As the culinary landscape is changing at a fast pace, it becomes imperative for iconic restaurants, which represent food and heritage of the city, to stand out. Varq, the landmark restaurant at The Taj Mahal Hotel, which is the go to place for gourmets who want to try the latest in Indian cuisine, is now bracing for a change. Its culinary journey which started from Haveli led to the transformation of how Indian food is prepared, presented and perceived. One of the first to hone the concept of pre-plated Indian food, Varq has contributed in reinvention of modern Indian gourmet dining.
Celebrating ten years of its existence, it wants to attract new age patrons, who want a nice blend of taste and health in their food.
At the media table, the eight-course lunch had an array of innovative offerings. And as always, taste of the food one has grown up eating came back to haunt. For Arun Sundararaj, Executive Chef, who grew up eating authentic Malayali cuisine in Kerala, it is an inspiration to do better each time he steps into the kitchen. Some of his dishes, including the wholesome North Indian tandoori dishes or even delectable Japanese ones have been tweaked to lend a Southern flavour with its aromatic spices.
Therefore, it came as no surprise that the first dish of the meal was created keeping the international traveller in mind. In appearance, Rava upma sushi looked similar to the Japanese raw fish served at the adjoining Wasabi by Morimoto.
Sushi with a twist
But the taste was dissimilar as the chef had given an interesting twist to it. It had varied flavours of curry leaves, spices and batter used in upma. It was wholesome as the rice was substituted by wheat. Semolina wheat, another healthier options, was also used.
Describing Rava upma sushi as a distinct dish, Sundararaj said: “As we all know upma is a staple food in Southern part of India and is usually consumed for breakfast, here I wanted to think of something more innovative. Hence it took the presentation and form of a sushi. For taste, it has flavours of pickle called gongura or sorrel leaf of Andhra Pradesh.”
Arun Sundararaj
The food was prepared keeping in mind the health conscious guest by using different varieties of grains like millets, barley, black rice, buck wheat and raagi flour. Healthier cooking techniques like dehydrating spices, vegetables and fruits were used.
Every dish re-emphasised that appearances are deceptive. Drumstick soup was surely an appetiser; it looked like regular coffee except that it was prepared by cooking drumstick leaves and yellow lentils together with pepper corn and herbs like coriander root and curry leaves.
Another innovation came in the form of Murg methi malai souffle. It was creamy chicken at its yummiest best. It was an amalgamation of avian meat and fenugreek, in which the taste of chicken was exceptional even though one had an apprehension of flavour of methi overpowering that of meat. Here, chicken was sobered down in the sense that it did not have robustness of the Mughlai variant but it was juicier, tender and was made with less chillies. It was indeed difficult to guess which region it originated from.
Next came Achari haldi fish tikka; it certainly was for those with refined palette. Unlike its popular image, it was light on spices and the best part was the touch and go of organic turmeric pickle which made it all the more delectable.
For me dish of the day was the duck confit, which had the right ingredients. As duck has taste of its own; there was no generous use of spices. And the portions were tender and just right for the main course. It was inspired by the cooking methodology of Syrian Christians of Kerala. It had the flavour of distinct flavour of cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cloves and curry leaves.
Explaining the process, Chef Sundararaj said: “Firstly, the spices are boiled and then powdered, marinated with duck using coconut oil, ghee, cooking oil, ginger, green chilli. Kept overnight, they are cooked with shallots, curry leaves and powdered spices. It is very important to cook the duck on slow fire for three hours so as to soften the meat.”
The meal underlined that healthier options can go hand in hand with rich textures of Indian delicacies.
