Imagine having Indian desi khana cooked to perfection on a Japanese grill. Also imagine the chef cooking your dish in front of you, giving you insights into the recipe and indulging in small talk. Head over to Indyaki to experience this for real, says Deebashree Mohanty
Move over open and live kitchens in five star hotels. The latest thing trending in the chef circle is Japanese style teppanyaki grills that dish out delicacies absolutely oil-free. And if you are wondering whether it is possible to roast or grill Indian food over this top, the answer is a positive.
“Contrary to what people believe, Indian food can be prepared best on these grills. It is difficult to make the gravies on this flat top but it is easier to grill, bake or even tandoor items on this technically-equipped teppanyaki style cooking. The only thing one has to master is the art of controlling and balancing the heat,” sous chef, Subroto Goswami of Indyaki, a quintessential Indian speciality restaurant in Radisson Blu Paschim Vihar, tells you.
The Bangalore-based chef is busy training his juniors to learn the art of entertaining a live audience with cook methods and quirky recipes. “They have to enroll for a month long training programme just to get used to the technicalities of using such a high-tech grill. My chefs also have to learn the art of keeping an audience rapt in attention while at the same time cooking their food,” Goswami who has been in this profession for the last many years says.
Apart from the roti mein boti and the grilled sea food, the chef insists that the moong dal salad turns out to be quite a hit. “Indyaki has a special set menu for people who want to experience the grill cook-top preparations. There is a salad, starters and a main course to go with your choice of Indian breads. Do sample the mirchi ka parantha which is our speciality and so is the beetroot halwa cooked over medium heat on a teppanyaki grill!,” Goswami says, adding that most foreign tourists prefer this style of Indian cooking because the spices can be easily modified to suit their palate.
“This grill has been a huge success in the Western countries and we are hoping to replicate that in India. It reduces work time by over 30 minutes, cuts the oil intake almost completely and ups the hygienic standards. It is easy to maintain as well. A single grill comes with two tops so you have a segregated vegan top,” the chef informs, adding that this may not yet feature as a household product but it may soon be used by homemakers. As for the gravy to go with the dishes, that has to be made separately over a normal cooktop. “It is not possible to cook the dal makhini on this grill but you can make sukhi daal ka salad, one of our signature dishes,” Goswami concludes.