When you think of the Northeast, bhut jhalokia chillies come to mind. “I wanted to go beyond that,” says chef Gayatri Desai, the innovation chef at Doolally who will present a pop-up this Sunday inspired by her recent trip.
In June, Desai took off on a solo trip to Dimapur and Mokokchung in Nagaland, Imphal in Manipur, extending all the way to Yangon in Burma. “I travelled for 20 days. No hotels, no restaurants. I was a chef with a backpack,” says the 28-year-old who hails from Shivaji Nagar, Pune. After a degree in Culinary Arts from Northwest Culinary Academy Of Vancouver, Desai conducted her first pop-up three years ago in the Canadian city she studied in. “Since then, I have ‘popped-up’ 25 times in India, Burma, Vietnam, Mexico, Japan and the roof-top terrace in my parent's home in Pune.”
It was the cooking techniques that struck her the most during her travels. “I learnt how to cure, smoke and ferment various ingredients,” she says. While fermentation is common with alcohol, especially beer, it was the first time she discovered how the process affects food and its ability to add smokiness, depth and a lot of dark colour to curries and gravies.
Desai also discovered black rice when she was stranded in a village in Manipur owing to a landslide. “From the field to the villager's wood-fire kitchen to my plate,” she reminisces. “They were not surprised when I smuggled a gunny bag of this magical ‘forbidden rice’ to take home with me.” In addition, the chef brought back other ingredients including anishi (fermented yam leaves) from Nagaland, awa-phadigom (saw-toothed coriander) from Manipur, nei lieh (perilla seeds) from Meghalaya, Sichuan pepper corns, shitake mushrooms and rice beer tablets.
The chef’s collection of spices, herbs and cooking techniques from the Northeast will be put to use at the upcoming pop-up. But Desai will also source locally fresh vegetables, chicken and seafood. “We have tweaked the dishes slightly for Mumbai because we don’t want the vegetarians to miss out,” concludes the chef. Patrons can then look forward to a five-course small plates meal with savoury dishes and one dessert.
The Northeast India pop-up will take place on Sunday August 13 from 7.30 p.m. to 10 p.m at Doolally Taproom, Colaba. A meal is priced at Rs 2,500. Call 7400428099 or visit doolally.in/events
