With young consumers in the metros seeking to be engaged by concepts that are new, unusual and experimental, boundaries are being stretched in all directions. The three most saleable cuisines in Indian F&B have traditionally been ?Indian? (Mughlai/Punjabi), Chinese and Italian in that order, but all these are now being increasingly reinvented.
Thus we see a clutch of regional eateries riding the bandwagon of authenticity and home-style cooking; Chinese is no longer cabbage-infested chowmein, but includes a wide array of pan-Asian flavours, not to mention Japanese that is the high-end diner?s favourite fix these days. And Italian is no longer just pizzas and pastas, but modern European or ?world? cuisine?lately with French undertones too. But while these three broad categories continue to thrive and multiply in our restaurant space, the turn of this year offers us hope that newer, fresher flavours from other parts of the world will finally find favour with our audience. And one cuisine to look out for in 2013 is Moroccon.
Last week, I was surprised to find myself at a restaurant that can easily be labelled as the most impressive opening of 2013. Surprised, because Casablanca at the Doubletree by Hilton in Gurgaon has crept upon us, virtually unannounced and without the usual fanfare that accompanies lesser new restaurants. Yet as a product this is A-class, solid, well-researched and authentic. Casablanca is not just the first Moroccon restaurant in India but also at any Hilton hotel worldwide. The fact that the hotel chain has decided to launch this brand in India just underlines the importance and the growing sophistication of our market.
But let?s talk about the food. What should you expect when you go for a Moroccon meal? For one, please don?t look for the same curry-ised tagines and mounds of couscous, embellished with butter and parsley that the few restaurants that do serve this mandatory dish-up in India. Rachid Choukki, the chef from Marrakesh, who helms the kitchen at the restaurant, has taken care to keep the cuisine at its pristine best. Having cooked with a Moroccon friend visiting India just a couple of months ago, I can appreciate the challenges this must have posed while sourcing ingredients such as preserved lemon?simple but integral to the cuisine?that are just not available here. (The restaurant makes its own). But the food is spot on.
Moroccon food is fairly close to the Indian palate; it uses a range of spices, nuts and fruits, thanks to the mishmash of influences that have formed it, including Arabic. The starters can be wonderfully filling?dips, filo pastry-stuffed pies, stir-fried prawns, marinated olives with garlic, olive oil and harissa and what not. What I love is the pastilla?a pie stuffed with squabs (baby pigeons) traditionally, but that is invariably stuffed with shredded chicken these days.
Covering the mix is crispy werqua dough (note the similarity with warq, which means flaky layers as in those warqi paranthas), but a philo pastry shell works just as well. The similarity with the samosa is not hard to miss even though the flavours and shape are different. This is the same family of eats that migrated from west Asia to the subcontinent and north Africa.
The cuisine combines sweet and savoury flavours. Pastilla is invariably dusted with sugar and has cinnamon (an important spice in the cuisine) and raisins with the meat. And we see the same interplay when it comes to the tagine, Morocco?s best known dish that takes its name after the clay pot in which the stew is cooked slowly.
The tagine pot consists of two parts: a base that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone cover that sits on this. The idea is for the meats (usually cheaper, bonier cuts were used) to be braised at low heat till the flesh falls off the bone. Chef Rachid has several kinds on the menu?veal, quail and rabbit, not to mention chicken. There are classic combinations of the fruits and flavourings that go best with each meat. Chicken tagine, for instance, a lighter, lemony dish invariably has green olives (and preserved lemon) flavouring it. Heavier meats are served with caramalised onions, prunes and sweeter flavours, which can be a delicious, unexpected mishmash.
What you must look out for at any self-respecting Moroccon place is how they serve the couscous. For one, this is a separate course and not an accompaniment. It?s piled with veggies and served after the tagine. The texture is different from how you may have eaten it?loose, not mashy and buttery! It?s a cuisine exotic and familiar at the same time.
The writer is a food critic