FOODIE SPECIAL .................An altogether tasty deception   From vada pav mousse to jalebi caviar,

An altogether tasty deception   From vada pav mousse to jalebi caviar, molecular gastronomy gives familiar Indian  eats a new form Imagine a world where fantasy is the stuff that makes  reality, where all that is known becomes a bit more unpredictable, and where you need to tear open a pav to `pour' the vada into it.Just to top off that experience, you'd need to bite into an edible triangular sachet (made  with potato starch) of garlic chutney. Welcome, then, to  the world of molecular gastronomy.Commonly cited by the likes of British chef Heston Blumenthal, the term refers  to the style of cooking which forces enthusiastic cooks to  hone their creativity, to use science and then alter the shape and presentation of their dishes. Their purpose is novelistic -to be able to offer familiar food in an avatar no diner has ever imagined before. Lately, molecular gastronomy is increasingly being adopted  to transform Indian favourites. Think pav bhaji fondue, papri chaat yoghurt spheres with coriander foam, paanflavoured candyfloss, mishti doi lollipops and jalebi caviar. While the idea is quite obviously to amaze,  the extension of a new molecular constitution to an identifiable dish does come with a disclaimer or two. “While they add an element of surprise, helping start off many dinner table conversations, they only work if the  elements add value to the dish without taking away from its flavour profile. It can't be used merely for the sake of theatrics,“ warns Zorawar Kalra, Founder and Managing Director, Massive Restaurants. Kalra's Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra is recommended frequently for its star attraction: a mushroom chai, which is,  in essence, a mushroom soup, served like tea from a teapot along with dehydrated mushrooms, mushroom consommé and truffle oil crumbs that `represent' sugar. “India is largely a tea drinking country. The idea behind the wild mushroom chai was to offer a unique soup, but in an English tea service style. The way the soup is served makes for an unusual epicurean experience,“ he explains. Another beverage that has found an interesting form and offering at Kalra's restaurant is the thandai. The thandai here  has been trapped into a bubble, and is then served on a spoon so that one can consume it all in a single gulp. The stated purpose here is the amusement of the palate and the senses. “The thandai is a truly Indian beverage synonymous with Holi. So we thought of using an element of molecular gastronomy called reverse spherification to convert it into an amuse bouche, which is used to amuse a diner's palate and to also showcase the culinary experience to follow,“ Kalra adds. Seemingly over-the-top, these kitchen experiments are warranted, claims Kalra. He admits that Indian food has over time become mundane and that it has not seen any innovation in decades. “Indian cuisine has been present across the world for years, but it offers nothing new to diners. But with the world coming closer through technology  and ease of travel, there is a shift in the demand of diners. They want to experience something new, something different. Whether it is in the method of preparation, use of international  ingredients, modern presentations or by using molecular  gastronomy, Indian food has started witnessing a shift in  sensibilities,“ says Masala Library's founder. This revolution  of altering the anatomy of food has also taken over our  favourite street eats. SpiceKlub, famed for creating the liquid vada that diners can dunk their pavs in, is a pioneer of sorts. The restaurant's chef Aditya Gupta spent months in  culinary experiments when tasked with the job of  refashioning the Mumbai staple. “We changed a few molecules of the vada and gave it the consistency of a mousse. Then we created sheets from potato starch to  carry the garlic chutney as a suitable accompaniment,“ explains Gupta. Not every street eat, however, has made as easy and successful a transition. In fact, the origi nal concept for Spice Klub's chana chaat didn't live up to the expected  flavour initially.“Eventually, we modified it into a sphere-shaped dish which bursts with flavour when one bites into it.“ Coming up with a dish requires major brainstorms, we are told. The standard principle Gupta follows, is to first get the process right and then break that very process down to achieve the desired form,  while retaining the flavour. Another favourite at Spice Klub that impresses diners is their Pav Bhaji fondue, a preparation where the bhaji is aerated to a fluffy consistency so that its physical  appearance is more like a fondue, while the taste is  precisely like that of a cheese pav bhaji. While it is comparatively easy to reinvent western dishes, revamping  Indian staples can be a bit more challenging, feels Gupta.  “We Indians can't do with bland dishes and love masaledar  and chatpata food. This can be a bit constricting when it comes to employing molecular gastronomy as we have to manage the flavours more distinctly,“ he explains. One would imagine that tweaking the shape of dishes would  be an elaborate and time-consuming affair. But Kalra feels that it can be managed with the swift pace in which fine dining eateries operate. “You can transform almost all dishes to look different. However, whether they work for you, and your audience, is something you can only tell after extensive research, trials and tasting sessions.Once you have an idea of what you intend to offer and have finalised the recipe and  process for a dish, it doesn't take much time to prepare it.“ With the exciting possibilities this shape-shifting technolo gy  offers, one can imagine a future of food where a burger can be slurped and a shake be available in sliced portions. But Kalra believes that this revolution will only be fancied by a few in the future. “We aren't very open to the idea of seeing our food change too much. We still like it in its traditional element, with some aspects of modernity, the use of bold flavours and innovative cooking and plating. Having said that,  concepts that seamlessly amalgamate traditional food with the modern, will be extremely successful and much in demand.  A pure molecular concept in India may only work for a few, a limited and niche audience,“ he warns.

Kunal Guha

MM6Dec15