It is not everyday that you have a food festival designed after a book for promotion.
But then it is not everyday that someone shares kitchen secrets from traditional East Indian kitchens of yore. It is the kind of food cooked at home, its recipes closely guarded.
So here we had Chef Michael Swamy, a Cordon Bleu chef and a trained professional from London, and author of culinary collection called East Indian Kitchen, published by Westland, bringing to life popular recipes from his book, by the way of demonstrating what he means to say.
And quite like his book, his food was equally non-fuss — a fusion of traditional Maharashtrian cuisine, juxtaposed with authentic Portuguese, resulting in a delicious experience.
Swamy was on the food team for MasterChef India 1. All of his experiments are winning him the reputation of being the visual artist.
Mulling over the festival menu at the Vasant Kunj outlet of Zambar, a south Indian fine dining restaurant, I reflected on the rising popularity of this coastal kitchen.
The restaurant dishes out really interesting recipes from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. They are a treat, considering that most Delhiites translate food from anywhere south of India, as one that is accompanied with sambar and chutney!
“The Portuguese had elaborate processes for cooking their meats,” shared chef Arun Kumar, head-chef at Zambar. “Though the menu, culled out for the festival, gives ample options in the vegetarian section, non-vegetarian would know the difference in flavours, once they sample the stuff.” Arun Kumar worked with Swamy to put the menu together.
“The book has been about chronicling what my elders have been guarding for all these years. Like many others from our community, I could sense their desire to safeguard secrets, and pass them on the younger generation. It would be a waste to see such lovely cuisine lose itself in time,” said Swamy. This Chef has some Maharashtrian Koli fisher folk blood running in veins.
It took Swamy several years of waiting, with one publisher sleeping over the manuscript well past the stipulated period, before another, Westland, jumped at the opportunity.And it has been worth the wait.
But back to menu. There were Portuguese style Bitter Gourd Crisps, Vegetable Foogath drizzled with a combination of 36 sun roasted spices and Mutton Vindaloo spiked with red Kashmiri chilli.
The list also included Chinchoni Fish Curry, accompanied with desserts like Coastal Crème Caramel and Shingada Peethacha Sheera, among others.
“What garam masala is to Punjabi food, and panch poran to Bengali cuisine, 36 sun roasted spices are to East Indian cuisine flavours,” Kumar informed.
The predominant spice in the potli is cinnamon and base coconut milk. “Kashmiri red chillis lend fiery colour to the dish. People from the region like their food hot… But I tamed the chilli factor for the cosmopolitan palate,” said Swamy.
I loved the fiery quotient in the Mutton Vindaloo, though Swamy reached out for the chef to cut out the chilli. It is a meat variation, pickled in spices and red Kashmiri chilli, then oven or pan roasted, and served with a vindaloo gravy.
Quite in contrast to this, was the Chinchoni Fish Curry.
A light gravy preparation that blends sourness of tamarinds with chilli, and blends with the traditional wedding rice preparation called Arroz rice, topped with caramelised onions, dried fruits and nuts.
The Portuguese style Bitter Gourd Crisps reminded me of the popular north Indian fried preparation, which is slightly less crispy and light on oil. The surprise package were the Balchow cutlets.
Boiled potato cutlets with pickled prawns, for a surprise centre filling. “Who says you cannot have east Indian food on international menu?” asked Swamy. “Agreed that curry has made it big on Indian restaurant menus abroad, but gourmets are ready to sample home flavours from the region,” he added.
I rounded off my meal with Shingada Peethacha Sheera, a light dessert made of water chestnuts and Nevries, a light pastry filled with fruit and coconut. I marvelled at how different coconut tasted in assorted preparations. I was too full to register more intelligent thought.
But then, isn’t that what good food is supposed to do to you?
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