ik Roy
Jose Pullopilly
As with many dining trends, and due to a relatively large group of Indian restaurateurs spearheaded by Prasad, this vibrant and flavorful cuisine began its ascension into our mainstream food culture
straddle the line between traditional and more contemporary interpretations of this multi-cultural cuisine. “Regional preparations are greatly influenced by history, “explains Jose, “Throughout history India has been invaded and occupied by other cultures and each has left its own mark on Indian cuisine.” Looking back, it was the Indian and Chinese merchants who traded their skills with the Malaysians for their spices. And, it was the Thai tribes who separated themselves from South China in the 13th century yet continued to trade supplies and act as a liaison between China, India, and Vietnam. Region and religion played a major role in India’s food cul-
ture. Hindu vegetarian culture is still widely practiced. Adversely, Muslim tradition is the most dominate in the cooking of meats and its use of clay pots and the tandoor oven. In South India, coconut is an important ingredient. The Portuguese, Persians, and British made significant contributions to the Indian culinary scene as well. The British introduced tea and chai blends to India and is a favorite drink among Indians today. All of these influences shaped the various cuisines, with the concept of balancing five types of flavor – bitter, salt, sour, hot, and sweet. Let’s take curry for example. Contrary to popular belief, curry is not a spice on its own, but rather a blend of spices. Commercial sweet yellow curry powder is a generic blend of spices that just happen to take off in the retail markets of America. However, authentic curry blends include pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, ginger, mace, turmeric, cardamom, tamarind, fennel, chilies, and many other aromatic herbs and spices, which, depending on the blend can take on numerous flavors. Think of these spices as a color palette, and mixing these colors in various proportions and combinations then create numerous other colors. A true master of the art of creating “curry” dishes is Chef Kausik Roy. Kausik, who now operates Tawa Indian Cuisine in Stamford and Aladin Indian Bistro in Norwalk, came to the states in 1996 after a stint at Mumbai’s prestigious Taj Hotel Group. Kausik was
the opening chef for Coromandel and was instrumental in creating the menus for their first three locations; Darien, New Rochelle and Stamford. In 2003 Kausik opened Brick Lane Curry House on New York’s 6th Street in the East Village, a wildly successful restaurant on the city’s famous Indian restaurantrow. Inspired by a hole in the wall curry house he stumbled upon in London, Brick Lane was a recreation of that bare bones eatery. “It was all of 700 square feet. It had a modest kitchen and no room for an industrial size fridge or freezer.” Kausik says he flew by the seat of his pants, “We offered several curries and not-so-cold beer and house wine. That was it!” Due to the lack of refrigerator space he would shop at the local farmers’ market every day and only buy what he hoped would get him through the night. Kausik’s unconventional approach and cheap eats, teamed with his obvious culinary prowess, quickly got him noticed by local hipsters, which in turn leaked out to the media. Kausik enjoyed his time in the city, catering to a more diverse and progressive group of diners. Connecticut had just begun to come around to Indian cuisine, so when the opportunity to open Tawa was presented, Kausik went for it. “There’s still a bit of learning curve, “says Jose, “We all try to stay true to our concept but Indian food can be complex for many people. Some of the most popular dishes in the states are not dishes that we prepare in India.” Jose explains how the popular chicken tikka masala was created by the British. Cream was added to mellow out the curry and moisten the chicken. It’s an extremely popular dish now and has been adopted by Indian chefs across the globe – except in India. Prasad, Jose and Kausik take great pride in their own, as well as one other’s restaurants, all of which practice traditional cooking techniques. Spices are still roasted and ground with a mortar and pestle to bring out the most flavor and essential oils. Flour is of the stone ground variety versus processed and refined wheat. And vegetables and herbs are still hand cut. “I bought the kitchen staff a state of the art food processor and they still cut everything by hand, “laughed Prasad over his expensive piece of equipment which is now a counter ornament. Coromandel continues to offer their awardwinning brunch buffet, a hearty and fresh assortment of everyone’s favorite dishes. Jose stays on top of the most popular ingredients being used today and tries to incorporate those into his dishes such as kale and chard. His restaurants even offer beef dishes which are not found on traditional Indian tables. Kausik’s newest restaurant, Aladin, highlights India’s more healthful and vegetarian components in addition to his signature home-cooked approach to the old-style Indian dishes he grew up with. This is a chef who can make okra (karari bhindi) taste amazing, a dish from his childhood that continues to get attention to this day. Thali remains ahead of its time, creating unique dining experiences for enthusiastic guests. Prasad’s passion for his homeland, its history and its food culture is illustrated by his actions, organizing trips to India for adventurous travelers and conducting cooking classes for avid food crusaders. All in all, Prasad, Jose and Kausik are putting Indian cuisine on the map.
CONTEMPORARY CULTURE//MAGAZINE
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