Munch on a Chicken Cafreal Bunny Chao

Think Christmas, and there are certain traditional favourites that come to mind. So, eateries are stepping up their game and giving a creative spin to those oh-so-familiar flavours. The result, you get a sense of deja vu when you take a bite, but there’s also something different about it. Here’s a round up of traditional Christmas treats which are  so familiar yet hatke.

Christmas Desi Dogs with Eggnog sauce

What’s different about it:  Lolita Sarkar, creative Chef & Director, The Desi Deli, says, “Eggnog is a classic beverage for Christmas. The warm flavours of nutmeg and cinnamon, with the milk and egg shouts out Christmas. So, we decided to work on it and put it in our dog.”

Roasted Pumpkin and Walnut with Kadak Pao soup

What’s different about it:  Chef Clyde D’Mello, Corporate Chef, Dishkiyaoon​ says, “A pumpkin soup is another popular favourite during the festive season. We have given it a different treatment by roasting the pumpkin before pureeing it. Also, traditionally, it is served with bread sticks and is garnished with croutons. We garnish it with pieces of roasted pumpkin and give it as an accompaniment to buttered Kadak Pao. We also do an apple crumble with a twist. The traditional apple crumble is served with brandy sauce or some other liquor sauce. We serve it with Custard Apple Ice cream. The merging of the two flavours really brings the dish together.”

Chocolate-flavoured Eggnog

What’s different about it:  Kelvin Cheung, Chef- Consultant, One Street Over & Bastian, says, “Traditionally eggnog is made with raw eggs whipped to a stiff peak and then spiced. At One Street Over, we cook our version in house by making a sabayon custard and add high quality spices as well as imported Belgian chocolate followed by bottling them at our bar and adding our signature ‘The Boy and His Boo’ stickers. We prefer the creamy, velvety texture as well as the chocolate flavour over the classical raw whipped version.”

Chicken Cafreal served the Bunny Chao way!

What’s different about it:  Meghnesh Salian, chef and founder, 3 Wise Monkeys, says, “We serve traditional Goan Chicken Cafreal, which was originally cooked only for special ocassions or celebrations. But this Christmas, at 3 Wise Monkeys, we have given it a twist, where we are serving it like a ‘Bunny Chow’. Bunny Chow is a hollowed loaf of bread filled with curry. Curry with bread has been one of the favourite options for everyone devouring it. Hence, this combination will definitely be a must-try this Christmas.”

Yule Log: Aztec

What’s different about it:  Chef Sanjana Patel, owner, La Folie India, says, “During this time of year, a yule log is brought into a house in European countries such as Germany, Scandinavia and the northern part of France. The log is usually slowly burnt through the 12 days of Christmas. Keeping this history in mind, a traditional yule log cake was created. Paying homage to this tradition, we wanted to play with the ingredient profile of the yule log. Keeping the burning of log in tradition, we infused Aztec spices like long pepper, by smoking the chocolate for one to two hours. We have also used it to pair it with the warm citrus notes of blood orange, prunes and floral honey. The log presentation is played with an accent of chocolate twigs and the glaze has a hue of orange and dark mahogany wood.”

Christmas candy canes in mix of flavours
What’s different about it:

Garyson Misquitta, master candy maker, Papabubble says,  “For the first time in India, people will get to experience traditional Christmas candy including hand-made Christmas lollipops, candy canes, Christmas jewel candy and marshmallows. Keeping in mind the nostalgia that Christmas invokes, we have a Christmas mix, which adds a touch of creativity to tradition. While peppermint is the go-to flavour for Christmas candy and confectionery, we have gingerbread candy canes and apple cinnamon marshmallows. We also have Christmas pillows with Spiced Orange Rum and a Christmas colada a take on the pina colada.”