By Raul Dias
“Should I tackle it as a savoury snack, or simply think of it as one of the most unusual desserts I’ve ever tried?” I do my best to rationalize my order of the wacky-sounding Nitro Dahi Bhalla to no one in particular. Now, if there are two things that challenge me, culinarily speaking that is, then they would have to be the twinning of sweet with savoury in a single dish and molecular gastronomy. Call me a Philistine, but I just don’t get the appeal of either.
While the latter may be on the wane worldwide, try telling that to the guys at Prankster in Gurugram! This restobar, that prides itself on ‘pranking the palates’ of its diners, is enjoying one last little dalliance with molecular gastronomy thanks to this dish. A misnomer of sorts, the making of the Nitro Dahi Bhalla has nothing to do with nitrogen, I soon learn. It only comes to the table shrouded in an icy fog generated by the chemical.
Created by Chef Harangad Singh, Prankster’s executive chef, the multi-layered dish is composed of a creamy, parfait-like ice cream made from one of North India’s all-time favourite chaats—dahi bhalla. Where the bhalla component is a deep-fried fritter ball made from lentil batter. Liquidized along with tangy yoghurt and churned in an ice cream maker, two scoops of this zany, savoury ice cream sit atop a bed of crispy roomali rotis. Slathered in a sweet-spicy dehydrated tamarind chutney powder and crunchy sev, it is topped off with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and shards of papdi.
Interestingly, this dish reveals its two distinct flavour profiles when eaten in parts. If you’re to simply go for the ice cream, then yes, it’s got all the indicators of a well-made dahi bhalla, fresh ginger taste et al. But if you take the trouble to get every single component into one bite, you’re in for a surprise, as your Nitro Dahi Bhalla instantly transforms into an icy rendition of another ‘chaat’-buster—papdi chaat!
(This column first appeared in the 6th May 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/nitro-dahi-bhalla/article23789436.ece/amp/)
No comments:
Post a Comment