Best of both the worlds

Going by expert advice, RAHUL VERMA suggests that this year nostalgia and foreign flavours will blend well in the kitchen

January 06, 2017 09:21 pm | Updated June 22, 2019 01:45 pm IST

THE WAY FORWARD Thai corn bhel

THE WAY FORWARD Thai corn bhel

I am not a crystal gazer. But I do like making predictions – based on the expert views of my friends in the food industry – about trends that we are likely to see in the New Year. And, of course, since these friends know almost everything that needs to be known about food matters, they are seldom wrong.

This year, I sought the opinion of two of the most innovative chefs I know. One is Chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent, and the other, Chef Ranveer Brar, who is now a consultant chef.

Chef Mehrotra tells me that in the coming months, we are going to see an emphasis on home-cooked food in restaurants. “We will, for instance, see more of ghar key bawarchis in restaurant kitchens, and dishes that are ghar ki specialities,” he says. He mentions a dish called imli ki kadhi, which is prepared not with sour curd, but with tamarind, a bit of jaggery and gram flour or besan.

Chef Manish Mehrotra

Chef Manish Mehrotra

Something like dal Moradabadi will come back into our lives, too. The chef, who as a child spent his vacations in his maternal grandparents’ house in Moradabad, has happy memories of a cycle bell ringing which heralded the arrival of a chaatwallah selling dal Moradabadi. In his recipe for the dal, Chef Mehrotra stresses that the dal is thick, and should be eaten with chur chur parathas.

For the dal Moradabadi, soak washed and cleaned moong dal (3 tbsp) for one hour. Boil it in 300 ml of water with turmeric powder (1/2 tsp). Stir continuously. Heat ghee (1 tbsp) in a pan. Crackle cumin seeds (1/2 tsp) in the oil. Add asafoetida (1/2 tsp), chopped ginger (1 tsp) and green chillies (1/2 tsp). Sauté briefly, add cloves (2-3), black salt (1/2 tsp), and salt to taste. Add this tempering to the dal. Cover the pot immediately for a bit to let the dal soak in the flavours. Remove the lid and add salted butter (1 tbsp) and chopped coriander (1 tsp). Pour the dal into a serving bowl. Drizzle tamarind chutney (2 tsp) and green chutney (1 tsp) over it. Sprinkle chopped onions and tomatoes (both 2 tsp). Add lime juice (1/2 tsp). Garnish with fried moong dal or chanachur dal moth or Bombay mix. Finish with bhuknu masala (or regular chaat masala).

Dal Moradabadi

Dal Moradabadi

Chef Brar, who, like Chef Mehrotra, does magic with food, believes that foodies will see a happy mingling of cuisines in 2017.

“The world is indeed becoming smaller every day. Hence both the appreciation and the understanding of inspired and expressive cuisines will be growing, along with the keenness to experiment,” he says. “And I do think we are growing in our understanding of cuisines and influences on cuisines.”

Chef Ranveer Brar

Chef Ranveer Brar

Now that Indian food lovers are travelling widely and have access to world cuisine even back home, there is greater appreciation of different kinds of food. “There is a big difference between today’s consumer and the consumer of yesterday in terms of knowledge, detail and willingness. The consumer of tomorrow is going to take that forward,” he believes.

When Chef Brar merges influences and flavours – while creating, for instance, dishes such as Thai corn bhel and quinoa polenta upma – he keeps in mind the “history and relevance” of the flavours that he has been inspired by. “I look at the seasonality and pairings of the ingredients and flavours in the local context,” he says.

For his Thai corn bhel, boil corn kernels (1/2 cup) in salted water till tender. Heat oil (2 tbsp) in a shallow pan, add Thai basil leaves (1tsp, torn) and kaffir lime leaves (4-5, torn) till they are crisp. Remove and set aside. In the same pan and oil, fry chillies (1 tsp bird’s eye, chopped) for 30 seconds. Stir in red curry paste (1 tsp) and sauté for a minute. Add the corn and the crisp leaves and mix well. Let the corn cool and then transfer it into a large mixing bowl. Add diced cucumber (1/4th cup), bell pepper (1/4th cup finely chopped) and sweet lime segments (5-6). Toss to combine. For the dressing, in a mixing bowl, whisk fish sauce (or salt), black pepper, sweet chilli sauce and coriander leaves. To assembly, place fried noodles (1 cup) and coarsely crushed roasted peanuts (2 tsp) in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add the corn and toss gently. Mix with the dressing. Garnish with mint and coriander leaves and serve immediately.

I am all for ghar ka khana, and for merging of flavours. Let the New Year take us back home, and help us cross borders.

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