From Aam Papad to Adzuki

At INJA, an Indo-Japanese restaurant in Delhi, Chef Adwait Anantwar combines minimalist principles with rich Indian flavours to create a unique dining experience
INJA’s head chef Adwait Anantwar
INJA’s head chef Adwait Anantwar
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In Japanese cuisine, minimalism is the resounding aesthetic—it embodies a philosophy where beauty lies in the idea that ‘less is more’. This approach treats subtlety as a powerful flavour as each dish invites diners to embrace simplicity, offering an infinite opening to the breadth of human expression and taste.

At INJA, an Indo-Japanese restaurant in Delhi’s Manor Hotel, Chef Adwait Anantwar embraces this minimalism, blending it with Indian culinary traditions that bring complexity and boldness.

“When one imagines fine dining, it feels cold and distant,” says fellow diner Chayanika Iyer. “But the food at INJA, presented with such meticulousness and warmth, has washed away that perception.”

Art of fusion

This warmth is evident from the very first bite of Aam Papad-Tuna, a clever pairing of raw tuna with a thin slice of aam papad. “It’s a minimalist dish, but so much goes into that small bite,” says Chef Adwait of this dish that starts the 14-course tasting menu. As the tasting menu progresses, the fusion deepens.

Khasi Chicken-Horenso, for instance, features wood that the chef brought back from Japan, recreating the imagery of cherry blossoms on the table. “With the Khasi chicken, we roll it in spinach leaves, and there are two jellies—konju jelly and chicken feet jelly. It’s inspired by goma-ae, a Japanese spinach salad with sesame dressing,” he explains. In the Aloo Chop-Buff Tartare too, a humble Indian street snack meets a refined twist with tender buffalo tartare.

Chef Adwait conceived the idea for INJA during the lockdown, inspired by how Japanese cuisine’s precision could meet Indian cuisine’s boldness. Yet, he quickly rejects clichés: “I don’t want to serve you butter chicken sushi and tuna kebab. Fusion is about nuances,” he adds. “For me, there’s no such thing as authenticity. The recipe for garam masala my mother makes is different from others in the same neighbourhood. It’s about essence, not strict rules. When you bring different cultures together, you can’t stick to being authentic—you have to bend the rules.”

Tasting memory

The inspiration behind Chef Adwait Anantwar’s dishes at INJA doesn’t come from a single source but rather from a lifetime of experiences and memories. For him, flavours are about enjoyment rather than over-analysis. One such memory is woven into a dessert on INJA’s menu—the Bel Ka Tarte. Chef Adwait recalls: “My dad used to make this probably three times in his lifetime. I might have tasted it twice.

For some reason, he used to put tulsi leaves in it. Last year, when I came to Delhi, I saw bel ka sharbat on the street, and that dish my father made came back to me. So, I tried making it. We made a custard, and instead of lemon, we used bel. This is the beauty of flavours you’ve loved and grown up with—they keep coming back to you.”

His creative process is an evolving journey. “The whole idea of doing Indo-Japanese was audacious. “The first time I did the tasting menu, I thought I was done, like I don’t have any more ideas. We did one menu last October, and now this is another.” Each dish on the menu results from meticulous thought and care.

The Tamatar Dhaniya Shorba-Dashi Tomatoes exemplifies the delicate balance Chef Adwait strikes between Indian and Japanese elements. “For the tomato dashi, we use tomato, green apple, ginger, and coriander. It’s a cold tamatar dhaniya dashi, and the tomato is poached in the same dashi with many aromatics. On top, we have myoga, which adds a subtle ginger flavour, and there’s coriander oil as well,” he explains.

Scallop tempura as pakoda and Gujarati fajeto curry
Scallop tempura as pakoda and Gujarati fajeto curry

Storytelling food

The courses keep building. One of the most creative dishes, according to him, is the Mangalorean Bun-Banana Bonito, where the traditional soft sweet Mangalorean bun meets the umami of bonito flakes. “Bonito is actually smoked skipjack tuna, and the preparation process gives it a wood-like texture.

We’ve used ripe bananas, shaved into flakes on a traditional katsuobushi grater box,” he explains. Then there’s the Kadhi Pakoda, where he reverses the usual concept. “The pakoda is scallop tempura, and the curry is a cold version of fajeto, a Gujarati curry made with ripe mango. We’ve sprinkled furikake—a mixture of dried fish, sesame seeds, and chopped seaweed—on top,” he says.

INJA’s experimentation extends beyond food. The cocktail menu is equally adventurous, featuring drinks infused with ingredients like wasabi, mishti doi, and Darjeeling tea. One of Chef Adwait’s favourites from the menu is the Nimbu Mirch-Gindara. It is inspired by Mizo blackpot cooking, but it is finished with meetha nimbu ka achaar and charred chilli. His culinary craft shines in the main course with surprising combinations like the Corn Raab-Soba-Naga Smoked Pork and the Morel and Soy Pulao-Buff Carpaccio.

The dessert section of the tasting menu has The Timur Panna Cotta with Muscat Shine Grapes offering a creamy, smooth finish with bursts of peppery sweetness from the grapes, while the Gulkand-Mochi reimagines Indian rose petals with the chewy texture of mochi. The meal concludes with a dish that brings Chef Adwait’s personal story full circle: the Patti Samosa-Adzuki-Coffee.

A childhood favourite, patti samosa was a snack he often enjoyed while studying in Hyderabad. “This version reminds me of puranpoli,” he says. The coffee, infused with Japanese liquor, complements the adzuki beans, bringing a sweet yet robust finish. “I wouldn’t have thought of putting patti samosa on the menu if I hadn’t had taiyaki, which has the same texture.”

Tasting the unexpected

For Chef Adwait, building a menu isn’t just about combining flavours—it’s about storytelling. Initially, INJA had started with just a handful of dishes like Alaskan King Crab ‘Raj Kachori’ and Lobster Rasam ‘Chawanmushi’. “Without the shenanigans, it’s about the food,” he says, explaining that the tasting menu is where creativity thrives.

“The à la carte menu sets the foundation, while the tasting menu takes you across the breadth of experiments.” As diners work their way through the 14-course menu, patience and time are crucial. Food here is as much about the past as it is about the present. “Every diner who has the tasting menu at INJA leaves thinking, ‘What the hell did I just eat?’” Chef Adwait laughs. “That’s the exact reaction I want—something unlike anything they’ve had before.”

Story by Prachi Satrawal

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