Any chef worth his salt would be able to advise you on how the seasonality of the ingredients is important for a meal or for a restaurant per se.
Similarly , any home cook or simply a caring mother will be able to tell you the secrets behind the wonderful seasonal produce and how they benefit the health as well as the taste of any dish.
Talk to an Indian cuisine chef, or an oriental, a continental chef or the most famous or those just starting their trade, each will know the importance of using fresh and seasonal produce. It shouldn’t take much convincing to let you know that seasonality of the ingredients is important, and there are various reasons why the chef’s prowess in the kitchen is not just restricted to how he plates the food, or how it tastes on the palate, chef’s job is much deeper and takes the whole heart & soul to produce a meal which is beneficial to the guests eating, the restaurant owner, the farmers, the commis, the servers and almost everyone involved in the process.
Summer is the hottest season of the year and it takes a lot to fight the summers. Fresh & Healthy food is more than just a good start.
Before we start with our analysis let me give you a glimpse of what lies ahead.
To begin with, there are few important points/ questions to understand and we will focus on them in this analysis:
1. The Reasons and thoughts behind seasonal menus
2. How seasonality of ingredients affect different cuisines
3. What are different ways hotels and restaurants are preparing their summer seasonal menus?
4. To Understand the culinary visions and ideologies of Iconic Chefs and their successful restaurants
5. Some Interesting recipes for Our readers and some magic tips on healthy eating
Our Analysis
We met a lot of chefs and management of hotels/restaurants and various important people who gave us lots of meaningful insights on seasonal menus, ingredients, ideologies, experiences and summer recipes.
While there were, off course, some similar views and common practices followed by each one of them, we did find ways unique to them and certain practices and vision which are inspiring and enriching. Thus, to all our readers in all the states and countries, “there is something here for everyone”.
This Broadly Showcases the results analysing the following 5 aspects/trends to understand the effect of seasonal produce and their application in different cuisines.
1. Mangoes and its role
2. Japanese Cuisine and its healthy practices
3. Innovations and freshness of Western Cuisines
4. Indigenous Indian Cuisine, its Regionality and Seasonality
5. Last but not the least some wonderful summer special recipes of our iconic chefs prepared with fresh, healthy and flavourful ingredients
1. Mangoes: The saviour of summers
In India, Mangoes are the King, The King of fruits. Come summers and we all are ready to enjoy the variety of mangoes available and variety of different dishes that are made with it. It may surprise you how versatile our not so humble Mango is, when you’ll know how chefs are using it in their menus.
Spice Route, The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi
During our meeting with Chef Veena
I was with Chef Veena, The Iconic Chef of Spice Route at The Imperial Hotel, who, in the past 20+ years has created various different menus periodically to ensure that freshest and healthiest ingredients go in her dishes, which stands out as the USP of her restaurant. On her menu, this season, we can find Mangoes beautifully marrying the cuisine.
Enjoy the Rassam with riped mangoes, her famous Raw mango salad, Irachi Manghai Curry– Chef’s special Kerala style mutton curry cooked with raw mangoes, GA XAO HOT DIEU– Stir-fried Chicken with fresh Mangoes & Cashew Nuts Vietnamese Style.
Being born and brought up in the fruit friendly Thailand, Chef Veena encompassses the styles of a legendary chef of an iconic restaurant as well as that of a caring mother who wants to feed you the healthier fresher stuff, subtly without going overboard with it.
Her simplicity in nature and style of her dishes is an ideal showcase of how seasonal produce should be pursued in the kitchens.
Chef Veena explains her summer menu saying, “Most of them are my own creations, wonderfully complemented by rice, chicken, prawns, sole fish, veggies and exotic spices. While mangoes are not integral to Thai cuisine, the fruit is abundant in the season and that’s why the complete menu revolves around it in its own unique way, be it the mango pulp blended perfectly in appams or the raw mango Sri Lankan curry with lentils which is also one of my nouvelle creations this year. I have somehow tried to keep the fruit central to the palette layering and balancing it with other flavours.”
GA XAO HOT DIEU-Stir-fried Chicken with fresh Mangoes & Cashew Nuts Vietnamese Style (Recipe Attached)
PLA –E- SAAN Crispy fillets of Sole served with spicy palm sugar sauce and garnished with shredded raw mango. ( Recipe Attached )
Coconut water served at Spice Route is another lovely way to beat the summer heat, and add to the nutritiousness of the meal.
How Important are mangoes ?
Mangoes are no stranger to restaurant menus and this season, too, mango is a key weapon for chefs to fight the scorching hot weather.
Cafe Delhi Heights : Mango-licious
Chef Tyson of Cafe Delhi Heights
One of Delhi’s favourite cafes, Cafe Delhi Height’s Executive Chef, Tyson, gave a great tip for the hot summers. He says, “One needs to keep in mind what summer beaten customers would be looking for when they enter the restaurant. In the scorching heat of Delhi, one needs refreshments that will help them forget what temperature there is outside of their little world they are sitting in. The knowledge that our grandmothers have bestowed upon all of us, we sometimes forget”.
Reference to mangoes as the ‘food of the gods’ can be found in the Hindu Vedas, written in about 4000 B.C.
Apart from the Mangolicious festival Cafe Delhi Heights has a variety of really cool summer drinks and dishes which take care of this aspect.
Summer Coolers at Cafe Delhi Heights
Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi
Mangoes are the flavour of the season at The Iconic Taj Mahal Hotel too, as they too celebrate the Mango Mania this summers.
Chef Arun Sundararaj, The Executive Chef, who has joined the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi recently from the Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad explains Machan’s Menu. He says, “Keeping in mind the soaring temperature, We have devised a perfect summer menu that comprises of light and crunchy salads, melt in your mouth sorbets, flavorsome granitas and exotic cold soups. Apart from Machan, we also offer a great variety of iced teas and frappes at Emperor’s Lounge.”
EN- The Japanese Restaurant, Qutub
The Mango Sushi
Japanese Expat Chef Honda Kazuya at EN- The Japanese Restaurant has beautifully melanged the king of fruit with Japanese delicacies like Sushis and sashimis. They have an exciting combination of Mango Cocktails, Mango Sushis and Mango Desserts for their guests this summer, apart from various other summer cocktails and dishes.
#SidAnalysis
Mangoes are the cheapest and taste the best in Summers. Such Mango Festivals not only entices the guests to enjoy the kingly feast but also keep restaurant’s costings low by focusing on seasonal and local produce than promoting imported or non-seasonal ingredients.
Thus, Mango makes more sense than we think it does on a restaurant menu and it harms no one. Mango, indeed, controls cholesterol, has anti-cancer properties, helps in weight loss, is an aphrodisiac, helps in eye care, helps in digestion, prevents heat stroke, aids concentration & memory, is a source of high iron, reduces kidney stones, is a perfect snack and above all is pretty damn tasty.
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2. Japanese Cuisine : Inspiring health
The single most factor which made Japanese cuisine trend the world over is its health benefits.
Japanese cuisine, traditionally, is light, uses minimal seasonings, uses vegetables in plenty and seafood is the most preferred non vegetarian choice. Cooking oils are rarely used except for the Tempura preparations, which are of Portuguese Origin.
The Trend of Japanese cuisine has inspired healthy and nutritious cooking across the world.
It is a common culture in Japan of taking advantage of the ‘fruits of the season’ (yama no sachi) (‘bounty of the mountains’) (e.g. bamboo shoots in spring, chestnuts in the fall) as well as the ‘fruits of the sea’ (umi no sachi) (‘bounty of the sea’). Thus, the first catch of skipjack tunas that arrives with the Kuroshio Current has traditionally been greatly prized.
Megu, The Leela Palace, New Delhi
Chef Yutaka Saito of Megu
Owing to the tradition of seasonal produce and usage of fresh ingredients Chef Saito of Megu, At The Leela Palace Hotel, has introduced a fresh seasonal menu which showcases several new creations well balanced with the Megu Signature dishes.
Tuna Tartare With Mango Pearl (as seen in the pic), Yellowtail Carpaccio, Salmon Daikon, Yuzu Akami, Crispy Chicken, Seared Rock Lobster, Shitake Asparagus, Corn Fed Chicken Breast, Grilled Sea Bass, Grilled Lamb Chops and an assortment of delicious MEGU rolls like Soy Akami & Black Truffle, Seared King Salmon Belly, Spicy Hamachi, Spicy Tuna, Pizza Sushi Roll, Dragon, Spicy California, Toro Salmon, Spicy Ebi Cracker and much more can be find starring on a fantastic menu being served at Megu this season.
As a special tribute to vegetarians and healthy preferences, the new menu includes special rolls like Avocado and Cucumber, Vegetable Rainbow, Enoki Tempura Roll, Green California Roll, Avocado Tempura Roll and Asparagus Tempura.
What do we know ?
Japanese cuisine, thus, in its traditional forms, lays a great emphasis on seasonality, fresh produce, healthy ingredients served with minimal seasonings and oil. Yet the flavours of Japanese cuisine, be it from the Soy sauce and sugar, wasabi and dashi, sake or mirin, seaweed, the rice or the miso soup, all have successfully enthralled the world and are continuing to do so.
Guppy By Ai: harmony, tradition, wisdom and balance
At Guppy by Ai, Chef Vikram Khatri, too, is taking things a notch higher by presenting his summer menu with light, healthy, fresh & delicious new dishes. His menu embodies the four essential elements of cooking: harmony, tradition, wisdom and balance. They too agree on using fresh produces to make the food flavourful, and thus, embodies the japanese lifestyle of health and well being through food traditions. Chef Vikram has used fresh and seasonal ingredients like Cherry Blossom flowers, Tokasa Seaweed, Kobocha, Yellowtail, Angel hair somen noodles and Water chestnut.
Tofu and Water Chestnut Motoyaki
Futomaki Sushi Roll
Their summer menu includes Sakura, Wood Smoked Pumpkin Soup, Seaweed and Mesclun Salad, Salmon Tartar, Cold Soba or Udon Noodles served with Bonito Soy Broth, Chilled Ramen Noodles topped with prawn and crab stick, Hiyashi Somen, Tofu and Water Chestnut Motoyaki, Yellowtail Nigiri and much more of such delicious offerings.
#SidAnalysis
Thus, when it comes to summer food and seasonal produce, Japanese cuisine is a great option for you, and restaurants like Megu , Guppy by Ai and even the Lesser Known EN-The Japanese restaurant are offering great options to the diners.
#OperationalExcellence
Ravi Shahani, The Manager at EN, explains us the importance of correct procurement and storage of produce in the sensitive summers especially for their sushis and sashimis.
At EN, Sushi Expert like Chef Honda Kayazu comes really handy to carry a summer menu with ease, comfort and high quality production.
Pan Asian, ITC Sheraton Hotel
Chef Vaibhav Bhargava of Pan Asian, ITC Sheraton Hotel
Chef Vaibhav Bhargava, the extremely talented Oriental Cuisine Chef at ITC Sheraton, the winner of Masterchef International Cuisine Award in 2009, is one of the most talked about chefs of the city, while he talks about thinking out of the box for innovation, sourcing fresh and best local produce.
Vaibhav lays emphasis on improving the visual appeal by using micro greens, edible flowers which attracts the guests a lot, while special attention is given to light salads, soups, dishes like cold soba noodles among other summer friendly preparations.
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3. Western Cuisines: from an artist’s eye
Hotel Dusit Devarana
To understand how various other cuisines adapt to changing seasons, i spoke to Chef Nishant Choubey, who has become quite a sensation in Delhi with the culinary success of restaurants at Dusit Devarana.
Nishant’s outlook towards his cuisine is very fresh, as his method of producing each of his dishes is, with utmost care and progressive innovation.
Nishant Kumar Choubey, Executive Chef, Dusit Devarana New Delhi
Nishant says, “Key features of his summer seasonal menu are: Fresh, light , healthy, low calorie , cold and organic”.
This mantra, as simple as it may sound, takes care of most aspects of a menu prepared by an experienced chef, where the wellness is pronounced with each morsel of the dish, being made from organic and fresh produce, served in soothing temperatures and satiate the health as well as the dietary demands of summers.
Favouring the Seasonal menus Nishant says, “Chefs should change the menu according to seasons as it gives the chefs and the team an opportunity to create something nouvelle and also for guests to try out something different and interesting”
Le Cirque – The Leela Palace , New Delhi
Le Cirque is the Most expensive restaurant of Delhi, and is definitely the most celebrated French-Italian Restaurant of the city. Le cirque commands high level of detailing, highest quality and freshest ingredients and a showcase of a cuisine in a way which is par excellence.
Chef Diego Martinelli, of Le Cirque
Thus, the task with the newly appointed Chef Diego Martinelli was to take things a notch higher and as we learnt, he has taken it higher by two. A complete makeover has been given to the menu with new and exciting flavours, ingredients and colours which showcases a fresh line of creativity and excellence in culinary art.
#DiegosMagic
32 years old Chef, who has worked in hotels like Four seasons in London, Bulgari in Bali and one of my favourites, The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore brings his experience on the platter using local herbs and spices, farm fresh vegetables, clever usage of perfectly cut meats to prepare his handcrafted culinary delicacies including Lobster Ravioli, Risotto Alla Cipolla, Yellowfin Tuna, Sea Bass in Crispy Potato Paupiette and Chicken Al Mattone.
Plenty of vegan options adorns his menu like Pumpkin soup, tasty Zucchini, Frittelle, Capellini, Fritto Misto and Risotto Ai Carcifio
Pumpkin Tortelloni
Tomato Mozza
Diego gives special tribute to healthy, low-calorie and gluten-free indulgences, his favourite being his signature Pumpkin Tortelloni (in the pic) with its sweet flavour and texture, the Sage Pappardelle Pasta for comfort food and Pork Belly with richness in its soft meat and crispy skin.
Olive Bar & Kitchen , Qutub
Chef Sujan Sarkar at Olive Bar & Kitchen
Chef Sujan Sarkar at Olive Qutub has launched their summer menu focussing on local produce, simple flavors, colour, more fruit and vegetables, lean meat and fish, sweet and sour combination.
What Sujan says
At Olive we change our menu twice a year based on availability of fresh and seasonal produce. In every new menu we change most of our dishes without changing our signature dishes. Guests like this seasonal menu change concept to get exposed to lot more new dishes and ingredients.
“Our Vision is to produce healthy, nutritious food based on slow food principal”. says Sujan.
Catch a Glimpse of What Chef Sujan Sarkar is doing at Olive Qutub
Artichoke & Ricotta Tortelli
Butter Poached John Dory
Beetroot Salad
Scallop & Crab Ravioli
Munchkin Pumpkin Salad
Tiramisu Macaroon
What did we understand ?
Till this point, we have ascertained the growing importance for healthy, light & flavourful cuisines, some useful and meaningful insight into the ingredients, cultures & traditions, methodology, vision and ideology of various chefs and their establishments, explaining the basics of how to create a summer menu and what to focus on, which ingredients make the menu light and healthy, the styles of cooking which is different and unique as well as some progressive ideas on cuisine, ingredients and its uses.
I, then, spoke to few people who are my friends, to whom i also look up to at the same time for their hard work, vision and most importantly, i connect with them well, for carrying an outlook quite similar to mine.
A Candid Discussion with Chef Apoorva Kunte from The Westin, Dhaka
So My College Friend and an Ex Colleague at Taj, Chef Apoorva Kunte, who then went on to work with Ritz Carlton and is now heading the kitchens at Westin in Dhaka, is a chef with great attitude, as i remember him talking with passion about food from the time we were in college and thus, we spoke to understand how he operates his kitchens.
When i asked Apoorva about what he keeps in mind while preparing a seasonal menu he enlists:
I use regional and local summer produce, the ingredients that are simple sugars, that are easy to break down, thus, helping the body gain energy faster during the summer heat. I use a lot of citrus flavours and liquids in the menu to help keep the body hydrated, I use these vitamin rich ingredients or such ingredients that generate thirst like an aperitif in your bar, tantalizes the taste buds, and make you want to have more.
I also lay focus on small and tasting portions so not to make the guest feel bloated and lethargic.
Apoorva is a big supporter of seasonal menus and he explain to me saying:
Chef Apoorva Kunte from Westin, Dhaka
I have been in the kitchens for 10 years now and have seen a changing trend of menus. I personally feel that the menus should change with the produce of the season. I make it a point to go visit the main fruit/vegetable/meat market on my days off to analyze what produce/ingredients are available and change my menus and offerings according to them. I constantly push my purchasing department to get the best quality of the seasonal produce so a consistent menu output can be maintained for my guests. I would rather have a smaller menu with best quality seasonal produce than 10 page menu where products are coming out of a deep freezer.
Golgappa with aam panna sorbet by Chef Apoorva Kunte
On being quizzed on the guest response to seasonal menus, he says, “The guests’ outlook towards seasonal menus has also changed. Our discerning guests are well traveled and understand ingredients and their availability and, hence, have accepted the seasonal menus because they know its the best produce for the season rather than an all year produce like watermelons that are pumped with enzymes and enhancers to have them available.”
In this candid chat , it came out clear how non season ingredients are being despised by people across the world , and even in the subcontinent its no difference.
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4. Indian Cuisine: its regionality & seasonality
Turban Tadka With Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi “The Energy of India”
Celebrity Chef and Food Show Presenter, Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi
Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi is a household name in India, and I am one of his biggest fans. I totally adore his ideology and style of cooking. He is always happy when he is cooking and often grooves to his own culinary tunes like ‘Namak Shamak, namak shamak daal dete hain’ (‘Let us add some salt’, sung in a poetic way) and his simple approach towards cooking delicious as well as nutritious meals.
#SidAnaysis: “His style of cooking is what i call in my language as the ‘Bhangra Cuisine’, something which you cook with your heart, mind and soul and the taste which makes you groove to its tunes”
Chef Harpal is a treasure trove of knowledge on Indian cuisine and its various ingredients and their rightful uses. An interaction with him added a whole new meaning to my analysis.
Hello Friends, You should drink more water !!
Chef Harpal’s agenda starts with ‘water’, as he explains its importance in staying hydrated in summers for energy as well as your skin to look radiant and beautiful
He emphasizes on the usage of fruits like watermelon, melon, oranges, pineapple, apple, cucumber, peppers, salad greens, tomatoes, peas, lemon, berries, carrots etc. and vegetables like doodh (bottlegourd), parhwal (pointedgourd) and pumpkins as they are full of fibre and are easy to digest. He suggests spinach and mushrooms apart from cucumber, tomatoes and carrot as water rich vegetables. Thus, water content as well as fibrous vegetables are key ingredients for an Ideal Indian Menu in summers.
you can also find on his menus variety of lassis like oreo lassi, banana lassi, ferrero rochers lassi and Merrut wali nimbu shikanki. Now who doesn’t like such drinks in summers?
Gyan from the guru
Chef Harpal shares key mantras for menu engineering and selection of dishes & ingredients:
- Menu should be made keeping in mind the operations and its management
- Must satisfy guest expectations
- Should reflect guests’ tastes, food preferences and needs
- Must be cost effective
- Should match production requirements in terms of quality, staff productivity, skills and timing
- Balanced with profit earning and popular items and maintaining the Menu Mix to cater to varied demands
- Should promote innovation and creativeness
- Seasonal availability of the ingredient
#SidAnalysis
Various cuisines use various ingredients. However, fundamental culinary requirements of each cuisine remain similar as was evident from the views of chefs of the industry who have worked in different countries, different styles of restaurants and different cuisines.
We all learnt through this analysis how special seasonal menus are made to cater to the demand of the weather and the guests. However, such fundamental thoughts should be applied on regular basis by restaurant’s management
#SidAnalysis: “Fresh, local, regional, healthy, organic ingredients provide nutrients to form a balanced diet. It is important to understand the availability of ingredients and prepare menus anticipating the supply. So while seasonal promotions are a good way to lure the guests and ensuring that fresh ingredients are used and showcased, this must not remain to be a seasonal act, rather, it should be a continuous practice, which makes up as the soul of the restaurant. We can then successfully do a festival every month or every quarter/changing season and showcase our ideology to the world.”
Words of Wisdom with Rahul Dua, At Cafe Lota
My Dear Friend Rahul Dua of Cafe lota is another person i have been connected with for a long time, and his ideology and outlook towards hospitality industry is what i have always admired.
I want to make a special mention of Cafe Lota, as this is one restaurant which has found great success on the basis of using fresh, local and often cheaply priced produce and creates simple, nutritious, authentic yet progressive Indian cuisine.
Rahul shares his ideology on seasonal ingredients saying:
At Café Lota, our biggest guiding visions are ‘Regionality’ and ‘Seasonality’. While, it seems that almost all ingredients are now available throughout the year, the quality greatly suffers due to prolonged duration of time spent in cold storage chambers which takes away from the natural flavours and nutrients in the ingredients. Seasonality in India is quite challenging, as availability is not well defined due to various issues in agricultural practices, supply-chain, etc. For example, a lot of ingredients I would like to include on a summer menu actually don’t show up in markets before June/July and then its time for the Monsoon menu! So, we approach seasons not as Summer, Winter, Spring or Autumn but rather on a monthly basis based on market availability.
Some of the ingredients/dishes that cafe lota have in the summers are:
– Bel (wood apple) sherbet
– Aam Panna
– Kacha aam prawn curry
– Mango Kheer
– Pineapple Sheera
– Kamal Kakdi raita
– Kathal Biryani (soon to be replaced by Parval Biryani as Kathal season ends soon)
– Kachha papita koshimbir (An Indian interpretation of Raw Papaya salad)
Apart from these, they’ve introduced a couple of simple and light dishes:
– Dal, Dhokli, batata nu shaak
– Panch-phoron and pumpkin khichdi
– Also, the Aaj ki Sabji made at the restaurant everyday is mostly a simple, home-style seasonal vegetable
Rahul adds, “As we move into July, some of these dishes will be changed and modified according to what is available in the market. In my opinion, Seasonality should not be treated like a marketing tool, where restaurants come up with a ‘special menu’ to drive business. Instead, Seasonality should be a commitment and firmly engrained in the restaurants guiding vision. It requires an extra bit of effort in the short-term but it definitely pays off.”
Summer-y Summary
For Handcrafted recipes by Iconic Chefs of India, Click Here.
Food Talk
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Sidharth Bhan Gupta
Founder and CEO
361 Degrees Hospitality Management
‘More than complete hospitality solutions’
Mobile: +919811976493
Email id: 361degreeshospitality@gmail.com
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