Injecting a dose of goodness

It’s a saucy trend that we can get on board with, and involves using syringes to inject something extra (a juice, syrup or sauce) that ties a dish together. No wonder chefs are going all out presenting it not only as a prop but also as a means to infuse flavour into their preparations. Read on to find out more.

A shot in the arm for tasty infusions

The words ‘tasty injections’ don’t normally go together but chefs and mixologists have made that possible by letting their food/drinks speak for itself. It started off as something extra that was added to flavour a drink. As in the case of Kicker Rita, a drink served at Hitchki. The mixologist Sonali Mullick there shares, “Kicker Rita is our version of the margarita. I did not want to blend the added beverage (beer) while making the original cocktail — margarita, as it would get diluted. The best way to add the beer was through a syringe as it gave the drink a new look and the desired kick!” And if not infusing a zest of goodness, the syringe is also used to balance or mellow flavours. Nayan Singh, the beverage manager at Glocal Junction confirms. He shares, “Our concoction Worli Sunset is a portion of Cinzano Bianco, gin and Campari, which is served along with a peel of any grapefruit. The injection has Campari, which pumps up the bitterness, also mellows out the sweetness in the drink. So, you get a trio of bitter, sweet and sour notes in a drink.”

Infusing flavour and fun

The syringes also add a fun and playful element to the dish or drink. By giving you a chance to squirt the tamarind and date sweet chutney the chef is also letting you have a ball, playing with the food. Chef Siddhesh Parab of SpiceKlub elaborates, “The sweet chutney is injected into the puri while the pani is served in test tubes. The syringes are used as a playful element in the dish to squirt the right amount of tamarind and date sweet chutney into the puris thus balancing the spicy water and adding excitement at the same time.” Giving you control seems to be another reason why chefs are using this new presentation aid. So, you can decide not only the quantity but also how you want to have it. Chef Harman Singh Sawhney of Hoppipola says, “For our Swisster, ie a Swiss roll and Bailey’s we make the Swiss roll in-house and inject a shot of Bailey’s in it. To have it as an edible shot you need to squeeze the latter into the swiss roll and eat it.” 

A yummy surprise

At times, it’s just about surprising your palate, so you get a dose of nostalgia along with the bubblegum flavour in a drink called the Bubblegum Shakes shares Pawan Raina, brand head at D:OH! or a taste of Salted Caramel which provides the perfect balance to a semi-sweet chocolate coated doughnut adds chef Sandeep of The Rolling Pin. Clearly, these infusions of flavour act as a shot in the arm for what otherwise would have been an average dish, taking it a notch higher both in terms of presentation and flavour profiles.

KICKER RITA

Kicker Rita at Hitchki

Ingredients

• 15 ml lime juice
• 15 ml sugar syrup
• 45 ml tequila
• 30 ml beer

Method

Take a shaker, fill with ice, lime juice, sugar syrup and tequila. Shake well and strain into a margarita glass with salt at the rim. Fill beer in the syringe and present it.

Recipe courtesy: Sonali Mullick