A promotion at the Taj Mahal Hotel gives a new twist to one of our favourite street foods, says Saimi Sattar
While studying at the Frank Anthony Public School, Mohit Tak, sous chef, at the Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi ,visited the cemetery across the road and wondered what the magnificent building where he now works, was. When a friend pointed out that it was the Taj of New Delhi, Tak was enamoured. Add to it the fact that he stood first during a salad-making competition amongst a group of more than 100 students when he was in class VII in school. It also helped that his father worked with a food major which often organised events. All of this and more spurred his interest in food.
Having worked at several Taj properties in Mumbai, Rajasthan since he did his internship in 2010, the chef says, “When I cook I do it from my heart, whether it is a small dish or anything out of the menu.”
Tak has put together a menu for the ongoing Wraps and Rolls promotion festival at the Emperor lounge of the hotel. “We usually have a month-long festival, so while in June, it was salads keeping in mind the fact that it was summers, this month it is wraps and rolls which would be available till the end of the month,” says Tak. The intention was to add something new to a regular menu. They wanted to incorporate some healthy options which are bite-sized. What is interesting is despite the images that we conjure up of rolls being deep fried, the ones at the promotion are baked, grilled or shallow-fried to keep them healthy. Some of the recipes have been modified.
What makes the promotion also stand out is the fact that Taj, which is considered the epitome of opulent living, hosting a promotion which is centered around a food that essentially belongs to the streets. “We have tried to make this street food more refined since this is an iconic restaurant and organisation. We have to do certain things from our end to make it stand out from other restaurants and hotels,” says Tak.
The promotion menu has a combination of different kinds of covering and fillings. So options include a Quesadilla, a burrito, a naan, a falafel, a spring roll, a kathi roll and more. Similarly the fillings too vary — from a vegan option to one which makes use of Portugese sauces.
One needs to walk across the impressive lobby at the hotel to reach he Emperor lounge. The restaurant, which operates from 9 in the morning to 10 at night, features finger foods — a genre where wraps and rolls fit in. The evening when I dined there, a musical performance by a duo on the piano and the cello, livened up the proceedings. Switching effortlessly from numbers like love Story to lady in Red, the music took one back into the bygone era and more relaxed times. I was hoping that the food was as good as the music being played in the background — and it didn’t dissapoint.
I ate four rolls, (okay, call me a glutton, but let’s be specific, I ate two and tasted two), all of them with different fillings and coverings. The Kolkata-style egg roll, the first option is ubequitious with the city so much so that its denizens can debate upon the superior quality of a roll from a stall they favour over another, for hours. But here Tak has given a new twist. Rather than the covering, the egg was what formed the exterior. Accompanied with three different dips, the roll was soft on the outside and crunchy inside because of the flaky paratha and lightly stir-fried vegetables like cabbage, onion and capsicum. Certainly, an interesting variation.
In the vegetarian option, the Spicy vegan falafel wrap, as the name suggests which has a falafel stuffed inside the pita pocket with assorted vegetables which add to the crunch. It is served with hummus and muhmara, dip, which is made of chickpea, local chillis, sumac spice and walnuts.
The Quesadilla Mexican bean wrap, has a stuffing of kidney beans (what Indians popularly know as Rajma) inside. The is served with a guacomole dip.
While, the three were good, it was the Recheado chicken naan wrap which was brilliant. The chicken which was marinated in Portugese style sauces which are commonly used in Goa. The stuffing with just the right amount of tang, hotness and sweetness certianly made the experience a gastronomic delight. But not just the roll, it was the dip on the side which added so much more. Made from pureed guava, the dip, which was slightly sweet and sour too was exceptional. For me, this was the hands down winner.
For those who have a sweet tooth, there is also the option of a peanut butter and banana roll which is a meal in itself. “It uses the batter of a pancake and is a vegetarian dish. It is sweet and hot and served like a roll,” says Tak, an Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Bangalore graduate.
The promotion is on till July 30th and is priced at Rs 850 plus taxes for the vegetarian rolls and Rs 950 plus taxes for the non vegetarian rolls.