The Masque take on Indian food: Prateek Sadhu

The British are familiar with North Indian takeaways, which include a range of kebabs and gravies including what has now become their staple — the popular Butter Chicken. And while its roots are Indian, the British are equally passionate about this particular dish that they claim as their own with pride. So, Prateek Sadhu, chef-patron of wilderness-to-table restaurant Masque in Mumbai has a tall order to meet. 

He is in London as a guest chef at the Caraousel restaurant till April 21, to give Londoners a taste of his innovative Indian cuisine. He has trained at a range of North America and Europe’s best, including Alinea, Le Bernardin, The French Laundry and Noma —– and will be hosting five evenings in Carousel’s open kitchen and communal nature dining room, collaborating with head chef Ollie Templeton and staff. We caught up with him for a quick chat.

On what basis are chefs invited to cook at Carousel restaurant in London?

Carousel is a creative hub started by four cousins that love everything to do with food — this includes chef residencies, art exhibitions, a standing seasonal lunch offering, workshops and more. They curate an ever-changing line-up of guest chefs from around the world to cook with them at their Marylebone space and exchange ideas and experiences. 

How, when and why did they get in touch with you?

I think they had been following us online and reached out via Instagram to see if it would be something we were open to pursuing, which of course we were. This is the power of social media at work, I suppose! 

Is there a specific region’s cuisine (from India) you will be showcasing? 

All we want to showcase is the wealth of Indian cuisine beyond the mainstays of North Indian or Mughlai food — a more ‘nouvelle’ approach, if I may say. There’s no one specific cuisine as such, but a lot of the ingredients I plan to use are from the country’s northern belt.

Any exotic ingredients that you’ll be working with? 

I’ll be using Kashmiri morels, Assamese guti aalu and more — though I would steer away from calling them ‘exotic’ ingredients; these are vegetables with a long and rich history in regional cuisines! In London, I’m excited to explore the local produce that’s on offer and see what we can use to complement the menu we’ve been planning.

Give us a sneak peek into what’s on the menu...

Oysters with mango and chilli, Kashmiri morels, guti aalu , which are a variety of tiny potatoes we get from Assam, and a dessert using dark chocolate from Pondicherry. 

What do you hope to achieve from this experience?

To give London a taste of our take on a new Indian cuisine! It’s always exciting to have the opportunity for conversation and collaboration with other chefs and diners, which leads to a very constructive exchange of ideas and philosophies — that’s what I personally hope to gain from it. In return, I hope the meal is able to give the city a little insight into what India has to offer as a culinary destination, and the sheer variety and wealth of what we can produce.

London already has many Indian eateries serving north Indian food. Will you be sticking to that template or trying something different?

The meal will follow more closely along the lines of the kind of food we do here at Masque, so it’s safe to say diners should not be expecting North Indian fare! Of course, as I mentioned, we will be using certain ingredients from the northern belt, but the end result will be quite different. 

If you had to describe your menu in one line. How would you describe it?

The Masque take on Indian food.