This year, we witnessed numerous Indian and International chefs fly down to Bengaluru with their teams to give the city a taste of their restaurants and their signature culinary creations. From celebrated chefs like Vicky Ratnani to Michelin-starred restaurants like Sühring, we got to sample lesser-known cuisines, interesting takes on classic dishes and more. Here is a glimpse of one such event:
Aimed at celebrating Indian heritage, women and Indian produce, The Leela Palace Bengaluru played host to a six-course sit-down dinner on October 8. Roping in renowned chefs such as food truck expert Aarthi Sampath, recipient of the Best Lady Chef award Amninder Sandhu, pop-up specialist Sherry Mehta and footballer turned chef Aman Dosanj, the event called Shefs at the Leela offered an evening filled with palatable Indian dishes with a unique spin to them.
The evening at the Leela Palace began with a glass of champagne and small plates. Irani Butternut Samosa Chaat by Aarthi Sampath arrived first. The classic samosa chaat was influenced by Puerto Rican empanadas and the American savoury hand pies that the chef tasted during her early days in the United States. The chaat paired perfectly well with the cucumber mint raita and fruit-in-season chutney.
The Multani Moth Kachori was served next. This delicacy by Sherry Mehta came along with pomegranate and tamarind chutney, tamarind moth dal, fennel tempered dal fried pastry, vinegar onions, mint chutney and fried green chillies. Influenced by the nomadic traditions of Multan, Punjab, the dish is one of the popular street chaats of the lesser-known regions.
We followed these up with Amninder Sandhu’s Thousand Layer Beetroot Salad and Aarthi’s bowl of seared turnip, sweet potato dumplings, hand-pulled noodles, kaffir, spicy herb and coconut broth. A special shout out to the Saag Burrata and parmesan kulcha. Chef Sherry placed this traditional dish as the culinary ambassador of Punjab for the evening and without a doubt, it was a crowd-pleaser.
We enjoyed a scoop of mandarin, ginger and lime sorbet while we watched the chefs plate the desserts for us. The elaborate dessert plate featured Safed Gajar Halwa with Naga Black Cardamom Ice cream (by Amninder), Re imagined Choori (by Sherry), Kasturi thangam Coconut Mousse, Pistachio Dacquoise, Narthangai Gel and Achu Murukku (by Aarthi), and Baked Yoghurt with Passion fruit and Kerala Vanilla (by Aman). We immediately tucked into the scrumptious plate of sweet treats but the choori and the coconut mousse had us hooked till the end.