project’ for chef Suresh D.C., and Rohit Khattar of hospitality group EHV International. It’s all about a new way of cooking and presenting favourite south Indian dishes, almost with a deconstructive flair.

From the menu, the Young Jackfruit Thokku (which means ‘coarse mixture’) fried to the crisp and tossed in a masala, is served on a small wooden tray with separate bowls for the mini ragi roti, sun dried chilli dip, and pickled onions. Another small plate, the Vada Kari comes on the table that looks like south Indian mini tacos, a dish created out of chef Suresh’s childhood memory of what his mother used to cook for him. These are actually leftover akki roti or chapatis, with a taco-like filling made of vada curry — bits of vada, and peanut masala with dill leaf, fennel, and flavoured with lemon. A delicious must-try (vegetarian) is the Trumpet Mushroom Varuval, which is essentially a Pongal with a generous drizzle of truffle oil, flavoured with cream and parmesan cheese.

The desserts are at a whole other level, with the Madurai-inspired Coconut N Jasmine, a multilayered confection of coconut ice cream, jasmine granita, almond crumble and coconut foam. “We reduce the coconut cream, and use a syphon gun, which makes an airy foam,” says chef Suresh. The Ragi Molten Cake is like a small French molten cake, made with ragi, filled with gooey jaggery and candied orange, which pours out upon cutting. It’s served with an ice cream made of Coorg oranges.

CHEF RADHIKA KHANDELWAL AND CHEF TZAC/ Marvelous Millets

“My interpretation of millets in my cuisine is one of respect and appreciation,” says chef Radhika Khandelwal, owner of cult eatery, Fig & Maple, in Delhi and Goa, and pioneer of the zero-waste movement. Known for her advocacy of local ingredients, she uses Indian grains and locally procured vegetables to create surprising new takes on classic dishes.

“Whether I use them in salads, soups, or mains, millets are a valuable addition to any meal. I can boil, steam, or toast them to achieve different texture and intensify their nutty flavour,” she says. Mixed with roasted vegetables, caramelised onions, toasted nuts, or tangy dressings, millets give a dish an entirely new flavour profile. “Sometimes millets are paired with complementary flavours to create harmonious combinations, such as creamy hummus or tangy citrus,” says chef Radhika. “Or protein-like fish or prawns.”

At a special Millet Mixer at her GK2 outlet in Delhi with ChefTZac (from The Locavore, Mumbai), she served millet sandwiches with chicken and vegetable pesto, sweet millet cookies, red snapper with a crispy millet crust, and tangy cape gooseberry salsa, millet tacos, galauti patties, beetroot and millet croquette, and starfruit and millet chicken.

Chef TZac, who’s here as part of the Millet Revival Project he kicked off last year in Mumbai, wants to create a unified platform for consumers and expert producers to come and speak on millets, and tell stories around them. His restaurant The Locavore champions local foods and grains along with social projects. “Millets are relevant because of the green revolution in India,” he says. “Most people eat rice or wheat, but there’s a diversity of millets for people to cook with. One of his favourite dishes is Foxtail Millet and Chicken Biryani — that he learnt from the Kurumba communities in the Nilgiris.

SHAMBHAVI SINGH/ Secret Royal Recipes From The Past

Within the walled, verdant interiors of the 18th-century Royal Heritage Haveli in the Khatipura area of Jaipur, this young chef is serving up special, never-before-seen dishes for her dinner guests. The family run hotel, with its pretty rooms and their frescoed walls, offers a restful break from the city, sheltered from the noise and brouhaha outside.

Passionate about cooking, Shambhavi is literally taking a leaf out of old handwritten family recipe books — that belong to her maternal grandmother, Thakurani Sneh Govind Singh, from Madhya Pradesh. One of the recipes in question originates from Madhya Pradesh, from the former princely State of Sailana. “His Highness Maharaja Digvijay Singhji of Sailana made a Narangi Maas (or orange meat), which my grandmother then tweaked,” says Shambhavi. She takes ghee, with freshly ground whole spices (ground only at the time of cooking), and roasts mutton pieces in the masala. Then orange juice is introduced and the meat is slow-cooked in this juice, instead of yogurt. “The juice adds flavour, so it’s sweet and sour at the same time. It’s one of the few meat dishes that doesn’t hit the throat with its pungency,” says Shambhavi.

Also on her dinner menu (served under a 200-year-old Kigelia tree) are the highly unusual Maas Ki Kadhi — meat cooked in buttermilk (with chickpea flour and turmeric, slightly spiced) and served as a kadhi. A vegetarian option, again, quite rare, from across the border in Pakistan, from the former princely State of Umarkot, is the Tomater Khata, which is desi local tomatoes (which are more acidic), cooked in chhach (buttermilk). This gives it its unique light orangish red hue.

Safed (white) Chicken is another surprise on the menu — which is chicken cooked with all-white ingredients, such as cashews and poppy seeds. For dessert, Shambhavi serves Caramel Kheer, kheer that is slowly cooked so that it caramelises into a golden brown colour with a caramel flavour.

CHEF SANGEETA AND VIMAL DHAR/ The Lost Recipes of Marwar and Mewar

It’s at a special pop-up at Saffron, at the Trident, Gurgaon, by visiting chef couple from Udaipur, Sangeeta and Vimal Dhar — a full repertoire of authentic Marwari and Mewari dishes from Rajasthan opens up, via the Laapi Choka Thali experience, an amalgamation of flavours, textures, aromas, grains, produce, served and arranged on a large oval brass plate. (Laapi Choka is a sweet offering to Lord Ganesha in Rajasthan.)

Chefs Vimal and Sangeeta run a vegetarian restaurant, Udaipuri in the heart of Udaipur, and a catering company Akshatej. “There’s so much that is going missing in our regional culture. If you look at the khokha (which is the matured, dry green pod of a Sangri tree), the magaj (a barfi or sweet), that was made with that, no one cooks it anymore.”

Chef Sangeeta’s extensive research has reproduced some of the region’s lost dishes. Take Phogle Ka Raita, for example, a lost recipe from the border towns of Barmer and Jaisalmer. “Phogle is a flower bud that helps you survive the arid heat of the desert,” says chef Sangeeta. The soaked phogle is whisked with yogurt, salt and cumin to make a cooling raita.

The chefs’ Panch Koota, a dish typical of Jodhpur is made of five vegetables: ker sangri, kumatiya, dry mango (gives it a lovely tart taste), and gaunda, soaked in buttermilk and cooked with local spices. “Ours is made the real way, with amchur (to give acidity) and dry mango,” says chef Sangeeta.

For meat lovers, nothing says Rajasthan more than a good laal maas (literally meaning ‘red meat’). “The Mewari Jungle Maas is made with mutton, desi ghee, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, Mathaniya chilli paste, salt, and nothing else,” says chef Vimal. “We soak the mutton in the chilli/paste, and when our onions turn golden brown, sauté the meat for 1.5 hours. We then do a dungar (smoke) with desi ghee and yogurt, as the final finish.”

The Panchdhari Kath — literally meaning a five-flour dessert, from the Hadoti (Kota) area of Rajasthan, is another recipe that’s lost in time, and tastes delicious. “Instead of the regular choorma, we have combined the flours of bajra, jowar (millets), makki (corn), moong (small green bean), and besan (chickpea), and fried them with a jaggery syrup,” says chef Vimal. The Lehsun Ka Halwa, a sweet dish made with garlic, mawa, and dry fruit, used to be made in the homes of former noble families from Jodhpur, is rarely made today.

There is a lost recipe, from Lucknow, a kebab dish, that executive chef Arun Mathur, Trident, The Oberoi Group, loves to recreate. “It’s Dahi Gosht Kebab, a competitor of the galauti kebab, which was more of an old royal dish,” he says. “I make a mince out of the patty, cook it in yogurt, until it starts melting, and serve it in its gravy — it melts like a galauti.”

Here’s to recreating more lost recipes, one by one.