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| Mishti Doi Cannoli with Amaranth Ladoo at Indian Accent |
ANCIENT GRAINS
Ancient
whole grains are the hottest trend; one would come across Ragi, Jowar, Quinoa,
Amaranth, Buckwheat, Rajgiri, Nachani and other ancient grains in many kitchens
these days as not only are they healthier options but delicious too and come in
various shapes and sizes from tiny Quinoa seeds to large kernels ! It is a
decadent way to ensure good health and optimum nutrition. Celebrity Chef Manish
Mehrotra of Indian accent plays a lot with these grains in his menus.
SLOW FOOD
An
age old trend which had got lost in our fast food lives. This movement aims to
preserve cultural cuisine and in so doing to preserve the food plants and
seeds, domestic animals and farming within an ecoregion. Most chefs are making
every effort to find ingredients of the highest quality. ‘Understanding more
about our food, how it tastes and where it comes from makes the act of eating
all the more pleasurable, I would rather serve what’s in season, fresh, and
devoid of chemicals or harsh fertilizers’, shares Chef Manjit Gill, Corporate
Chef ITC.
Chef Sujan Sarkar pushes the restrictions of modern cuisine and takes
one on a journey where science, nature and gastronomy come together using the
slow food philosophy in his tasting lab.
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| Lemon, Cuciumber sorrel from Chef Sujan Sarkar's tasting lab |
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| Andhra Snapper and Green Gram Dosa at Amaranta, The Oberoi Gurgaon |
FUSION WITH DESI INGREDIENTS
Fusion as we know
and understand is basically an amalgam of things not meant to go together but
inevitably, a way or process makes them one and the end product, no matter how
original and authentic enough. Many Chefs across the country now use the
‘Kerela Vanilla’ to make their desserts which is easily available and a lot
cheaper than importing it all the way from Madagascar or Tahiti. Chef Ravitej
Nath also awarded as India’s best chef promotes a lot of Indian ingredients. Chef
David Watson Executive Chef, St. Regis Mumbai says, ‘I only try to inspire my
Indian Chef. We use European ingredients like fish, lamb, mutton, and sea bass
and cook it with Indian ingredients. The result is fantastic.’
COMMUNAL DINING
Most of us have
grown up with eating what Mummy has cooked and whether we liked the particular vegetable
or not there was no option as it was a healthy and balanced meal according to
her. Fortunately this model does not work in many restaurants and we are given
many choices on an a la carte menu. That said, many menus now offer you the
promise of a deeper and more engaging experience beyond a usual meal; through
experiential and sharing platters and you get drawn to an emotional connection
between you and the food.
TEA CULTURE
Teahouse
tradition is about companionship, although tea rooms are often associated as a
European attraction, they were common at one point in American history too. The
growth in health food has given tea huge potential, especially with the release
of numerous research studies highlighting tea’s status in the antioxidant elite.
It is not so hard to get a good cup of tea, now even though it is much more
complex than coffee, as it has such a variety of flavors….and Dimsum Tea Houses
and the English Afternoon tea and even local inspired High Teas make for a fashion statement in India now!
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| A course from the Maharashtrian street food inspired High Tea Menu at The Lemon Tree Aurangabad : pic courtesy - Uday Malhotra...3rd Culinary Arts student at IHMA |
First published in ET Travel
On top my unedited version
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