Chef Speak

Tickling the taste buds

Chef Girish Krishnan, executive chef, Courtyard by Marriott, talks about how hotels and restaurants are catering to the changing Indian palate.

As guests are getting more demanding, chefs like me are also experimenting to tickle the connoisseurs' taste buds. Like Chennaiites who love Punjabi food, which was not so in the past. In the 90s, only Indian, Chinese and continental food was available with hardly any variety. Even the way food was prepared was very different. For instance, we employed many batons and used our hands a lot, leaving little room for hygiene. The way food was presented was traditional and old-fashioned. But today, the entire culinary scene has undergone a drastic change. Sculptures are passé and we spend more time planning - like the temperature that the food should be cooked at. We now use a thermometer to check the temperature. Gloves are used instead of bare hands. Ovens have made it easier to make international items like Italian baked food and ingredients like mozzarella cheese and olives have become more accessible.

Changing palates

French food was always part of the Indian palate, but over the years it has evolved into classy, quality cuisine. Continental food is a combination of French and New World dishes. Earlier sizzlers were very popular with youngsters and every hotel had it on its menu. But today, hotels just don't do sizzlers. Russian salad ruled the roost, but now greens and lettuce are a hot favourite. Mexican food took the nation by storm but soon fizzled out too. Despite the fact that Italian food has been around for long, people still love it. In fact, guests have become very discerning when it comes to dishes like pasta or pizza. Despite the fact that pizza available today is too Indianised, people now come and demand the trademark, authentic Italian pizza with its thin crust.

Indian food has also moved away from the usual makhni and korma, which are very rich dishes, to healthier, lighter assortment. There is great demand for South Indian food and delicacies like avial and thoram, which were only eaten at home and today can be ordered in hotels. Chettinad chicken, which was synonymous with South Indian gastronomy, has now grown to include the tasty Syrian Christian and Brahmin cuisine from Kerala. F&B in India will continue to change. Since people want to taste new things, lots of other cuisines are going to find their way into our kitchens. The Middle Eastern food like hummus and shawarma, typical Singaporean, Korean and Japanese are yet to find a place on the Indian's plate.

Another important thing is the transformation in attitudes towards chefs. We are no more mere 'cooks'. Becoming a chef as a profession has become more respectable and people treat the person under the hat with more dignity.