The culinary scene in India has evolved in the past decade. Eating out choices were limited ten years ago; Indians preferred to play it safe with conventional Chinese or Indian restaurants. While “Chinese” meant everything Asian irrespective of its origin, “Indian” mostly stood for the north of India, specifically the food of Punjab. “Indian Chinese cuisine” that originated in Kolkata, adapted to Indian taste buds making Sichuan sauce (popularly known as Schezwan sauce) a house-hold ingredient. The story is much different now. Today, Indian metros proudly stand as game-changers when it comes to experimental cuisines. Concept restaurants, fusion cuisines and quirky menus are the usual fare. This phenomenon is the result of challenges accepted by chefs and entrepreneurs who predicted the evolution of the Indian palate and conceived innovative restaurants that list under common folks’ choice.
While cuisines such as Lebanese, Mediterranean and Indian fusion have gained mainstream popularity in recent times, it is Japanese food that has found its niche audience in the country.
Ingredients for authentic Japanese dishes are not only expensive but also hard to get — placing Japanese restaurants in the upper price bracket. And guests who dine at these restaurants understand that. One name that instantly comes to mind speaking of this cuisine is the legendary Wasabi by Morimoto at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. The restaurant set-up under the guidance of the “iron chef” Masaharu Morimoto features in Asia’s 50 best restaurants by William Reed Business Media. “Taj Mahal Hotels & Resorts has always been a trendsetter in the culinary scene with its iconic F&B scene,” says executive sous chef Sadik Khan at Wasabi. This restaurant was no exception. Before the dawn of the millennium, The Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai began Japanese food promotions that were relatively new in the country. The F&B team at the hotel toured internationally to Japan and the United States of America to understand the latest culinary trends. Chef Sadik was mentored by Morimoto in Tokyo and underwent meticulous training for two months before the restaurant was inaugurated. “In 2004, we set up Wasabi by Morimoto introducing Mumbai (and India) to the world of Japanese cuisine,” says chef Sadik. Until today, the restaurant caters to only a select clientele that keenly understands this exquisite cuisine and its offerings that are priced much higher than its contemporaries. “The food-scene before and after Wasabi is a commonly used terminology. The inception of this restaurant marked an important milestone in the culinary chronology of India,” he adds. “Most guests at Wasabi are well-travelled. They know how to eat sushi,” says Morimoto in an interview with MidDay last year during his visit. Chef Sadik echoed his views when he said that his clients come back home to Wasabi expecting Japanese precision they taste abroad. “In fact, our menu is greatly influenced by requests and suggestions by our frequent guests. I’ll give you an example — a guest requested for spinach in sesame sauce one time. This dish was not only appreciated by him but also got featured permanently in our menu. Our guests often narrate tales from their travels. We listen and adapt to them very carefully.”
Wasabi went on to open in the capital in 2008. Delhi’s audience is not very different from Mumbai’s. If anything, fine-dining is a more accepted concept considering the high number of HNIs (high net-worth individuals) there. The Leela Palaces & Resorts, another trendsetter in the industry, is known for its luxury offerings. It opened MEGU in 2012, giving the Japanese cuisine enthusiasts of Delhi a discerning dining-out option. “MEGU at The Leela Palace New Delhi is the only Indian outpost of the global brand. The goal was to replicate the same dining experience in the heart of New Delhi that the restaurant had been acclaimed for in New York, Dubai or Gstaad, Switzerland. The vision was to create a space for our guests where striking ambience, highly curated Japanese cuisine and personalised service converge to appeal to all the senses,” says Chef Takanori Fukuda, Chef De Cuisine, MEGU, The Leela Palace New Delhi.
There is certainly a level of perfection that goes into creating carefully plated dishes of this impeccable cuisine. Chef Takanori’s Japanese heritage adds significant value to MEGU’s kitchen. Stringent coaching before he took on the mammoth task made sure perfection was achieved. “I was born in Oita, Japan and when growing up, I was fascinated with the rich traditions and intricate artistry of Japanese cuisine. I learned about the traditions from my father and ingredients from the organic farmers of Oita, Kyoto and Kobe. Much of my inspiration came from my first mentor, Chef Hideo Tamura-san, at Siragiku, Beppu, Japan. Working alongside different chefs over three decades, I was introduced to different styles and techniques, and a plethora of secrets and skills, including over twenty different knife techniques that are essential to getting the right taste and texture in Japanese dishes,” he adds.
Although Indian guests understand the cuisine well, there is a large population that is vegetarian because of cultural beliefs. Chefs understand this and customise the menu to suit their palates. Almost 40 per cent of Wasabi’s menu comprises of vegetarian dishes. The most common and preferred meat in India is chicken — one that isn’t very frequently used in this cuisine. Chef’s prefer to play it safe by offering their guests an array of no meat options. “Keeping the essence of Japanese cuisine as our focus, we use ingredients such as eggplant, tofu, tempura flour and miso (fermented soya bean paste) widely in our menu. Meanwhile our sushi and sashimi remains traditional. Chillies such as doubanjiang (essentially chilli bean paste) and other authentic ingredients are imported from Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. And of course, green chillies are avoided,” says Chef Sadik.
MEGU’s Japanese Chef has also adapted to suit the tastes of his globe-trotting guests. “Yes, my emphasis is to create authentic and modern Japanese cuisine that caters to the sophisticated choices of our world-travelled Indian clientele. Contrary to many overseas Japanese restaurants, our vegetarian offerings are much greater. In addition to our vegetarian sushi, we have a wide range of vegetarian creations that are very popular with our guests,” says Chef Takanori. “For entrees, I tend to use classic Japanese and oriental curry powders or chicken Katsu which lends mild sweet and tangy flavours to the dishes. To make dishes spicy, we use Kanzuri, a paste of red chilli pepper, rice malt, yuzu and salt, produced in Niigata, Japan. Some of the Japanese ingredients that do well in India are edible seaweeds like wakame, hijiki; different kinds of beans like azuki, daizu, edamame, myoga-Japanese ginger, takuan-pickled daikon radish, umeboshi-salted Japanese plums, fresh wasabi and of course soy sauce.”
While authentic Japanese restaurants have been accepted well by its niche Indian audience, Pa Pa Ya by the house of Massive Restaurants (known for the likes of Masala Library, Farzi Cafe and Masala Bar) took a spin on the cuisine. Their vision was to revolutionise the cuisine and present it to the masses who could typically not afford to dine at restaurants housed in five-star hotels. “In India, Asian food overall has seen little innovation with mostly similar concepts being often replicated. With Pa Pa Ya, our aim was to completely revolutionise the way Asian food has been looked at and turn it on its head entirely. The menu offers familiar flavours and authentic taste of admired dishes from Asia, however incorporating extensive modernist techniques to turn these dishes on their head, to bring in a sense of surprise into the fray. The menu offers dishes like the Thai green curry dim sum and edamame sliders recreated with Chinese bao buns prepared in-house, and moistened with Japanese style mayonnaise or a Sriracha based sauce in the form of a sphere. There are dishes like the beer-battered avocado tacos and sushi burgers, a beetroot Carpaccio and a signature mezze platter, among others that have been appreciated by our patrons,” says Zorawar Kalra, founder and managing director, Massive Restaurants. Pa Pa Ya’s ambience is dynamic with lounge music and a snazzy bar, breaking away from the stereotype that (authentic) Japanese cuisine must be restricted to fine-dining restaurants.
Pa Pa Ya’s executive chef speaks about his experience at the aforementioned Wasabi, where he had the opportunity to work under Chef Morimoto himself. “The experience helped sharpen my skills and knowledge of the cuisine, while also getting me to understand the nuances of blending flavours in Asian food. The perception of Japanese food in India is mostly associated with sushi and raw food, however Japanese cuisine is a whole lot more than just sushi. Japanese cuisine is as much about vegetarian fare as it may be about fish. Ingredients such as renkon
(lotus stem) have seen a wide acceptance among Indian diners,” he says. Chef Sadik of Wasabi explains that his challenges weren’t so much about changing perceptions, but more about sourcing the right ingredients that ensure the authenticity of the restaurant’s dishes. Chef Takanori is also of the belief that serving Japanese cuisine to his guests is no more a challenge. “Indians love Japanese food and I meet so many diners at my restaurant who are well travelled and have great abilities to appreciate the delicate flavours in Japanese cuisines,” he says.
The evolution of the Indian palate that today appreciates the intricacies of Japanese cuisine hasn’t been an overnight one. A journey that began with Wasabi more than a decade ago has taken leaps and bounds. While fine-dining choices restrict those who don’t mind shelling out the bucks for high-quality and original Japanese food, a number of budget eateries cater to the younger lot who is looking up restaurants to fill-up a Saturday night plan.
