Restaurants the world over thrive on providing an experience that is unique and what one does not encounter daily, or at home. Interestingly, that concept is being turned around on its head at several places, which promise a home-like experience.
Home cooked is clearly no longer boring. From ingredients like seasonal vegetables to simplicity of flavours, that home-like cooking is a novelty that sells well today. The shift post-pandemic toward healthier lifestyles, and the aggressive social media advocacy for the right kind of eating has become ingrained as a way of life.
From Local Roots
For many, the oily, fat-laden, excessively sweet or rich foods typically associated with eating out are being sidelined in favour of more earthy, simple, and ‘home’ flavours.
For instance, it is a revelation to find an ingredient like almond gum on a restaurant summer menu. Mums across the country soak cooling almond gum for the family to partake during the sweltering summer. Chor Bizarre in Delhi converts it into a dessert layered with basil seeds, some rabri and nannari syrup, another traditional drink associated with summer in south India.
A tawa pulao comes with ivy gourd, a seasonal vegetable typically found only on dinner tables at home and not restaurants. A corn tikki is what anyone would make at home – pan-toasted and not fried with minimum of spices so that the corn sings. The mangshore curry is a Bengali home revisited, with whole spices, low oil and deep flavour. “Jigarthanda is a drink from Madurai. We took that and turned it into a dessert. It helps keep the body cool.
Global Traditions
Even nannari is made from a root, and has cooling properties, which is essential during this heat,” says Srinivas A, head chef at Chor Bizarre.
At Delhi’s Imperial Hotel, the newly-launched Haute Patisserie, which showcases a rich blend of Parisian and Vienna’s baking legacies, has a range of grandmother-style tarts, ranging from pecan nut, fruit or apple caramel. At another of Imperial’s restaurants, The Spice Route, dishes are inspired by kitchens of Asian grandmothers, bringing together authentic flavours from Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, south India and more in the region.
Elsewhere, many places like Ikk Punjab offer a trip down memory lane, with dishes transporting you to the smoky kitchens of the state, where fresh, seasonal produce is transformed into finger-licking goodness.
Many chefs are proudly presenting flavours they grew up with. Even fine dining establishments like Indian Accent forage the entire country for inspiration, bringing flavours deep rooted in tradition, be it kasundi, kachalu, saag or kadhi or bajra roti.