Taste of mix & match

[1]

Image Thumbnail:

While there’s no denying that there’s nothing like our very own traditional Indian cuisine, giving it a western twist is the new trend. Indian spices are now being used with their western counterparts to create that perfect hatke dish.
Chiquita Gulati of Spice Market tells us, “Having travelled in different parts of Europe and North America, I found innovative recipes of dumplings, wontons, spring rolls in different cuisines, especially Asian cuisines. While creating our menu, I took inspiration from this and innovated a recipe called Paneer Bhare Papad which is a starter made by frying papad in a spring roll shape, stuffed with paneer and spices. It turned out to be one of the best-selling dishes at the restaurant as people in Delhi like paneer and spicy dishes.”
After trying practically every flavour of chicken to suit Indian tastebuds, chef Anil Mohan of United Coffee House thought of giving his guests something innovative. Sharing his recipe, “I’ve tried this chicken dish in a number of small parties at my home. Everybody expects something extraordinary when they come over to a chef’s residence. Many people get surprised with the smell of desi ghee, when they enter my drawing room. At times they are a little cautious. But the beauty of this dish is that the desi ghee, garam masala and mint give this dish a distinct Indian touch, whereas grilling meat is very European. Since meat is grilled on open fire on a skewer, extra fats do not get till your dinner plate, which is what people like today. It is a hit.”
Indian kitchens are more than a place where food is prepared; for a country which is home to many cultures, kitchen for us is a place where adventures are created. Sharing his favourite recipe chef Kapil Sethi of Circa 1193 says, “In this dish we are trying to keep the recipe truely Indian, at the same time combine it with plain koshihikari rice which is basically Japanese sushi rice. We serve it with grilled chicken breast with crispy skin to add a little texture to the dish. The best part of this dish is that it has the consistency of a classical Italian rissotto. The Indian spices from mixed pickle and consistency of sushi rice give immense potential to this dish in terms of taste, flavours and textures.”
What’s interesting is the fact that many chefs have only contempt for fusion cuisine. They believe that mixing two types of cuisines undermines both, and that you can make successful dishes only from foods grown in the same region.
“But in India we do have some fusion happening for e.g. tandoori pizza. Fusion cuisine comes not just from the flavours, but is rooted in the idea of a coming together of global cultures. You will find a blend of ingredients and techniques from two cultures. Mediterranean spinach salad may be mixed with Japanese ‘tempura’; risotto may be seasoned with the Japanese equivalent of mustard, wasabi, and poached tofu where the French technique of poaching is applied to Japanese food ingredients,” concludes chef Ashish Seth, Cafe Oz & Bar.