Curry — the new age food

Celebrations for India's 50 years of Independence have already started to gain momentum. And I think it would be appropriate if we sit back...

Celebrations for India’s 50 years of Independence have already started to gain momentum. And I think it would be appropriate if we sit back and analyse as to where India stands today in terms of its cuisine. Have we progressed in these 50 years or are we still trying to go back to history and rediscover the mystique of Indian Cuisine.

We have offered to the world a cuisine that has caught a fancy of people world over in a short span. In the last three decades, the immigrants from India have successfully given a unique taste to the world — hot curries. Over a period of time, this taste has become more and more popular worldwide. And not surprisingly, the original taste has incorporated the local flavours, be it of London or Singapore. Sometimes to suit the needs of the natives and on quite a few occasions because of lack of knowledge. This ignorance on the part of the enterprising restaurateur has impeded the growth of Indian food to some extent as the consumer, i.e., the diner has at times been served with a taste that he or she is least expecting. Satisfaction has lots to do with expectation. Whenever we have served Indian food the way it is expected to be, we have succeeded.

With Indian food becoming a craze world-wide, we have to evolve ways and means of cooking Indian food to the expectations of a wide variety and range of people on a global platform. It has been well established that most people eat food that they can relate to or at least the tastes they are familiar with. By no mean am I insinuating that we cook food or change food to suit western palates. With the given diversity of our land, we have been blessed with unique and totally different tastes and flavours. From Meerut to Madras, from Ahmedabad to Agartala we have an array of dishes that probably would send even the most discerning palate on a journey that can be termed as nothing but delicious. For fast growth of Indian food it is imperative that we first find out the needs of the people of each international food zone and export tastes similar to what they have grown with. This way we would not only encourage regional Indian cuisine but also at the same time find right pegs for right holes. Gone are the days when one could impress everyone with Butter chicken or Vindaloo. Now international diner expects in his home territory, a kind of taste that is completely Indian and suits his taste buds also. I have not used the phrase — Authentic Indian Food, because I have yet to come across a large group of people or professionals agreeing to a common taste platform. In following weeks, I will try to give more information on recent Indian food and share innovative Indian recipes that you can cook, eat, relate to and take pride in.

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I am giving a new age recipe that has been made popular by the adventurous Gujarati diners.

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is the Executive Chef at Centaur Hotel, Juhu, and also hosts a weekly cookery show — Khana Khazana