Things are spicing up ahead of the inaugural Taste of Abu Dhabi. We sat down with Chef Pradeep Kumar from Yas Viceroy’s Angar, the award-winning restaurant, to find out what drives him to offer a modern twist on traditional Indian cooking.
People around the world are very familiar with Indian dishes. Why is this cuisine so popular?
I think because of the flavours. We say that in India, every 50 kilometres the language and food change.
I believe that Indian food is as diverse as its culture. It’s so vibrant and at the same time it’s very satisfying.
Angar is already famous in the market but I want people who haven’t tried Indian food to see what it’s all about. The perception is that Indian food is very spicy but it’s not. We reduce the spice so everyone can enjoy it.
What’s the concept of Angar?
We are serving authentic Indian food in a modern way. The soul of the curry is our flavours. I use non-traditional ingredients such as rosemary because it goes well with lamb, to give authenticity – but at the same time to give better flavour. We focus mainly on Northern cuisine.
Do you think people in Abu Dhabi are becoming more open to trying new cuisines?
More restaurants are opening and people are more interested in trying new cuisines. The trend and people’s mentality are changing. Abu Dhabi is more conservative that Dubai but now the times are changing and people want to go out.
Why is Taste of Abu Dhabi such an important event?
It will create an opportunity for people to try different cuisines in a unique atmosphere. This is the beginning of big brands and big celebrity chefs coming to Abu Dhabi. In a few years it will be huge.
What will you be serving at your stand?
We’re serving two starters – Punjabi samosa chaat and karare gobhi; two main courses – butter chicken and Masaledar lamb chops; and Desi opera, an Indian twist on the classic French opera cake.
Catch Chef Pradeep at the Cookery School on 8th November where he’ll be teaching you how to prepare sea bass coconut curry.
Taste of Abu Dhabi runs from 6th to 8th November at du Arena.
For tickets visit: www.ticketmaster.ae
Can’t wait until then? As anticipation for Taste of Abu Dhabi heats up, Angar’s head chef Pradeep Kumar shares his recipe for the classic Indian spicy cauliflower dish.
Karare gobhi
Preparation time – 15 min
Cooking time – 25 min
Serving – 4
Ingredients:
500 g cauliflower
5 g coriander seeds
150 g tempura flour
100 g rice flour
Salt to taste
3 g green chili, chopped
7 g coriander stem, finely chopped
8 g red chili powder
50mL water
Oil for frying
To finish:
50mL vegetable oil
15 g ginger root, chopped
25 g garlic, chopped
100 g onion red, chopped
250 g tomato ketchup
20 mL lemon juice
10 g coriander leaves, chopped
15 g spring onion, chopped
2 g chaat masala
Method:
Cut the cauliflower into the small florets.
Dry roast the coriander seeds. Then, using mortar and pestle, coarsely pound the coriander seeds and keep aside.
In a bowl, mix together the tempura flour, rice flour, salt, coriander seeds, green chili, coriander stem, red chili powder, and water.
Marinate the cauliflower florets in the mix.
Heat the oil for deep-frying in a suitable pot to 170C (or in a deep fryer). Deep fry the florets few at a time for 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add the ginger, garlic and onion. Sauté for 2 minutes and add the tomato ketchup. Toss the cauliflower florets in the sauce, stir in lemon juice and remove from the heat.
Serve hot sprinkled with the chopped coriander leaves, spring onion and chaat masala.
