Cuscuz de Asparagus, a Brazilian dish

If all you knew of Latin America was salsa and football, it’s time for a closer look. Hyatt Regency is celebrating a Latin American food festival with Chilean wine, plus Peruvian and Brazilian food, at the Waterside Cafe from November 5-9.

Peruvian-born and Dubai-based chef Roberto Carlos Segura Gonzalesis at the helm of things. “You could say three countries set the trend or make the characteristics of Latin American countries — Peru, Brazil and Chile,” says Roberto.

Start your meal with the classic ceviche, which Roberto explains is the most famous Peruvian dish in the world. Sounds familiar? Yes, it’s the same dish Audra Morrice, the Singapore and Indian-origin contestant, whipped up on Masterchef Australia 4. “The specialty of Peruvian ceviche is that unlike in other countries, we don’t marinate the fish for three-four hours. It’s done in three-four minutes,” says Roberto.

Four minutes of marination for raw fish?! Yes, we kid you not. “It’s supposed to be fresh. Fresh citrusy flavours in their rawness are all you’ll taste,” promises Roberto.

And he’s right. The marinade of lime, coriander, onions and celery explodes in your mouth like a good tangy chaat. And the Basa, being the mildest of fish, soaks in all the flavour to give you a dish you would love to try a second time.

If the ceviche taxes your experimental nature, worry not. The rest of the spread is quite similar to Indian cuisine as Peruvian highland food has its meats and curries cooked with coriander, chilli and cumin. That must be why the Aji de Gallina, shredded chicken in a creamy gravy, seems so much like our Chicken Bharta!

Tres Leche Cake is made with three kinds of milk

The Brazilian spread also looks like a fun take on ghar ka khana. The Bobo de Camorao, a dish made with prawns, manioc, tomatoes and coconut milk, is like a milder cousin of Prawn Malai Curry.

On the side, sip on cocktails like Pisco Sour, made with Peruvian pisco (a spirit made by distilling grapes with lime and egg whites) or the Caipirinha, the popular Brazilian cocktail which gave rise to the now popular Caipiroska. The buffet also includes a glass of the Chilean wine Antares Sauvignon Blanc or Antarez Shiraz.

The buffet costs Rs 1,550 and Rs 1,650 (plus taxes) for lunch and dinner, respectively.

On Sunday, the star hotel is also organising a daylong fiesta of music, dance and cocktails by the poolside from 12noon to 4pm. Entry is for Rs 999 per person.

Malini Banerjee
Pictures by Bhubaneswarananda Halder

peruvian food facts

Peru has more than 3,000 kinds of potatoes with about 450 of them being edible (the rest grow wild). The main course always comes with mashed potatoes and rice on the side. They also have more than 30 kinds of chillies.

The ceviche is a salad-like dish made with raw fish, lime and chilli peppers. It was probably an improvised dish created by fishermen when they went deep-sea fishing. The juice used for the marinade is called leche de tigre or tiger’s milk because of its cloudy milky colour and the strength it gives you. “It makes you feel strong like the tiger,” quips Roberto.

Peruvian cuisine can be divided into three belts — coastal, highlands and jungle. Coastal is all about seafood, which includes prawns, scallops, lobsters and calamari. The highlands are about meat and potato with a lot of spices and curries. Jungle food is where anything goes. “Even cockroaches,” says Roberto!