Chef Varun Totlani, the head chef at the Mumbai-based restaurant Masque, is known for his regional ingredient-forward approach to cooking. So when he recently curated dinners at the Bharat Pavilion of the 77th Cannes Film Festival in France, the spread paid homage to India’s diverse ingredients and cuisines, all the way from Kashmir to the Malabar Coast.
On a call from the French Riviera town, Varun tells us, “This was an opportunity to show the world what India is doing right now with its food and beverage. For a long time, Indian food was not considered to be luxurious or gourmet, we were just considered a ‘curry house’. But this dinner showed them a new side of Indian cuisine.”
The five-course dinner was hosted at the Bharat Pavillion in Cannes
The five-course dinner, in collaboration with Godawan, the single malt from Diageo India, kicked off with a cold appetiser inspired by momos andthukpa. The casing of the dumplings were made from jícama (mishri khand in Hindi). The momos were stuffed with coconut malai, water chestnuts and wild trout roe (from Kashmir). The broth of the dish was a base of passion fruit juice infused with traditionalthukpa spices. The course was paired with a Godawan Series 02, which has a similar flavour profile, enhancing the experience.
The second course played around with the much-loved street snack,chaat. The charred corn and ponkh chaat featured the bright green roasted millet (ponkh) used in Western India. Thechaat was topped with a corn mousse instead of dahi. “Ponkh went out of season in India about a month ago. So we preserved it ourselves for the dinner, by frying it so it stays crisp,” Varun explains.
The Charred Corn and Ponkh Chaat
The highlight of the meal was the third course. Taking inspiration from Rajasthan (which is also the home of Godawan) the khad dish was rich and decadent.
“Khad means pit, and the style of cooking originates from the days when the maharajas went out hunting and cooked outdoors in the jute bags they carried,” says Totlani. The jute bags were lined with leaves,rotis and khadi cloth. The dish featured black cardamom and saffron-marinated turbot, wrapped in Napa cabbage and Malabarparottas.“ It was served with a fresh kachumber and a spicy sauce.
Black Garlic Pulao with Braised Lamb Neck
Black garlic pulao, next on the menu, was made with garlic that had been fermented for a month. “For this dish, we chose a local Maharashtrian variety of rice called Ambemohar, which means mango blossom. The paddy fields of this grain are right next to Alphonso mango plantations,” Varun says. The pulao was topped with braised lamb neck, cherry tomatoes in podi, fresh green toor dal, asparagus and morel mushrooms.
The meal came to an end with cacao. Described as an ode to the cacao farms of South India, the dessert used all parts of the fruit. It was made with layers of milk chocolate mousse, chikki and strawberries macerated in gondhoraj lime from Bengal, all topped with a scoop of ice cream. Incorporating the ethos of sustainability, it was served inside the aged and dried shell of cacao.
Varun says he and his team prepped the dishes and spices weeks head at their restaurant Masque in Mumbai. He also carried some key ingredients with him to France, including the rice, fermented garlic and ponkh. He adds with a laugh, “We had about 150 kgs of luggage with us!”
Published - May 17, 2024 04:42 pm IST
