Cuisine
Enlivening a
legacy
Indian cuisine is reasserting its purity on
the global culinary map. We take a look
at the story behind the concept called
Modern Indian Cuisine
text | Madhulika Dash
Photos courtesy: Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra
I
t was in 1809 that Indian gastronomy
arrived in the West with Chicken Tikka
Masala (roasted chicken chunks). Served
at Hindostanee Coffee House, owned by
the son of a former sepoy of the East India
Company, Dean Mahomet, this mildly-spiced
boneless chicken dish, by the turn of the year,
was announced as a “culinary allowance”
for members in the House of Commons.
A century-and-a-half later, the world was
introduced to Butter Chicken (cream-based
gravy dish) and Dal Makhani (creamy
lentils dish). These three dishes became
synonymous to Indian cuisine.
Contrary to popular belief, none of these
were consciously tailormade to appease
Western palates. Like the fabled Biryanis
(rice dish with spices and meat/vegetable)
and Kebabs (roasted chunks of meat or
vegetables) that introduced a new Indian
culinary chapter, they were the result of
Dal Chawal Arincini with achaar, papad and chutney
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Cuisine
Dabba Gosht
the want to create something new from the
traditional. This process led to evolution of
technique and ingredients. And, in turn, became
a concept called Modern Indian Cuisine. Result:
Every new culinary “generation” saw the
emergence of a new way to prepare it.
For instance, the Biryani. Developed by
Mughal queen Mumtaz Mahal to feed armies
and yet travel miles without losing flavour, it
underwent seven iterations before the Mughal
dynasty declined. The Hyderabadi Biryani
introduced the popular concept of slow cooking
or the dum technique.
In modern times, newer means to achieve
traditional flavour were invented. Today, Nihari
uses Sous Vide to achieve the succulence begot
by cooking the meat overnight – individual
shanks are marinated, vacuum packed and
cooked in a water bath for lesser hours.
Techniques like Molecular Gastronomy were
A reflection of evolution
Indian cuisine continues to evolve.
The Galouti Kebab saw light of day
courtesy royal patronage. It was created
for the queen who wanted a soft and
succulent delicacy. Then there were the
Tunde Kebabs, named after the onehanded cooks who worked unending
hours to pound the meat to perfection.
Yet another innovation was the Rampuri
Khichda, the result of a competition
between the cooks of Nawabs of Awadh,
Lucknow, Hyderabad and Rampur. The
dish was made with almonds carved
Braised Mutton Chaap with
maple and kokum glaze
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to resemble rice and pista (pistachio)
along with lentils.
World-famous rosogullas, known
for their softness, had their genesis
in the need to create something
unique from excess. Legend has it that
Pahado Rosogulla (named after a small
village near Bhubaneswar in Odisha)
variety evolved because of excess milk
there. In fact, it is often said the chenna
paudo (caramelised ricotta cheese), India’s
first cheesecake, was an attempt to create
a large rosogulla that went wrong.
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Cuisine
incorporated to compensate for balancing
it a smoky flavour. It brings out the flavours in most
flavours or for better presentation. Like in the
tandoor items, including the pate-style Galawati
case of Raita (spiced yogurt) spherification,
Kebab (shallow fried tender meat/vegetable patties)
popularised by Gaggan Restaurant in Bangkok
that was reintroduced in the first menu of the Dum
where the spicy yogurt preparation is served
Pukht restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi back
on a chilled spoon in spherical
in the 80s along with the famous Raan
shape using sodium alginate as
that came with a rum-marinade and
setting agent. Encapsulated in
cocktail onions in a Wellington-style
The Biryani,
bubbles, the flavours of yoghurt and
puff pastry case.
developed by
Indian spices burst in the mouth,
Reinvention, in fact, became a
Mumtaz Mahal,
giving the same taste without
key factor in reasserting the purity
underwent seven
overwhelming spices. Something
of Indian cuisine on the global
iterations before
similar was achieved with Jalebi
culinary map. For instance, the
the Mughal
Caviar where molecular technique
Atta Chicken (baked spicy chicken
dynasty came to
is used to create Jalebi (flour-based
made inside a flour ball), a signature
an end
fried sweet) that resembles a bed of
dish at Taj Mahal Palace & Towers’
orange caviars. Served over chilled
Masala Kraft. This Khad-inspired
Rabdi (milk dessert), it replicates the traditional
dish (north Indian pottery community) follows
Jalebi-Rabdi taste.
the nomadic school of cooking where marinated
Ghee Ghost (grilled mutton basted with clarified
chicken was cooked buried in sand for hours
butter) also changed the way food was flavoured.
or from the heat of smoldering embers of the
Introduced by the Bunts of Kundapur, a warrior
tandoor. At Masala Kraft, the dish is prepared
community in South India, it became a prominent
inside earthen pots in an oven for 45 minutes
way of basting meat on tandoor (clay oven) to give
and served with fresh Phulkaas (Indian bread).
Tandoori Pink Salmon
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Jalebi Caviar with saffron glaze and pistachio rabdi (below) Amuse Bouche or sev puri on the go
Mutton Chaap (roasted goat ribs) is another
interesting reinvention. The once rustic Afghan
dish that had salt and chilli as marination has
undergone numerous iterations, the most
popular being the marination with aamchur
(powdered raw mango) and garam masala (blend
of spices like cumin, black pepper, clove...). The
Mutton Chaap with Maple Syrup and Kokum
Glaze served at Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra
comes closer to the first Mutton
Chaap. It follows the tandoor
roast technique to prepare, the
glaze which seeps down to the
bone giving the dish character.
The Mishti Doi Lollipop, made
by instantly freezing dollops
of Mishti Doi (sweet jaggery
yogurt) in an Anti Griddle, uses
cold nitrogen gas to freeze
and can sustain flavours
despite temperature
changes.
Not all dishes
have to resort to a
change in technique
to become part of the
modern cuisine
interpretation;
some score
through wholesomeness, others through
presentation. Like the Moplah-style Ghee
Rice and Chicken Curry, steamed and served
in a green banana leaf or a piquant Meen
Vevichathu (seer fish in a chilli-based gravy)
scores on the former. The combination of
dishes both fiery hot and genteel works at
balancing flavours and creating the traditional
identity without spice overuse. The
Curry Leaf Pepper Prawns and
Thayir Sadam (chilled tempered
yogurt rice) served on a shell is
yet another example of such
flavour foreplay. The chilled
curd rice balances the peppery
heat of the prawns. The Dal
Chawal Arancini (panco
coated, fried lentil-rice balls)
works on presentation. This
traditional Maharastrian
staple is served like a meatball
garnished with mini papads
(thin sheets of black gram),
chutneys and achaar (pickle)
for a single-bite experience,
much like the Dahi Bhalla
(lentil doughnut with spiced
yogurt) ice cream served at Ziya,
The Oberoi Mumbai.
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