A culinary session with a chef whose restaurants are frequented by the likes of Halle Berry and Amitabh Bachchan is a treat in itself, and it’s even better when you get to taste the food cooked by him post-workshop! The Young Ficci Ladies Organisation (YFLO) couldn’t be happier at the end of an interactive session with chef Manish Mehrotra of restaurant chain Indian Accent at Taj Bengal on August 3, where the celebrity chef shared his insights into what he does best — create “inventive Indian cuisine”.

With recipes from the menu of Indian Accent, the award-winning restaurant that is a favourite with Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities in Delhi, New York and London, Mehrotra not only demonstrated how to cook those dishes but also shared tips and tricks for guests to recreate a bit of the magic that his teams serve up. 

With three dishes — Arbi Bitterballen, Kasundi Caper Chutney, Pumpkin and Coconut Shorba and Pear Petha, Almond Yoghurt, Amaranth Toffee — guests got a glimpse (read: taste) of the mastery of Mehrotra and his underlying principle of using simple Indian ingredients to change the perception, especially that of the West, of how Indian food is consumed. 

“We have just scratched the surface of what we understand by Indian cuisine and there’s so much more. With Indian Accent, my endeavour is to spread this knowledge and to present Indian food with a global perspective,” said Mehrotra.

“I like sharing my knowledge and training my chefs, so I like the idea of telling people what I know. I have never been one of those chefs to keep secret recipes, so such sessions are great,” he signed off.

“We at YFLO thought of serving an appealing mix of innovation, creativity and talent, all integrated into an exciting bowl. The session with chef Mehrotra made me realise that experimenting with Indian dishes could be fun, too, as we can create fusion flavours and yet eat healthy,” said Isha Patodia, chairperson, YFLO.

Pumpkin and Coconut Shorba

Ingredients

Red pumpkin 500g
Coconut milk 100ml
Chopped onion 15g
Chopped ginger 10g
Chopped garlic 5g
Green chilli chopped 3g
Fennel seeds ½tsp
Bay leaf 1 
Star anise 1 
Lemongrass ¼ stick
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Garam masala ½tsp

Method

In a heavy-bottom pan, add red pumpkin (peeled, seeds and skin removed and diced), onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, fennel seeds, bay leaf, lemongrass and star anise.
Cover with water and simmer on slow heat till pumpkin is tender.
Remove the bay leaf, star anise and lemongrass.
Blend it till smooth and strain it.
Place it back on heat and bring to a boil.
Add coconut milk.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar.
Serve hot, sprinkled with a pinch of garam masala powder.

“The biggest takeaway for me was how Manish Mehrotra used the simplest ingredients and made extraordinary dishes out of them. He is so passionate that he got his ingredients all the way from Delhi to make the dishes for all 150 of us present,” said Shilpa Sethi, secretary, YFLO

“He was very transparent with his recipes, he had no secrets. Yet he advised against following any recipe completely and encouraged us to trust our palates,” said Priyanka Agarwal, YFLO committee member 

“I have long referred to chef Manish Mehrotra’s coffee-table cookbook Indian Accent: Restaurant Cookbook, but to see him demonstrate these recipes was a great experience. He is also a very humble and approachable person, despite all his success,” said Vidisha Bathwal, owner of Paprika, a catering service. Vidisha hosted a fun food trivia session for the guests.

These questions left the guests scratching their heads. Those who got it right walked away with gifts...

1) Name seven types of exotic mushrooms. 
2) Name seven types of exotic superfoods. 
3) What is the purpose of pickled ginger in sushi?
4) Which animal sniffs out ripe underground mushroom?
5) Name four kinds of apples other than apples.
6) From which cactus is tequila made? 
7) From which country does pita bread originate? 
8) How many spices are there in garam masala?

Answers:

1) Black fungus, white fungus, shiitake, enoki, button, morels and oyster 
2) Greek yogurt, quinoa, couscous, blueberries, kale, chia and amaranth 
3) It is used as a palette cleanser in between two different kinds of sushi
4) Dogs are used to sniff out truffles in Italy
5) Custard apple, pineapple, star apple and rose apple
6) Agave
7) Greece
8) 12 

Text: Anannya Sarkar
Pictures: Rashbehari Das