India relishes in diversity of tastes as regional cuisines unite country growingly on plate and palate

Kasundi mustard aloo bhindi, stuffed vangi curry, paplet mussallam with rumali roti and goat shank nihari with Lucknowi naan. These are just a few dishes on the menu of newly opened Aafreen – Inspired Indian at The Westin Pune, Koregaon Park which aims to offer a glimpse into the vastness of regional cuisine across India through small plates of comfort foods. “Today’s Instagram friendly customers are always eyeing for something new. They are willing to go all out to try flavour some regional bounty across India. What they are looking for is novelty and comfort in their foods,” says Chef Vikram Khatri of Aafreen – Inspired Indian.

Chef Khatri and his team spent months researching dishes from across India before getting to food trials. Apart from the lamb chops (barrah), all other ingredients are locally sourced and are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. The dishes like tandoori Kerala prawns and exotic mushroom galouti served with khakra crisps are heavy on small plates but pleasantly awaken your senses to the flavours of interstate cuisines.

Aafreen – Inspired Indian is not the only restaurant bringing forward Indian regional cuisine. This year a couple of other restaurants in Mumbai revamped their menus to introduce diverse regional dishes. While Dakshin Coastal at ITC Maratha covers the cuisines of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, Trèsind’s tasting menu elevates the regional culinary experience with flavourful inclusions of chicken khasi curry, sorrento lemon aioli, black lime – drawing inspiration from Khasi style chicken curry of Meghalaya and khandvi ice-cream, pickled papaya, chili – pointing up Gujrati farsan.

“The most unexplored region in terms of culture and food is the North East India and we all in India are acquainted with the famous Gujrati culture of snacks. Hence, we thought of building the menu comprising dishes representing both of these aspects,” says Chef Sarfaraz Ahmed, Head Chef, Trèsind Mumbai.

Speaking of Indian regional cuisine, Yogen Dutta, Executive Chef ITC Maratha and Area Chef ITC Hotels West Region, believes, “People are now intrigued by food that connects them back to their roots and the dishes that are creatively influenced from long lost regions and traditions.” This has been affirmed by the fact that the food served at Dakshin Coastal comes with a sense of strong lineage.

“The entry of the single serve portion of dishes has taken Indian cuisine a notch higher. But it’s not just the portion size for us, we have introduced dishes which remind of traditions,” Chef Dutta adds further. For instance, vegetable sodhi, better known as “mappillai sodhi” in Tirunelveli area of Tamil Nadu, is a coconut milk-based curry prepared by the bride’s family to treat their son-in-law on his first visit to the bride’s place after marriage. Similarly, Kardantu, fried edible gum – desi equivalent of an energy bar, is a popular tea time snack in Karnataka. Clearly, the focus remains steadfast on the local traditions, sustainable produce that emphasise familiarity and comfort in the dishes that are being offered.

The narrative of Indian food is changing too. When we think about north Indian food today, it is not only about the stereotypical popular Punjabi dishes. It’s a thing of the past.

“Indian food has so much to offer that people do not just want to settle for curry or chilli or the usual fare. They understand the nuances between the dishes made in different regions and, like me, they are open to trying something out of the ordinary yet local,” says Saurabh Patwardhan, cofounder of Kimaya Brewing Company, Pune who loves trying local food not only from his home state of Maharashtra but all across India.

We, in India, are already cheering for this thought of connecting with the food culture of our diverse country allowing for further exploration of regional food to elevate the whole dining experience. Recently, when Loya was launched at Taj Palace, New Delhi the unflinching attention remained on the cooking techniques along with all things local from across northern India.

The Executive Chef Rajesh Wadhwa at Taj Palace, New Delhi and his team researched close to six years to develop a menu that highlights traditional cooking styles, long-preserved, authentic dishes from the foothills of the Himalayas to the flat terrain of Punjab to snow-laden Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. This reflects in a page off the Loya menu too. From the drama of “dhungar” – smoking to the aromatics of “baghar” in which spices are tempered in hot oil to richness of “dum” – slow cooking, the techniques highlight the uniqueness of each dish.

“The dishes like Kangra khodiya gosht from Himachal, sepu wadi and dumba kadhai from Uttarakhand, peepay wale aloo, gud ke maan and kunni murg from Punjab and many other dishes get the taste, aroma and flavour from the aesthetic blend of heritage cooking styles, fresh produce, farm-raised organic meats and in-house spice blends,” says Chef Wadhwa.

Meanwhile, changing perceptions on the other end of the catering spectrum is also Chef Abhishek Joshi of We Idliwale in Pune. After a stint as a commis at Dubai’s coveted Folly By Nick & Scott and an assistant sous chef at The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai he started a modest outlet in Pune in August 2019 and expanded quickly to three outlets across the city that are now serving true-blue regional fare from some parts of South India.

“When you hear of certain regional popular dishes, you have a set of combinations or tastes in mind and this is, primarily, because of how the food of certain regions is made popular. Many parts of India remain untapped in the commercial food space even today and this became evident when I started We Idliwale with a focus on serving the humble, fluffy idli with creative and inspired ways,” tells Chef Joshi. The dishes like idlis paired with creamy Kundapur chicken or robust mutton saru or prawn pepper fry dosse are inspired from the streets and households of Karnataka. The chef is very clear that he is only trying to introduce the wealth of South Indian cuisine that is unknown beyond its borders.

Undoubtedly, this has been a fantastic year for Indian regional cuisine globally. In October, Semma, the new South Indian restaurant in New York became the only Indian restaurant in the US with a Michelin star in 2022. According to the Godrej Food Trends Report 2022, people will continue to bond over traditional Indian food and local produce. Out of over 200 food experts who shared their opinions, 56.3 per cent believe that the new-found pride in one’s culinary identity and need for novelty will make Indian chefs and diners seek Indian regional-cuisine-based concept.

Be it Aafreen – Inspired Indian’s and Tresind’s endeavours to showcase immensity of Indian regional spread or Dakshin Coastal’s strong sense of preserving traditions through food from Southern parts of India or Loya evoking age-old cooking techniques to redefine North Indian cuisine or even We Idliwale dishing out simple yet uncharted territory of familiar foods, its Indian regional fare that’s captivating the enthusiastic genre of clientele.

As the distinctiveness of Indian cuisine gets plated up with the efforts of chefs and restaurateurs who are willing to dig up the past and conjure the future by putting the lesser known, age-old, traditional and sustainable dishes on the map, it’s one step towards achieving the momentum in the right direction.

The author is a freelance travel and food writer based in Pune. Views expressed are personal.

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