Pushpesh Pant

Progressive Indian cuisine: Avant-garde or déjà vu?

October 4, 2022

It was more than a decade ago when the words "contemporary" Indian, "progressive" Indian, or "avant-garde" Indian were first heard. In the context of food, the trendsetter was Manish Malhotra, who opened the doors of his restaurant—the Indian Accent—then housed in a small boutique hotel in the Capital called The...

Gizmos and gadgets for the kitchen

August 30, 2022

Ever since our prehistoric ancestors stumbled upon the joys of accidentally cooked food, there has been no let-up in the invention of implements that reduce the drudgery in the kitchen. The art and science of cooking have explored new horizons with gadgets and gizmos that sizzle. We have come a...

TRACING ‘COMING-OF-AGE’ OF NUTS

August 1, 2022

Abdul Halim Sharar, in his classic work ‘Last Phase of an Oriental Culture’, has provided a vivid description of exotic dishes prepared by the bawarchi employed by the Nawabs of Lucknow. He mentions a khichdi cooked with almond slivers and bits of pistachio substituted for grains of rice or mung...

GOURMET DINING AT HOME: CONVENIENT ‘HEAT & EAT’ MEALS

July 29, 2022

It was the advent of the microwave that launched the first wave of convenient ‘heat and eat’ meals in India. The (then) ‘hi-tech’ gadget didn’t lend itself to multi-stage cooking of Indian recipes, and after resting a while, as a baby white elephant, was deployed in a different role. Left-over...

BREWING A STORM IN A TEACUP

July 26, 2022

It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was tea that spawned the British Empire. To pay for Chinese tea, the British grew opium and exported it to China and till they started growing tea in India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), they depended on the Chinese produce using...

THE TURNING POINT IN THE CHEESE STORY

July 6, 2022

Long ago, before the dawn of the selfie age, cameramen used to instruct the group being photographed to say ‘cheese’ to make the subject’s lips break into a forced happy smile. That was the closest contact that many Indians made with edible cheese. Even those who were anglicized and liked...

THE AGE OF MIXOLOGY DAWNS

May 2, 2022

Just before the world was paralysed by the pandemic, iconic restaurants were making way for resto-bars. Economic reforms had made a variety of drinks and imported food items available and waves of globalisation lapping our shores were creating ripples of aspirations. At the same time, there was much greater health...