A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Atta Chicken

By Raul Dias

The idea of rich, buttery pastry encasing a succulent piece of meat is represented to great culinary success by two of my all-time favourite dishes—the French poultry wonder that is poulet en croute and the very British dish of lamb wellington. It also finds itself (albeit, handled a tad differently) in another dish I’d wage war for i.e. parda biryani! Unlike the earlier two western preparations, where the ‘croute’ or pastry covering the meat is meant to be eaten, the ‘parda’ draping the Awadhi-style biryani, made up of a thick sheet of rolled whole wheat flour, is discarded to reveal the fragrant rice preparation within.
On a recent trip to the Delhi NCR, I encountered a very interesting preparation that had elements of both styles baked right into it. The atta chicken at Unplugged Courtyard Gurgaon is a succulent, spiced whole chicken wrapped in a dough made from wheat flour and then baked. Chef Akshay Bhardwaj, the restaurant’s corporate chef who has in the past worked at Chef René Redzepi’s two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, came up with the idea of blending these two very different, yet strangely similar techniques to create one single dish.
Using a mixture of aromatic spices like ground cardamom, black stone flower, the ubiquitous garam masala, with raw mango and lemon rind powders thrown in for a tangy hit, the chicken is marinated overnight along with hung curd. To seal in its moisture, it is then seared off in a hot tandoor oven for a few minutes.
But before that all-important layer of wet atta covers the whole bird, a sheathing of banana leaves is used to give the dish a unique taste. Designed to keep in the juices, the atta covering is scored in a hedgehog pattern and the chicken is baked in an oven for 20 minutes at 180˚C. Once at the table, the baked dough seal is broken to reveal its steamy contents that are a treat to each one of the senses…

(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 3rd February 2019 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu/20190203/283420602870802)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Uzbek Plov

By Raul Dias

I’m already convinced that I’ve made a total spectacle of myself flailing my arms wildly above my head, trying desperately to draw the attention of any one of the phalanx of supremely busy servers who seem to march past me. Each set of outstretched arms carrying platters of a fragrant dish I had insanely researched that was now in front of me. And when I finally do manage to pin down a particularly dour-faced young man, my assortment of mock equine sounds and riding mimes does zilch to convey to him my predicament…
A little back story first. I’m at the very popular Magistral Plov Center on the outskirts of the city of Bukhara in the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan. I’m here for my first taste of a version of a dish that’s known multifariously all over Asia as palov, polov, polo, polu, pilaf and of course our very own pulao. Here in Uzbekistan, the rice and meat preparation goes by the name of plov and is considered the national dish…nay, obsession!
Now, depending on whom you speak with, it is believed that all the above mentioned iterations originated from the Indian subcontinent. But not many in Uzbekistan are willing to buy into this theory. Indeed, try telling that to my table mates—a gregarious bunch of vodka-quaffing local Bukhari businessmen who seem to have co-opted me into their raucous fold. Never mind the fact that they speak not a word of English, nor I, Uzbek.
Plov itself is a very simple preparation where medium grain rice is first fried in the nutty-tasting rapeseed oil along with onions, garlic, chunks of fatty lamb, golden sultanas and a fistful of sugared yellow carrot juliennes. All this is then stewed along with a generous splash of cumin powder-enhanced lamb stock for hours in a dough-sealed, humungous cauldron called a kazan. A few hours later the head plov maker called an oshpaz breaks the seal to reveal the kazan’s fragrant contents that he then goes on to aerate by separating the meat and rice grains with a large spatula in a cascade of moist yumminess.
Traditionally turned out on a blue and white platter called a lagan from the country’s pottery capital of Fergana, the plov is then studded with boiled chickpeas, pearly white, tiny quail eggs and the reason for my earlier disappointment i.e. the de rigueur horsemeat sausage called kazi that was rather strangely missing from my heaped lagan of plov. Perhaps the servers were under the (erroneous!) assumption that I, as a foreigner, would not be able to appreciate its dense texture and gamey, but supremely divine flavour. Something that I finally got to savour after my ‘nth’ comical Black Beauty impression! 

(An edited, shorter version of this column first appeared in the 6th January 2019 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Ruby Chocolate

By Raul Dias

Exactly a year ago, in September 2017, the holy trinity of dark, milk and white chocolate saw an interloper called ruby chocolate disrupting their unchallenged hegemony for its own piece of the chocolate pie (pun intended!). All this, a good 80 years after white chocolate was first inducted into the hallowed ‘chocolate hall of fame’, much to the horror of the chocolate cognoscenti, who, at that time, swore by their traditional dark—and to a lesser extent—milk iterations of chocolate.
With a countenance that can best be described as ‘hot pink’ and a taste that has a hint of fruity notes coupled with a tart finish, ruby chocolate made its brazen presence felt as the ‘fourth’ and newest kind of chocolate. Introduced by Barry Callebaut, a Belgian-Swiss cocoa company, the chocolate is made from the ruby cocoa bean. Found in Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, ruby beans are existing botanical cocoa bean varieties that have been identified as having the right attributes to be processed into ruby chocolate. And these attributes include an all-natural darkish pink colour and a unique berry-like taste, sans any added artificial colouring or flavouring agents. 
Interestingly, ruby chocolate was only made available for sale to consumers in January this year, when it was introduced in Japan and South Korea with the limited-edition ruby Kit Kat bar. Similarly, in India, Fabelle, the luxury chocolate brand from ITC has recently announced a limited run of just 1,800 boxes of its ruby gianduja where the pink-hued chocolate is combined with a ganache made with Turkish hazelnuts. 

(This column first appeared in the 18th November 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae

By Raul Dias

Cutting a swathe of anticipation through the elegantly appointed room, the palpable sense of impending drama was laying itself thick. Seeing other tourists with camera phones poised and awestruck expressions pat in place, there was little doubt that we were going to be in for a treat. It was sheer happenstance at play as I found myself at the hallowed New York City café cum patisserie Serendipity 3 in the chi-chi Upper East Side neighbourhood of Manhattan. That’s the same place with the rather oxymoronic (and divine!) frozen hot chocolate that has put them on every hipster “foodstagrammer’s” top list.
There with three other friends to get my quarter share of the world’s most expensive $214 grilled cheese sandwich, little did I realise that I’d soon be a spectator to an extravaganza that would make our shared sandwich seem as cheap as chips! With an average of just one order of the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae placed every month, its rather public assemblage is pure theater.
Three scoops of rare Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream—that are further flecked with Madagascar vanilla drawn straight from the pod—are placed in a Baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet that’s lined with 23k gold leaf, or what we in India know as varq. Alternating each ice cream scoop is the ladling of a luscious sauce made from melted Amedei Porcelana, which is one of the world’s most expensive chocolate. The sundae is then given a shower of goodies like truffles of rare Chuao chocolate made from cocoa beans cultivated off the coast of Venezuela, golden almond dragées and glacé candied fruit from Fauchon in Paris.
Topping it all off is a dusting of actual American Golden caviar harvested from the whitefish which lives in the Northern Great Lakes. But here, a salt-free version of the caviar is used that’s macerated in fresh passion fruit and orange juices along with a splash of Armagnac. And if all that’s not enough for you, more gold leaf is added. And a final garnish of an edible, gold paint-dipped sugar orchid crowns it, as it is placed in front of you with a 18k solid gold sundae spoon.
And yes, you can keep the goblet. But it’s an emphatic “NO” to the golden spoon! 

(This column first appeared in the 7th October 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: The Godfather ‘Cigar’

By Raul Dias

Ever since it first created a cinematic blitzkrieg in 1972 with its premier installment, Francis Ford Coppola’s cult classic film noire trilogy aka The Godfather—based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name—has been pop culture’s favourite poster child. Influencing everything from the slick fashion trends of stylised, pin-striped suits and gelled back hair, to setting the stage for future ‘mobster themed’ productions like GoodFellas and Untouchables, this is one iconic film series that has spawned several “me, toos”!   
And as is amply evident from both its rather telling name and its dark, gritty appearance, this deceive-the-eye dessert is another such homage. Made to resemble a lit cigar, the post-dinner treat is part of the dessert menu at Mumbai’s The Runway Project restaurant. Presented with great flair and drama, the equally stylish The Godfather ‘Cigar’ dessert is a great trick to the senses.
So, what you have here is a cigar-shaped, cylindrical shell made from dark Madagascar chocolate that’s filled with a coffee mousse-like crémeux with an almond brittle and tiramisu-center. Brought to the table with befitting ceremony, ensconced in a wooden cigar box, accompanied by a waft of the woodsy hickory smoke, this dessert is drama incarnate.
Completing the whole cigar-effect, the dessert even comes with an actual, customised cigar label encircling it that’s to be carefully removed before tucking into. The pleasure of ‘smoking a cigar’ while indulging in a scrumptious dessert, now that’s something to ‘die’ for!

(This column first appeared in the 2nd September 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.pressreader.com/india/the-hindu/20180902/283429192442108)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Zen ‘Pebble’ Dessert

By Raul Dias

Picture this. You’ve just gobbled up the last savoury morsel that was part of a mammoth, multi-course Cantonese-Sichuan meal, which had the pastry chef constantly telling you to not eat so much and to save space for dessert. Albeit reluctant, you surrender your chopsticks and do just as she says. Minutes later, a server places onto your table a plate laden with what you believe to be a couple of smooth, fist-sized, grey pebbles—the kind that you’d find at the bottom of a Zen garden. And they are just that. Well, at least some of them are. The others? Edible doppelgangers of their plate-fellows that look and feel just like the real deal.
Yes, cottoning onto the latest food trend of ‘trompe-l’œil’ (French for “deceive the eye”) desserts, Zen is a dish like no other, where both real and faux pebbles are placed together, to playfully confuse the diner. It’s only when you run your knife through a fake pebble—that is, after making several failed attempts with a few real ones—do you see its creamy, non-petrified interior!
Conceived by dessert chef Solanki Roy and available at Mumbai’s Typhoon Shelter restaurant, this is one wacky creation. Inspired by her tenure at the über-experimental Gaggan Bangkok where she worked earlier, Chef Roy drew in traditional flavours and a contemporary approach, with a surprise twist to present this dessert.
So, here we find a creamy caramel-vanilla mousse that is coated in a melted white chocolate exterior, holding within its core a hazelnut crunch for that all-important contrasting texture. Much like one would do when making marble paper, the white chocolate-covered ‘pebble’ is then quickly dipped in a colour-swirled bath for that desired marbled effect to get imprinted onto it.

(This column first appeared in the 5th August 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/zen-pebble-dessert/article24590483.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Thai Yantra Tattoo

Yantra tattoo master Arjan Sompong working on a tattoo (coursesy Airbnb Experiences)

By Raul Dias

At first glance, there is nothing remotely ‘sacred’ about sleepy little Samnak, a small village about a 30 minutes-drive outside the city of Chiang Mai. Often regarded as Thailand’s cultural and spiritual bastion, this cool and easy-going city—nestled in the lush hills of Northern Thailand—is where travellers descend upon for a bit of respite after braving the urban chaos of Bangkok. But the last few years have seen tattoo enthusiasts flock to Samnak en masse to get inked with what is regarded as the most coveted tattoo one can get—a traditional Thai Yantra Tattoo.
Ever-curious and utterly fascinated by the world of tattoos, I signed up for an afternoon submerged in all things Yantra Tattoo on a recent trip to northern Thailand. Conducted by the recently launched Airbnb Experiences in Chiang Mai, that connects travellers like myself directly with artists and practitioners for immersive interactions, my host Nikom, a former monk led me into the ‘sanctum santorum’ of another monk-turned-tattoo master Arjan Sompong. Sitting like a resident deity himself on an altar-like stage, surrounded by idols and other religious ceremonial artifacts, the beatifically smiling master got down to explaining to me what exactly a Yantra Tattoo signifies.
While there are different types and patterns of traditional Thai Yantra Tattoos—with each one having a different meaning and purpose—they all feature ancient geometric symbols, animals or deity designs. These motifs are believed to offer protection to the wearer against bad luck and bestow upon them good fortune. But all this comes at a price. For the tattoo to truly work its magic, the recipient cannot drink alcohol on the day—both, before and after getting the tattoo. They are also expected to incorporate several lifestyle restrictions and changes post-tattooing for the rest of their life. Specifically, those pertaining to limiting alcohol consumption and calming down of the temperament.
And this is why it is only Sompong who decides which Yantra Tattoo suits you the most (from a narrowed down list, of course) according to your aura. All this, before he injects a mixture of indigenous Thai herbs and minerals along with commercial tattoo ink into the dermis with the help of a hand tapped foot-long steel tattoo needle. Yes, no commercial tattoo machines used here! And at the end of the session, the master recites a blessing mantra to seal in the tattoo’s efficacy.
A very important aspect that is to be stressed when speaking of a Yantra Tattoo, is the fact that it is as far removed for a decorative tattoo as possible. In fact, a certain type of Yantra Tattoo can only be done in its invisible form, where a mixture of black sesame seed oil and invisible tattoo ink is injected into the recipient’s dermis layer. The mantras imbued into the person are meant to protect them from all harm, without the tattoo being traceable at all.
Interestingly, as he was a monk in the past, Sompong still follows one of the most cardinal tenets of monkhood. And that is, no physical contact with the opposite sex. So, this means that according to his vows he cannot do a Yantra Tattoo for female guests.

(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 8th July 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/thai-yantra-tattoo/article24363222.ece?utm_source=tp-sundaymagazine&utm_medium=sticky_footer)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Chocolate Shooter

By Raul Dias

It’s a bone-numbingly chilly day in Antwerp, Belgium and there’s a palpable sense of nervousness and apprehension building up in the room. All this, as a bunch of us line up for our first…well, line! My feeble protests that it’s my very first time ‘shooting up’ fall on deaf ears. My initiator into the world of ‘nasal pleasure’ pays no attention to my agitated state of mind and thrusts the tiny plexiglass apparatus in front of my reluctant nose.
On his count of “three”, I hear the gentle vibrating sound of a released spring. “Sniff!” I’m told, and I do just that, albeit hesitatingly. The bitter-smelling powder travels up my nasal canal, invading secret olfactory places hitherto unconquered. Suddenly, my palate is exploding with the multitude of sensations and flavours dancing on it. I can taste cocoa, vanilla and ginger at the back of my throat. Separately at first, and then all at the same time. My initiation is complete…
Now, before you begin to get any ideas about my rather graphic debut experiment of ‘snorting up’ as it were, let me set the record straight. I was merely indulging in the coolest chocolate sensation to invade Belgium, the chocolate capital of the world—The Chocolate Shooter at the famous chocolate shop The Chocolate Line by master chocolatiere Dominique Persoone.
Apparently, this tiny spring-triggered contraption is what one uses to snort up powdered flavoured cocoa for the ultimate theobromine-induced high. All this, thanks to recent research that has shown us how important our nose is when tasting food. Hence, the guys at this Belgian chocolate institution came up with the idea of allowing it to enjoy a chocolate ‘tasting’ of its own. And according to them, sniffing cocoa with raspberry or ginger and mint will help enhance the pleasure of the chocolate experience.
And there couldn’t have been a more apt and opportune time to launch this bizarre, yet innovative contraption than a few years ago at the birthday celebrations of one of the most notorious rock bands—The Rolling Stones! At first, only available to try and buy at the store’s Antwerp and Bruges branches, The Chocolate Shooter can now be bought online as well.

(This column first appeared in the 10th June 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/chocolate-shooter/article24125692.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Nitro Dahi Bhalla

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/)

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A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: d’Arenberg Cube

By Raul Dias

The mid-1980s was perhaps the time when the popularity of the Rubik’s Cube had reached its zenith, when the 3-D combination puzzle—created by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik—was the hottest thing invented since sliced bread! But like all trends, this one too proved to be ephemeral and was soon forgotten. Well…almost.
Reflective of the cyclical nature of fads and trends, the past three to four years have seen a revival of the Rubik’s Cube in all its puzzling, colour-blocking glory! And one of the newest, most interesting renditions of the Rubik’s Cube has got to be the bizarre, yet beautiful d’Arenberg Cube.
Nestled among the verdant, vineyard-infested hills of McLaren Vale in South Australia, this startling structure is part of the d’Arenberg Wines estate that has been in the wine-making business since 1912. Inspired by the Rubik’s Cube and by the graceful folds of Japanese origami, the five-storied cubist, glass structure is a multi-purpose one. Inspired by the complexities and puzzles of winemaking, Chester Osborn, the fourth generation of the d’Arenberg family, imagined the idea of a cube-shaped building that came to fruition in December 2017.
Seeming as though they independently rotate on a single, common axis, each of the five levels have been carefully designed to entice and excite the senses. So, while the top level houses the d’Arenberg cellar door and private tasting areas, offering guests the opportunity to blend and bottle their own wine, the other levels offer varied treats. Level one houses an informative wine museum, along with a ‘wine fog room’ where alcoholic vapours flavoured with wine and other botanicals are released for an unusual ‘sniffing’ experience.
Offering perhaps the most sophisticated wine-paired lunch in all of South Australia, the restaurant on level four at The Cube is truly the piece de resistance. Conceptualised by husband and wife team—Brendan Wessels and Lindsay Durr who’ve worked in Michelin starred kitchens, The Sisypheanic Euphoria is a 3-hour, 10-course degustation meal. Here, guests are treated to a selection of some of the 60 wines produced by d’Arenberg Wines. These are each paired along with dishes like the coal-esque black pudding savoury doughnut and the namaleka dessert with a delicate hexagonal-patterned grille made from ‘printed’ sugar. The latter having been processed on Australia’s first fully functional 3-D food printer that’s housed in The Cube’s kitchen.

(This column first appeared in the 15th April 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/darenberg-cube/article23545639.ece?utm_source=tp-sundaymagazine&utm_medium=sticky_footer)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Prohibition Pop-up Cocktail

By Raul Dias

Lasting for more than a decade, from 1920 right up to 1933, prohibition in the United States was
an era that celebrated the word ‘clandestine’ like no other, thanks to a constitutional ban on the
production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Surreptitiously hidden
from the nosey authorities, speakeasy bars sprung up in people’s basements and garages across
the country, with alcohol often distilled in bathtubs and kitchen sinks!
These were places where copious amounts of alcohol mingled with the strains of a jazz band,
while flapper-styled girls danced the Charleston till the wee hours of the morn. One often
required a password to enter and was told to keep conversation light and easy, so as to avoid any
unnecessary and attention-drawing flare ups. Hence the term ‘speakeasy’.
Interestingly, even the cocktails that were concocted during this period were often designed to
hoodwink the authorities. In order to mask the strong smell and taste of home distillations such
as hooch and moonshine, several stronger tinctures and tonics like the orange-y Angostura bitters
and grenadine were blended into the cocktails.
Very much on trend today, the prohibition era-style cocktail has spurred on several interesting
iterations the world over. One that I recently came across is particularly interesting. Served at the
new Pra Pra Prank brasserie in Gurugram and simply called ‘Prohibition Pop Up’, this bourbon-
based cocktail is as much a visual delight, as it is deceptively potent.
Inspired by the time people used to have their drinks hidden within the fold of a newspaper, the
cocktail is the sum of its coffee, popcorn-infused bourbon and ginger syrup parts. Topped off
with a dash of spicy bitters and a generous pour of stout at the end, it comes to the table
overflowing with a candied popcorn garnish, all wrapped in a sheet of faux newsprint paper.

(This column first appeared in the 18th March 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/prohibition-pop-up/article23283133.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: 40-Layered Matcha Cake

By Raul Dias

Given my tripartite obsession with French, Japanese and Goan food—and to their patisserie components in particular—the novelty of this dessert struck me as brilliant as it was placed on my table after a particularly indulgent Japanese meal. Combining the highly skilled layer upon layer construction of a French mille-crepe cake meets Goan bebinca, interspersed with clouds of flavoured whipped cream and lending to it a sense of Japanese delicacy thanks to the sake that’s mixed into its batter, as well as the liberal use of green tea, is the 40-Layered Matcha Cake.
For the Japanese, tea—and especially green tea of the matcha variety—is something that is exalted to high gastronomic heaven. From the strict protocol-laden, tea ceremony where matcha takes the lead role, to the ubiquitous green tea-flavoured glutenous rice cake called mochi, you’re ne’er too far away from a close encounter of the delicious kind with the highly perfumed, yet subtly flavoured tea.
And taking the Japanese cuisine’s obsession with the matcha powder a step ahead, this far eastern rendition of the mille-crepe cake by Chef Ting Yen of Yuuka at The St. Regis Mumbai heroes the bitter-sweet green tea powder in two ways. First, each of the 40 layers are separated from each other with an unctuous whipped cream frosting to which a generous amount of matcha is added, while the final top layer is liberally dusted with the almost neon green coloured tea powder.
Cleverly offsetting the richness of this dessert are its other accoutrements that take the form of a a sticky rum-n-raisin sauce drizzle, a couple of tart raspberries and a refreshing sprig of mint. All this is finished off with shiny, tempered chocolate quills and shards, because what’s a dessert without a bit of chocolate indulgence?

(This column first appeared in the 4th February 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/40-layered-matcha-cake/article22648332.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: The Levitating Dacquoise

By Raul Dias

As a high school student, studying physics—and all its associated principles, laws and theories—was one my least favourite things to do. With cookery and food tech being the exact opposite! Who would have guessed that one day, I’d be sitting down for the final course of a meal, seeing the two ‘consciously couple’ so very effectively? And while we’re all too familiar with the results of the collision of the world of food and chemistry aka. molecular gastronomy, a touch of physics has eluded us thus far.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to me at Izaya, the new Robata Thai restaurant at Mumbai’s NCPA. Grabbing every single eyeball in the room and making its presence felt rather spectacularly, The Levitating Dasquoise—sitting pretty in a glass bowl—literally glides across to my table, hovering precariously above a black plastic base, all thanks to the quantum mechanical effect called diamagnetism. To get all geeky on you, an applied magnetic field, both, at the base of the specially made glass bowl, and atop the black base stand, creates an induced magnetic field in the opposite direction, causing a repulsive force which makes the bowl levitate in thin air.  
In total sync with the levitating concept, the dacquoise itself is a super light confection that is made up of 54% Belgian Callebaut chocolate, Normandy Chantilly cream and tart, Mahabaleshwar strawberries. Tiny meringue kisses made with almond powder and soy lecithin are strewn about and the dessert is garnished with edible nasturtium flowers, micro greens and gold leaf.    

(This column first appeared in the 14th January 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/the-levitating-dacquoise/article22439867.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Surströmming

By Raul Dias

The much-bandied around phrase “appearances can be deceptive” was probably coined for and by the Swedes. For one, the restrained, almost icy veneer that they are infamous for is demolished within minutes, when a group of Swedes come together for a traditional summer feast like a surströmming party, for instance. Hesitant smiles morph into full-throated laughs as toasts are raised and a can of surströmming cracked opened.
Now, this seemingly innocuous-looking, slightly puffed up can of fish holds within it a rather curious little secret that’s not for the faint-hearted! A super stinky preparation, surströmming or fermented Baltic herring has been a staple in traditional northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century, originating in the Höga Kusten region of Sweden. There’s even a museum called the Fiskevistet Surströmmingsmuseet located in the small fishing village of Skeppsmaln along Sweden’s High Coast, that’s dedicated to this delicacy.
Just enough salt is used to prevent the raw herring from rotting and a fermentation process of at least six months gives the lightly-salted fish its characteristic strong smell and somewhat acidic taste. A challenge for the olfactory senses if there ever was one, when opened, the contents of a can of surströmming release a strong, overwhelming odour. In fact, according to a Japanese study, a newly opened can of surströmming has one of the most putrid food smells in the world, rivalling even that of other notorious fermented fish dishes such as the Korean hongeohoe and the Japanese kusaya.
Always eaten outdoors for obvious reasons, the ceremony behind opening and serving a can of surströmming has its own set of protocol. Understandably, the direction of the wind is most important, as no one wants a blast of the pungent fish odour fogging them up. It is also never served up on its own, as the taste—however milder than its smell—still needs a few ‘back-up acts’. These take the form of the typically Swedish circular hard bread called tunnbröd, atop which a little bit of the herring and the sour cream-like gräddfil spread is placed, along with a garnish of dill, Spanish red onion rings and slices of boiled potato. And as a chaser, a shot of aquavit an alcohol made from potatoes takes the edge off things!

(This column first appeared in the 26th November 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/surstrmming/article20942770.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: The Norwegian Getaway

By Raul Dias

If you’re the kind of person for whom numbers matter, then prepared to be seriously impressed by this behemoth of a ship—the Norwegian Getaway. 1068.3ft is its overall length, with its hull bearing a colourful mermaid mural by the famous Cuban-American artist David LeBatard. 18 is the number of its decks. 3,963 is the number of guests it can accommodate. And no, that’s not accounting for the 1,646 crew members who keep this luxury cruise ship in... well, ship shape!
Sailing the Baltic Sea for a good part of the year, this ship by the Norwegian Cruise Line company makes ports of call at places like Helsinki, Tallinn and St. Petersburg among others, on an eight-day itinerary beginning and ending in Copenhagen. And when winter casts its freezing spell over the Baltic Sea, the ship makes its way to the warmer climes of the Bahamas for a series of different Caribbean Sea itineraries.
Besides the usual cruise tropes of Las Vegas style entertainment with a casino, illusionists and musicals like Million Dollar Quartet on offer daily, the Getaway has the unique Rope’s Course on its topmost 18^th deck. This Pirates of the Carribbean-esque obstacle course is where you can also ‘walk the plank’ on the wooden ledge that precariously teeters along the edge of the ship, dangling over the water.
Boasting of a spa and 28 restaurants and bars, including an all-day buffet, the ship pays obeisance to two of the biggest parts of the cruising experience—food and drink, the craving for which somehow always seems to be intensified when sailing! The Getaway is even home to Svedka, the world’s first floating ice bar where drinks are served out of tumblers made from clear, crystal ice.
However, the highlight of this vessel, that really sets it apart from the rest, is the ultra-exclusive and posh The Haven. This members-only zone housed on the top of the ship has its own luxurious accommodations including suites, private lounges and dining options, along with a personal concierge and 24-hour butler service. Kind of like having your own ship within a ship. Decadent, much?

(This column first appeared in the 29th October 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/society/the-norwegian-getaway/article19932523.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Khao Phad Samunprai (Butterfly Pea Flower Rice)

By Raul Dias

There's just something about the twinning of the words 'flowers' and 'Thailand' that seems so very natural and organic. While the South East Asian nation's national flower--the orchid is flown into India by the plane-load almost every day straight from the Pak Khlong Talat wholesale flower market in Bangkok, decorating many a wedding mandap, it's edible counterparts are na'er too far away!
And while we've seen the 'blooming' of chrysanthemum flowers and syrups in several cocktail
preparations across India, it is another flower that's been recently painting the Mumbai dining scene a vivid shade of blue. Enter the butterfly pea flower.
Now, this flower of the clitoria ternatea plant when steeped in water has been a perennial rite herbal tea in Thailand for centuries where it is known as nam dok anchan. It’s also renowned for its healt benefits taking care of everything from conjunctivitis to enhancing memory and brain power.
Distilling all this into one bizarre looking, but super flavourful rice preparation is Mumbai's newest Thai restaurant Nara Thai. Khao Phad Samunprai or Butterfly Pea Flower Rice may be a tongue-twister of a name, but this novel rice preparation is a delicious blend of pre-cooked short grain rice, sliced lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves that are wok-tossed with young peppercorns, deep fried red chilli and splashed with the unusual white soy sauce and a decoction of dried butterfly pea flowers steeped in warm water.
At first luridly blue, this rice takes on a shocking purple hue when one squeezes a bit of lime juice over it, with the acidity of the lime juice reacting enough with the butterfly pea flower to change colours.
How's that for a touch of psychedelia on your plate!

(This column first appeared in the 22nd October 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/butterfly-pea-flower-rice/article19895112.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Traditional Bahraini Breakfast

By Raul Dias

I’m greeted with an emphatic “namaste!” at the first place I stop at, while “kaise ho?” is what I’m asked at the second. It’s a mere three hours into my first visit to the 33-island archipelago in the Persian Gulf known as Bahrain and I can see India referenced almost everywhere I go. But then the Manama Souq—which is where I am—is no stranger to Indian culture and in this case, food.
Fronted by the impressive Bab Al Bahrain or ‘Gateway to Bahrain’, this heaving marketplace is the
nation’s capital Manama’s nerve center; as it has been for years. It is also where centuries of trade ties
with India—mainly involving pearls and spices—have been fostered and nurtured. It’s early in the
morning and a traditional Bahraini breakfast is what I’m craving for after hearing about it from my friend and de facto Bahrain guide Zahra.
Settling down at a local coffee house with our tall, frosted mugs of saffron sherbet in front of us, I wait in anticipation for the promised breakfast bonanza to unfold. And what a feast it turns out to be! We begin with the breads, where an unusually fishy taste in one of them intrigues my palate. It turns out to be the mihyawa which is a roomali roti-like folded bread that’s sprinkled with fish sauce. Next, I tear into the khubooz which is a Persian bread that is very popular in Bahrain. I use this to scoop up the spicy, tangy bayd—a dead ringer for the Parsi scrambled eggs dish we know as akuri.
With the unusual twinning of salty cheese and apricot jam at its core, the triangular shaped, donut-like stuffed zinjubari maintains a fine balance between its sweet and savoury components. It’s the perfect foil to the two kinds of luba I try next. Essentially a tangy beans’ stew, the first iteration is made with broad beans and cheese, while the other with red beans and tomato sauce was not at all dissimilar to a spice-bereft rajma back home.
Simly called aloo, the cumin redolent sautéed potato dish, I am told, is an out and out knock-off of India’s ubiquitous zeera aloo. Another one of the breads intrigues me and it’s the pau. A fusion of a classic Bambaiyya vada pav and a Kutchi dabeli, this mashed potato-stuffed sandwich is even anointed with a garnish of crunchy sev noodles and pomegranate seeds!
Speaking of noodles, the last dish in my Bahraini breakfast procession is balaleet which is another sweet-savoury aberration. This one sees saffron-saturated vermicelli noodles cooked in ghee and sugar, crowned with a fluffy, savoury egg omelette that adds not just a contrasting texture, but an unusually yummy flavour when mixed with the sweet noodles.
From sweet with savoury and Bahraini with Indian, fusion was never this fabulous. Trust me!

(This column first appeared in the 17th September 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/the-bahraini-breakfast/article19697500.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Bal Mithai Gateau

By Raul Dias

Blame it on the food purist in me, but the word ‘fusion’ has always been a big, bad word in my culinary lexicon. I’ve never seen merit in “consciously coupling” two (or more!) cuisines or cooking styles and coming up with a third, highly ersatz reflection of its progenitors.
But all that changed one chilly Uttarakhand evening as I sat down for a Euro-Garhwali fusion dinner on the lawns of the JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa. While the elaborate meal was a procession of dishes—like a patty made from stinging nettle, locally known as bicchu ghas—that well-referenced this unusual cuisines’ partnership, it was the dessert served at the very end that made me a convert. The Bal Mithai Gateau.
For the uninitiated like myself, bal mithai is a terrific and calorific favourite post-prandial indulgence among the Garhwalis. The brown chocolate-like fudge is the laborious result of cooking khoya (evaporated milk cream) with cane sugar, until it takes on a dark brown caramel-esque hue. When still warm, the gooey mass is rolled in small white sugar balls, not dissimilar to the homeopathic medicine ones.
In his rendition of the dessert, Chef Sidharth Bhardwaj the resort’s executive chef sends out his iteration of the bal mithai as a gateau. Here, bal mithai is combined with a vanilla sponge cake, lemon zest, meringue and whipped cream and then set in a mould. Once chilled, it is then drizzled with rose syrup and served on a plate that’s smeared with berry compote for a tart contrast.
Once ready to serve, it is covered with a pink, freshly spun cotton candy dome and flambéed table-side, aided by a splash of brandy. The melting cotton candy bonnet reveals the creamy bal mithai gateau at its core. And as the saying goes, the rest is (edible) history!

(This column first appeared in the 27th August 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/bal-mithai-gateau/article19554198.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Black Summer Truffles

By Raul Dias

The enchanted realm that the elusive and expensive black summer truffle inhabits is one that is filled with all the things I am obsessed with. Gamboling through the woods on a nippy morning. Canine company. And that unmatched feeling of serendipity deliciously lurking somewhere near…
So, spurred on by the Scandinavia-driven foraging craze that has ensnared the culinary world, on my recent summer holiday to Italy I donned my hiking boots and set off on a black summer truffle hunt in the fog-saturated hills of Bagno a Ripoli, a little south of Florence. I had signed up for an Airbnb Trips’ immersive truffle hunting experience, guided by one of Italy’s best truffle hunters Giulio Benuzzi and his six-year-old Lagotto Romagnolo breed of truffle sniffing dog called Eda.
Over the course of the next three hours as Eda sniffed, scratched and dug her way through an impressive find of five knobbly black truffles that morning, I got a crash course in all things deliciously truffle or tartufi as they are called in Italian. Being the start of summer truffle hunting season in Italy, May sees the foraging for the Scorzone variety of the black truffle. The dormant spores of which prefer to anchor themselves in limestone-rich soil that this region of Italy is blessed with.
Lesson number one: dogs are the best truffle hunters and this is due to their strong olfactory senses to sniff out the buried truffle. And more so the Lagotto Romagnolo breed who are retrievers by nature. Right up to 1970, sows were used to hunt truffles because truffles apparently, when ripe, produce a chemical almost identical to a type of pheromone found in a male pig’s saliva! But as pigs love to eat truffles, and dogs not so much, the latter’s skills have come to the fore now.
The topography too is very important, as the Scorzone truffle will most often than not be found in the shade of hazelnut, chestnut, elm and poplar trees. But in this case, it was an oak tree beneath which our bounty lay. Interestingly, I also learnt that truffles can’t be farmed or cultivated in any way or form. Newly grown truffles are often found in spots where one last foraged from. This is because the new truffle spores from the previous ones.
No wonder then that a kilogram of black truffles sells for as much as Rs 573,000 at gourmet stores the world over. Thus, making the Scorzone truffle second only to the French Périgord truffle—the world’s most expensive truffle variety along with the Italian white called the Piedmont or Alba truffle. How’s that for extravagant tastes?


(This column first appeared in the 23rd July 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/black-summer-truffles/article19325638.ece)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Messob Platter

By Raul Dias

I’ve always believed that Chennai is a great food city for the experimental diner and this fact has been proven to me time and again. And that super muggy April afternoon was no different, as I sat down to a traditional Ethiopian meal at Abyssinian, the eight-month old Ethiopian cuisine restaurant in Alwarpet.
Having eaten Ethiopian food—in Liverpool, UK of all places during my student days there—I had a fair understanding of what was in store for me and my rather clueless friends. Called a messob platter, the main meal is meant for four people. And this is had sitting down at a traditional low table and stool set, with all eating from the same large steel platter.
Onto this, a soft, spongy neer dosa meets appam-like bread called injera (which can be made from an indigenous Ethiopian grass called teff, rice and in our case ragi or finger millet) is first placed as a lining (and more rolls on the side) onto which each diner gets their own daub of yummy dishes.
And thus began a procession of delectable offerings like yebeg bozena shiro, a delicious mutton and chickpea powder-based dish, slow-cooked with Ethiopia’s popular — and spicy — red berbere sauce. Mesir wot, a divine (and beautifully coloured) combination of split red lentils simmered in spicy berbere sauce was next. The simple, yet flavourful fasolia followed, which is dish of string beans, sautéed with carrots and caramelised onions.
The main ‘star’ of course, was Ethiopia’s national dish, doro wat—a thick chicken stew with boiled eggs, a sweet onion base and loads of berbere. Not to be left behind was the doro tibs a very light, fragrant chicken preparation seasoned with rosemary. Balancing all the meat-y excesses was shiro (chickpea stew), dinich wot (curried potatoes) and finally yatakilt wot made up of curried vegetables.
We ended this almost-three-hours-long meal with a splash of traditional, strong Ethiopian coffee into which one can add sugar or salt and Ethiopia’s version of ghee called niter. Accompanying this was the de rigueur bowl of popcorn that no post-prandial coffee drinking session in Ethiopia can ever be complete without!

(This column first appeared in the 25th June 2017 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/messob-platter/article19132504.ece)