Aao twist karein: Mumbai chefs share unique tweaks for home-cooked food

Letrsquos face it We are a doomscrolling foodcraving janta spoilt for choice We want restaurantstyle ghar ka khana Adding truffle oil or slicing avocado on everything is passeacute So we asked restaurant chefs in the city for simple tweaks and additions to ace up the home food gameChef Vikram Arora is as Dilliwala as Dilliwalas get in Mumbai He loves his phalsa chaat papdi and chole bhature with a vengeance The tomato soup at his Indian restaurant at Churchgate Nksha has the sweetness of jaggery and a tempered garnish of toasted pine nuts This he serves with bitesized mini nimkis To smoothen every spoonful he adds olive oil to the tomato puree 1 litre to 70 ml ratioBhune tamatar aur gur ka shorba served with savoury nimkis salty snack PicSayyed Sameer AbedildquoThis Italian technique smoothens the texture but holds onto the desi taste I infuse the onion garlic in the oil so it wonrsquot give you a hectic burprdquo says Arora explaining that the jaggery and the emulsification cuts through the sourness With starters he serves a side of kesar peanut chutney ldquoEarlier it was designed to be a dahi kebab But it works best as a chutneymdashtoasted peanuts sugar or honey sweetness and curd tang A good amount of crushed pepper and kesar will uplift your condimentrdquo he saysKesar and peanut chutneyInstead of serving a scoop of sweet ice cream think of a savoury concoction to go with the cuisine you are serving According to head chef and cofounder Kruti Sanghvi at Pass the Salt at Fort generous parmesan shavings and a dollop of tomato granita do the trick ldquoThe idea was to extend our signature pizza offerings in the form of dessert with a balance of sweet and savouryrdquo she says ldquoThis gelato is served with tomato granita which has a hint of basil and is sweeter but doesnrsquot taste like ketchup A scoop of freshly churned parmesan gelato served over tomato granita with a light sprinkle of pink Himalayan saltPinky Chandan Dixit makes Kumaoni raita PicAtul KambleWe use locally manufactured parmesan different from Parmigiano Reggiano which is dedicatedly manufactured only in a specific region of Italy It is a simple combination of milk sugar and parmesan cheese We add in some finely grounded parmesan before churning to make the texture ever so slightly coarser as well as highlight that beautiful nuttiness that the cheese naturally has and is known forrdquoMohnish KothareChefowner Mohnish Kothare at Mazi recommends keeping sesame handy to add a twist to regular home dishes ldquoToasted sesame seeds are the bestkept secret ingredients to elevate a dish The sesame seedsrsquo nuttiness crunch and crispy feel add a different layer to the cooking process in savoury and sweet recipes Turn it into a paste dressing or serve it as a whole on sauteacutee veggies or use as a garnish Sesame seed sprinkled on raita subzis and dips impart a nutty twistChef Mohnish Kothare makes sesamecrusted paneer at Mazi Cafe PicAditi HaralkarChefowner Pinky Chandan Dixit of Soam and Aamchee loves to mix and match ingredients and dishes She recommends giving kachumber or boondi raita a break ldquoInstead try a Kumaoni raita made with yellow mustard seeds chilli mint coriander all pounded in a silbatta Add turmeric to the yogurt sprinkle some turmeric and chopped cucumber for raita and shredded cucumber for a diprdquo she added ldquoDonrsquot forget to finish it with a drizzle of mustard oil I love serving the dip with thalipeethChefowner Mohnish Kothare at Mazi recommends trying a sesamecrusted paneer Take cottage cheese cubes add a pinch of garam masala chillicumin powder salt and chaat masala dip it in a cornflour slurry press it in a sesame seed mixture coat well Panfry the coated paneer cubes until golden brownAnother twist is adding chopped boiled potato pieces to transform this into a cold potato salad If you are serving with paratha add red chillies and jiralu to the dough to make them masaledarrdquo she says Another salt option to always stock in the pantry is jirali made of cumin seeds salt pepper hing and green chillies ldquoTurn sabudana vadas into poppers and sprinkle jiralirdquo she insists