Gastronomical Delights : Then and Now!

When I began my career eleven years back, chefs were the stars behind the scenes that devoted themselves purely towards food production, more importantly, towards the set standards of taste.

However, with the introduction of live kitchens, Chefs became more involved in building a rapport with the guests and willingly tweaking the recipe to suit their evolving taste buds. We often go beyond the menu, thereby ensuring guest delight. Clearly we have gone past “the like it or leave it” philosophy our predecessors had said to have.

So how have we adapted ourselves to the new and even eccentric tastes of foodies?

A simple example which may have gone unnoticed is the new version of Vegetable Jalfarezi, now with baby corn and asparagus. You will agree that these are not a regular part of Indian cooking but have now been added to suit consumer preference.

The evergreen Dal Makhani followed the ratio of 1:1:1; that is equal portions of lentils, butter and cream. This could be nightmarish for our beloved health conscious clientele, so we happily reduced the quantity of the sinful butter and cream by half. The signature garnish of a butter chiplet too has been replaced with coriander and dried fenugreek. In fact, fitness is not the only reason. The voracious appetite of Indians has considerably reduced and we no longer have the taste or the appetite for rich over-filling food.

Perhaps that would explain the reason for the slow decline of the Lucknowi cuisine, known for its generous use of red meat and dried fruits, the latter now also being avoided due to allergies.

We therefore now see smaller, healthier portions. Everything which is being plated is now beyond aesthetics. As we believe that nothing should be wasted on the plate and should be easily consumed as accompaniments. So tomato flowers, other food art and cheese have replaced decorative garnishes of real flowers and fresh herbs like rosemary and basil which honestly no one had. We also plate more variety and increasing vegetarian options. For instance, the tender lamb mince in the mutton ghalawat can now be replaced with mushrooms, thus making this delicacy more “green friendly”.

And this is not the only modification. Regular favourites like the masala dosa can now be filled with more than just “aloo”! Paneer, Manchurian, chicken, chilly chicken are now commonly requested for by guests. The dragon roll, a regular dosa with spring roll like filling is probably the result of this new trend.

Meat and chicken too are becoming very popular with South Indian delicacies. This was unheard of till several years but the increasing demand for malabari parantha with chicken chettinad or aapam with stew proves otherwise.

Eggs less deserts are also easily available with no noticeable difference in the taste or texture! So you can now enjoy the same soufflés and gateaux without the offending presence of eggs.

Our guests are also becoming more tolerant towards alcohol; not only as accompaniments but also as ingredients. We always added wine in pasta and other international dishes to give it that acidic kick but are now also experimenting with Indian culinary delights like chicken tikka flamed with red wine or salmon cooked in white wine and honey.

Moving on to International cuisines, our taste buds have seemingly “revolutionized”; meaning we want the cuisine to be just the way it is, without the desi tadka in it! Our guests now want Chinese food, the authentic Chinese way. Not spicy, thoroughly cooked meat, rather bland and partially cooked, just the way it should be!

Sashimi and sushi too is becoming increasingly popular. Sushi counters are now part of the live counters at the Courtyard Marriott Gurgaon. In fact we’ve also modified them to suit the vegetarian palate.

Middle Eastern cuisine too is also establishing itself in the Indian foodie’s heart, not just through hummus and falafel, but also with cous cous, shwarma and tamaya. The rich flavours and the thoroughly cooked meat is only next best to our local cuisine.

However, we are seeing a die out of local specialty restaurants. For instance we no longer may find a pure Gujrati restaurant which stands without being clubbed with any other cuisine.

On the other hand though, the conventional perceptions are also changing. South Indian cuisine is no longer just breakfast and snacks but is also eating away into the North Indian specialty: main courses.

Not only changing palates, but technology too has been vital in the art of food production. On one hand our slow fire and clay ovens are slowly burning out, (quite literally) and on the other hand, microwave ovens enable us to plate food at the right temperature.

With the world focusing on India, we have seen the emergence of several new International cuisines. Mexican, for instance, in my opinion will be a great hit since its heat and fiery flavour can easily appreciated by us.

Thus, we can easily fathom the impact the demographically younger and easily dissatisfied Indian consumer will have on the current culinary trends. Chocolate samosa, anyone?