1. PLUS
ON SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER20,2015
UP CLOSE WITH NATURE!
The Tioman Island in Malaysia has many attractions —
underwater life, sun-soaked beaches and a sea turtle sancturary
‘I WRITE BIRTHDAY WISHES FOR MY GIRLS’
Lila Poonawalla on how she spends her
Sundays working from home
W
hat happened when humans mastered
the art of cooking food? They decid-
ed to master the art of presenting it.
Food, which used to attract one’s sense
of taste and smell, has evolved over the
years to entice the eyes as well. Gourmets have
found their canvas and how!
AWORLDOFDIGITAL
REFERENCE
Art emerges from inspiration, reference and
a healthy exchange of ideas. With the worldwide
web at their fingertips, chefs are researching and
coming up with new ways to present their prepa-
rations.
“Students from Hotel Management Institutes
now have YouTube at their disposal. Their creativ-
ity is excellent. Back in our time, we had to travel
to understand how different cuisines are present-
ed,” says Regional Executive Chef of The Pride
Hotel, Aman Tandon.
Pradipt Sinha, Executive Chef, Courtyard by
Marriott, Pune City Centre cannot agree more.
“To maintain the competition, chefs had to reg-
ularly come up with something unique and cre-
ative. It’s challenging but exciting as well,” he
says.
DOLLOPSOFDELICIOUSNESS
We must thank the French for introducing
amuse-bouche, a sub-cuisine that consists of bite-
sized pieces of appetisers.
Chef Pradipt Sinha says, “Food is a trendy af-
fair and you have to keep up with this changing
affair. Amuse-bouche, which emerged during the
Nouvelle Cuisine Movement, is served along with
wine to determine the presentation skill of a chef.
It also gears you up for your meal.”
Amogh Bedekar, Final Year, BSc Hospitality
Services, AISSMS College of Hotel Management
and Catering Technology, believes that the chang-
ing food habits of people encourage chefs to ex-
periment with this concept. “People have become
very health conscious. They want to see smaller
portions on their plate, but more presentable ones.
They want all the right ingredients, in particular
amounts, but they want it fancy.”
IF IT’S GANESH FESTIVAL,
IT HAS TO BE PUNE!
The mood on the first day of the fest in pictures!
"ON THE
MOVE PAGE 2
"MY CITY MY
PUNE PAGE 4-5
"SHUTTER
SPEED PAGE 8
SEDUCTIVE
SERVE
With the worldwide web at their
fingertips, chefs are researching
and coming up with delectable
food craft.
Hussaina Wardhawala traces the
trend and chats up a few
culinary experts
www.sakaaltimes.com
Baahubali
Chocolate
art by Chef
Samim,
Double Tree
by Hilton
MULTIPURPOSECONVENIENCE
When Chef Sagar Joshi from Olive Bistro pre-
pared Chicken Espetada for their Greek Festival last
year, he wanted to serve the authentic dish in an un-
conventional way. Hence, after some brainstorming,
Joshi came up with an interesting idea. The skewer,
which held the chicken pieces together, was hung ver-
tically from a stand. This offered the guests an option
to either pull out the chicken pieces and eat them like
regular kebabs or to slice off the meat and eat it like a
Shawarma. “It is a Portuguese way of presenting the
food,” he revealed his inspiration.
Chicken
Espetada
SKILLFULSCULPTING
Talking of latest trends, Tandon says that cu-
linary experts are playing with the vertical di-
mensions of the food. “Instead of serving food
on a platter, they serve it as mounds or cubical
portions. This can easily be done with rice or
lasagna. Plating the food in an interesting way
makes the diner feel special,” he says.
He specially mentions his cute and crunchy
Caribbean Cuckoos in the Cajun Baskets. Vege-
table crudites with mashed potatoes are sculpt-
ed into cuckoos and placed in baskets made of
crispy noodles. “We make sure that the plating
is done carefully to prevent the dish from fall-
ing apart. We fill the plate with mango puree and
then set the birds in search for their vegetable
nest,” describes Tandon.
“The birds are baked at 240 degree
Fahrenheit, till they turn golden. Two
cloves are studded to make the eyes
and toothpicks pierced to hold the
necks and heads of the birds
upright. The wings are carved
from firm yet ripe toma-
toes,” informs Tandon.
ds are baked at 240 degree
till they turn golden. Two
tudded to make the eyes
ks pierced to hold the
ads of the birds
wings are carved
t ripe toma-
ms Tandon.
Couscous
Salad Cake
Grilled Sirloin
Steak Stickman
Bacon wrapped egg
croquettes
Chef Aman Tandon
Pride Hotels
Chef Bhushan Ganorkar
Courtyard by Marriott,
Pune Hinjewadi
Chef Sagar Joshi
Olive Bistro
Virgin Ecstasy
Inferno
Chef Pradipt Sinha
Courtyard by Marriott, City Center
DELICATEDESSERTS
With desserts, chefs can explore their creativity to
the fullest. Swapnil Kakde, Third Year, BHMCT, Bhara-
ti Vidyapeeth, talks about Mango Bavarois, a prepara-
tion which is eyecatching but extremely tough to prepare.
The students from Bakery department make the Genoise
Sponge, which requires one to assemble the bavarois by
using metal rings to cut out circles of the Genoise Sponge.
The Bavarois is arranged carefully with a sponge disc at
the base of each ring. “With a palette knife, we have to lift
the bavarois in the ring onto each plate, then run the knife
around the edge to remove the ring. If we go wrong here,
the dish falls apart,” Kakde describes.
Molecular Gastronomy, which investigates the physical
and chemical transformations of ingredients is increas-
ingly becoming a part of the food industry. Tandon talks
about his creation titled The Astral Odyssey, which is in-
spired by the new food technology. “I transform the popu-
lar Gujarati dessert, Kesar Basundi into a creamy, feather
like foam. A Nitrous-charged cream siphon is used to make
the Basundi into a espuma (foam shot) served in delicate
chequered cups made of Belgian Chocolate,” says he.
Mango Bavarois
in Mango Puree
Astral Odyssey
Chef Bhushan Ganorkar at Courtyard by
Marriott Pune Hinjewadi, turns into a styl-
ist to deck up a couscous salad into a glamor-
ous wedding cake. “A different sized mould
is used to make each layer of the cake,” says
Ganorkar, adding that timing is of utmost
importance while sculpting foods. “The cous-
cous should be soaked in warm water for 10-
15 mins and not more, otherwise it starts to
fall apart,” he explains.
The preparation is a hit at Sunday
brunches organised by the chef. “When
guests glance at the dish from top during
buffets, they appreciate its beauty. The
couscous is soaked in saffron water to
give it the colour and taste, and mixed
with mint and dry fruits like apricots
and prunes which add visual contrast
and make the salad more nutritious,”
Ganorkar says.
Another one of his creations,
the Grilled Sirloin Steak Stick-
man is a favourite with his
guests. Resembling a human
form, the steak has fried on-
ion rings as head and baby
carrots, onions and mush-
rooms as limbs.
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Chef Aman Tandon
Pride Hotels
Chef Sagar Joshi
Olive Bistro
Chef Pradipt Sinha
Courtyard by Marriott, City Center
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‘I WRITE BIRTHDAY WISHES FOR MY GIRLS’
LiLilala PPoooonanawawallllaa onon hhowow sshehe sspependndss heherr
SuSundndayayss woworkrkiningg frfromom hhomomee
ITY MY
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PLUS
ON SUNDAY