These days there’s too much stress... no wonder a lot of people are substituting sex with food,” grinned Ritu Dalmia as she proceeded to make some gnocchi on stage, which was so creamy, so cheesy, so delish that one could totally understand why!
The top chef known for her Italian food and Diva brand, not to mention her television cookery Italian Khana, was in town to speak at the Ladies Study Group event, ‘Eating my way through the world’, at Hyatt Regency on August 12. In conversation with fashion designer Nil, the former Loreto House girl gave us a peek into her food and her philosophy, generously sprinkled with her wicked wit. Excerpts...
VEGGIE RULES
Vegetarianism is no longer something you can scoff at. “Today you go to any restaurant in the world, from Greece to Rome to Pretoria, the variety of vegetarian food has hugely increased and there is a respect for vegetarian food, which was never there earlier,” said Ritu, who, though raised in a vegetarian Marwari household, rebelled and ate everything. Today, however, she is a “very proud and happy vegetarian” again.
MARWARI GENES
Ritu, who was in Calcutta for the first few years of her childhood before her parents moved to Delhi, was sent to Italy to source Italian marble for her family business. But she came back with her pockets full of Italian food!
“It was the Marwari businesswoman in me that realised that I could learn about Italian cooking at my father’s expense and set up something of my own, without doing ji hazoori of anyone,” she laughed.
Ritu opened her first restaurant MezzaLuna in Delhi when she was 20 but it didn’t do well. “It failed miserably. But I thought if I had gone to Wharton Business School, what my father would have paid in fees I used that and learnt by having a failed restaurant!”
CALCUTTA ROOTS
“In every household in Calcutta, there used to be paak-pranali cookbooks, which I still love. That was my first introduction to Calcutta-style Italian food — baked macaroni and all. When my father went abroad, my siblings would ask for doll’s houses and toys and I would only ask for parmesan, olive oil and mozzarella,” she smiled.
NOT JUST ABOUT CHEESE
Italian food, it turns out, is not just about cheese. “It’s not about cheese, not about pasta, not about pizza. Actually Italian food is one of the healthiest in the world. Italians have one of the longest lifespans and that’s because of great red wine and the use of garlic in their food. And olive oil. Cheese just adds a little taste on top of the food,” Ritu clarified to a dumbfounded audience.
40g PASTA
“Pizza is not even Italian!” she went on. “It came from Persia. Pasta came from China. Pasta is actually a first course in Italy. The way they serve in Italy is first antipasti, which is a very small starter, something to just get your appetite going. Then comes pasta. But how you serve pasta here is not how you get it in Italy. There, if you are having ravioli, you will get two-three pieces, if you’re having spaghetti, you’ll get only 40g of spaghetti. And then comes the protein. And let’s face it, Italians don’t know how to make dessert, except for Tiramisu. For them dessert means eating a fruit.”
THE ORIGINAL PIZZA
The original pizza didn’t even have cheese! “The marinara pizza was basically tomato, chilli, oregano and garlic. The cheese came much later, when the pizza was made for the Queen of Italy. That’s why it’s called the Margherita. It had tomato, mozzarella and basil,” said Ritu.
According to her, India still does not have good cheeses. “Because cheese is all about the fat content in the milk. And till our cattle feed is organised, we are unlikely to produce great-quality cheeses in large quantities.”
Oh, and the reason there are no Michelin-star restaurants in India is not because we don’t have world-class food but because Michelin, the tyre company, doesn’t have enough business in India, feels Ritu.
HER ACTIVISM
“I’m a great chef, I’m also gay. I’ve always been out and open but one of the reasons why I haven’t talked about this much is because I would rather be known for my cooking skills rather than for my sexual preferences. I’ve never been very vocal in my support for the movement against Section 377 that makes homosexuality — as well as any heterosexual act that is not the missionary position — a criminal offence in our country. I’ve not been at the front, I have been funding the movement from the back. But about two years ago, a friend of mine told me, ‘You’ve no business to complain if you don’t do something about it yourself.’ That really hit a chord. That’s when three others and I filed a petition in the Supreme Court asking for the laws to be looked at again.”
OF COURSE I AM A DIVA!
Nil: Why is your restaurant called Diva? Are you a diva?
Ritu: Of course I am, darling! I am a diva. As I keep saying, modesty is not my strength. I can’t sing to save my life. I learnt violin for 14 years, till my teachers said (gestures with folded hands), ‘Stop it!’ I realised I can’t be a diva in music, so I became a diva in food (laughs heartily).
THE t2 CHAT
In your last chat with us, you said you were obsessed with red velvet cake...
(Laughs) But now I’m over it! Right now I am obsessing about an almond-olive oil-rosemary cake.
What are your must-visit food stops in Calcutta?
In Calcutta, I’d rather eat kathi roll or bhaja than hotel food. The street food in Calcutta is, I think, the best in the whole country. I like to go to Kewpie’s, Kasturi, buy sandesh from Vien (on Shakespeare Sarani), go to Russell Street for jhaalmuri and churmur and phuchka and Share Market (Calcutta Stock Exchange in the Dalhousie area) for chai and toasties....
Your advice for new restaurateurs:
- Know your product so that you are not dependent on any chef.
- The capital cost should be minimal, because if the restaurant does not work, there is zero return on your capital. Once the restaurant starts paying for itself, you can put back the money and make sure it is run well.
- When people ask me who cooks in your restaurants when you are away, I say, the same people who cook when I am there! Training is very important. Learn to delegate and train.
- Food cost is minimal. What costs the most are manpower, crockery, air-conditioning, rentals.... If you don’t keep an eye on costs, from one day to another, you can go to zero very quickly.
- If it does not work, close immediately because the working capital required is so high that if you continue, your entire capital will be wiped out. You will know whether a restaurant is working or not in the first one year.
Tips for the home chef?
Use good ingredients and keep the recipes simple. Don’t be kanjoos about equipment. Have a good oven, a good mixie and blender, a good set of knives with steel blades.
When are you opening a Diva in Calcutta?
No, I am not… but never say never (smiles)!
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
