Indian cuisine: Are you game for the real deal?

Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain’s latest book’s opening sequence describes, without restriction, a secret sit-down dinner some of the most respected chefs in America were treated to, where among other things, the Ortolan — a rare bird found in parts of Europe and Asia. It is illegal for consumption — in Europe and America and perhaps most parts of the world. Incidentally, the bird is eaten whole. And there’s your first squirm. So, how authentic a meal can you really put up with?

In India, most global cuisines that have established successful businesses have found the pulse of the Indian appetite — changing their cuisine (whether it is Chinese or French) to suit the Indian palate. Most restaurateurs in the city seem to operate on those lines.

But Bangalore has a large population of extremely well-travelled citizens who have been exposed to many cultures across the globe. Therefore, there will always be a percentage of diners who want nothing short of authentic flavours. “Consumers are becoming increasingly adventurous with what they eat, how they eat and where they eat. Gone are the days, when a standard butter chicken or chow mien was the meal of choice. From healthy fast food to five-figure entrees, the future of food is an ever-evolving experiment,” says chef Nimish Bhatia, Lalit Ashok. That’s perhaps why, today,  you’ll find that Japanese, Mexican, Thai, French and even Vietnamese cuisines are no longer a dream in Bangalore.

Chef Vijay Malhotra of ITC Windsor, Bangalore is a big supporter of original recipes. “I believe that a dish should be as original as possible. Yes, ingredients are one thing — for instance, in our hotel we don’t serve beef as a policy. But within the given boundaries, it’s completely possible to stay true to an original recipe, as long as you have access to the right ingredients. And I think people prefer it that way,” he says.

Chef Jaydeep Patil of Oberoi, feels, “while serving any authentic global cuisine, there are two factors that one must consider: social acceptability and availability of ingredients.”

Patil explains: “If your ingredients are procured locally, even if you don’t mess with the original recipe, the dish is bound to be slightly different. But acceptability is an extremely important consideration. There are many ingredients that Indians don’t use. So, it’s not viable to use them.”

Patil, however, asserts that some recipes are never toyed with. “You don’t change a pasta recipe as per whim. But to make a dish more likeable, you might want to tone-down the pungency of a dish — that is improvisation and not alteration. Then again, if you’ve got the base ingredients right and want to play around a little bit, that’s innovation,” he smiles.

Patil recognises that today, many Indians have had enough exposure to global cuisine and are likely to compare a dish they’ve eaten abroad and in India. “Authenticity is, therefore, the call of the day,” he says, “but you can’t ignore the country’s basic cultural milieu and preferences.” But, he agrees that Indians are open to trying international cuisines in their original form. “Indians are experimental — they do try dishes they aren’t familiar with. But minimal improvisations such as working on the salt levels of a dish because my customer doesn’t like much salt — is not really tweaking,” he says.

So, what does one have to say about the Chinese cuisine we get in India? Many experts assert that Indians (or for that matter, most non-Chinese) can barely eat the original cuisine. How does one really explain the ‘Indianisation’ of perhaps the first international cuisine?

“The Chinese use many ingredients that we will never eat: bugs and frog legs, for instance. It’s not part of our cultural setup. They even use fish oil and fish sauce in their stir-fries. That’s why I stressed on acceptability. There are some ingredients that go against the basic nature of an Indian palate,” explains Patil. “But there are some restaurants that have been able to come quite close to the real thing; without offending sensibilities of course,” he adds.

So, most restaurants in the city catering to the global citizen have found a balance that allows an Indian diner to taste the real thing. But as all chefs put it, a dish is only improvised when a customer requires it. But there will always be that five-odd per cent that will say the same thing: “bring it on; just the way it’s meant to be!”