A Hollandaise to add richness to your eggs Benedict; a smooth, tangy lemon dill sauce to add zest to a grilled chicken; a luscious sauce to turn your bland heap of boiled noodles into a rich spaghetti Bolognese. Sauces can elevate a dish instantly, introducing complementary or contrasting flavours, enhancing visual flair, adding moisture or even improving texture.
In busy restaurant kitchens, however, convenience is key and time is premium. Despite that, chefs find cooking their own sauces a worthy investment, in their endeavours towards creating well-rounded flavours. Today’s discerning consumers are concerned about ingredients — especially sugar, salt and artificial flavourings — that go into a sauce. So, although the variety of sauces available on shelves is mind-boggling, chefs are exercising restraint when it comes to readymade sauces.
Saurabh Udinia, corporate executive chef at Massive Restaurants (which runs restaurants like Masala Library, Pa Pa Ya, Farzi Café and Made in Punjab), says, “All the sauces we serve or use are made in our own kitchens. It is time-consuming, but it gives us the freedom to modify, use the right produce, know the source of each ingredient, keep our knowledge of exact allergens in mind and make sure that they are preservative and additive-free. Desi ghee hollandaise, bell pepper ketchup, mustard ketchup, and pomegranate are just a few of the many in-house sauces we make.”
Fresh is flavourful
Game of flavour notes (Clockwise from left) Roasted pork with adobo; specialty dishes by Ground Up and Masala Library getty images/istock and special arrangement
Chef Nagraj Bhat of London Taxi, Mumbai, opines, “In-house sauces are always healthier, because we use fresh ingredients, don’t add any additives or preservatives. Our sauces have lower sodium content than the store-bought ones and are made fresh daily. Most importantly, we can alter the taste of each sauce depending upon the dish and guests preference.”
Nagraj’s raspberry jalapeño and fennel sauce, he says, “tastes like tamarind chutney. We serve the raspberry sauce along with our jalapeño cheddar chicken tikka .”
While Nagraj prioritises the blending of flavour, for Rohan Hastak, founder of Ground Up, Pune, the context of the ingredients is vital. He likes them locally sourced, as far as possible. “We believe that being able to influence every aspect of the condiment is not only fun and challenging for a chef, but also the best way to create food that really feels like our own. When a chef decides to make something from scratch, the process is much more rewarding.” From a milk-and-egg mayonnaise to a tahini, and a Mexican mole sauce to various salsas, all sauces are freshly made at Ground Up.
Chef Nagraj adds, “The flavour of the main ingredient should complement the sauce and the sauce should add depth, colour and enhance the overall taste of the dish. Sauces differ in each cuisine and even geographically, according to ingredients that are locally available and seasonal.” Intriguingly, his barbecue sauce is made with Granny Smith, an apple cultivar that has its origins in Australia but has been gaining ground in India over the past few years. “It is for our pork ribs, as apple-and-pork is a classic combination. The sharpness of the apples cuts through the richness of the pork without overpowering it,” he says.
Evolutionary tale
Marie-Antonin Carême, one of the forefathers of classical French cuisine, identified the original ‘mother sauces’: Béchamel, Espagnole, Velouté and Allemande. Chef Auguste Escoffier then replaced Allemande with Hollandaise in the 1900s. These sauces still hold an important place in many kitchens, but with the introduction of sauces from around the globe, the concept of sauces has changed and there are several modern variations.
Chefs unanimously agree that consumers are discovering cuisines, as they travel more, and are constantly seeking something new. Pasta sauce, BBQ sauce, salsa, are no longer exceptional, and newer gourmet sauces are beginning to make their presence felt.
Adobo, a cooking sauce from the Philippines which uses five ingredients — soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaf — is fast catching the fancy of chefs. So is the Korean ssamjang, a spicy, thick sauce made with gochujang, doenjang soy bean paste, sesame oil, garlic and sugar or honey for sweetness.
Concentrated and potent, a sticky ketchup-like sriracha has long been known to elevate Thai food and can be added to scrambled eggs on toast, as well. Yet, chefs are now opting for the closest relative of sriracha — sambal oelek , with a more vinegary tang and less garlicky sweetness, to add flavour to any dish that calls for a bite of heat. The punchy horseradish sauce is another one gaining popularity, and brings a sharp focus to the rich flavours of meat.
Says chef Nagraj, “At London Taxi, our smoked apple BBQ sauce is paired with our slow braised pork ribs as apple and pork is a match made in heaven.”
A masterful combination of flavours, sauces are often the final piece of the puzzle. No wonder chefs give sauces, so much thought.
