Before my trip to India in the fall, I got the idea to stop over in London – home, I am told, of the best Indian food. I wanted to check out the famous restaurants (the ones I am always compared with) for myself. But I also wanted to meet some of the chefs behind them.
I called up Atul Kochhar of the Michelin-starred Benares and spoke with him about my vision, about how we chefs should be working together and showcasing our cuisine to the world. He loved the idea and together we started planning what became known as the Great Indian Potluck: six courses, each prepared by a top chef and paired with wine.
The dinner was to be held at Benares, but a fire in the ventilation system forced a change of plans: Vivek Singh of The Cinnamon Club stepped up to the plate and agreed to host. The other chefs participating were Navin Bhatia of Dockmaster's House, Sriram Aylur of Quilon, Cyrus Todiwala of Café Spice Namasté and Jitin Joshi of Vatika.
I had two chef's jackets customized especially for the event, made with extra fine cotton and embossed with two flags – Indian and Canadian – because I felt strongly about representing both countries and cultures equally. Likewise, I wanted to showcase two wines with my course, one from Sula winery in India, and one from Mission Hill in British Columbia.
After days of e-mails about the menu, everything was set up and we had our first chefs' meeting. The afternoon was a highlight for me. I loved simply hanging out and exchanging ideas with other chefs who had been successful in bringing Indian food to the forefront.
There was a great camaraderie, as we all had the same vision for the cuisine and the culture, and how wewanted to it to be perceived.
The dinner was flawless and executed beautifully. The presentation was European, but the flavours were Indian. It felt like a coup d'état of French presentation, as if we were shouting, “Yes, we have arrived!”
Indeed, our talk bore a slight arrogance of accomplishment, but in truth it was humbling to have been given the opportunity to train and then do something with it.
My dish for the evening was wine-marinated lamb with fenugreek cream curry and spinach potatoes.
I have already shared my fenugreek curry recipe, so here's a new take on lamb. It comes from Rohet Garh,who was my host in Rajasthan. I had never had a white curry before, so I was surprised at the colour and the texture at first – but the taste won me over.
White Lamb Curry
INGREDIENTS
1 kilogram lamb, cut into pieces
½ kilogram plain yogurt
2 teaspoons of salt (or to taste)
2 medium onions, ground in a food processor
2 bulbs garlic, peeled and ground
4 tablespoons oil
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
8 peppercorns
2 black cardamoms
4 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated coconut, soaked and ground
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, soaked and ground
6 tablespoons milk
METHOD
Wash the meat and squeeze out all the water. Add the yogurt, salt, ground onions, garlic and mix thoroughly.
Heat oil on medium in a heavy-bottomed pot. When slightly smoking, add the bay leaf, cloves, peppercornsand cardamoms.
Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown. When the onions are nicely brown, add the meat/yogurtmixture and keep stirring. Bring the heat to medium, cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cook until the lamb is almost tender. Add the coconut, poppy seeds and milk and bring to boil. Cook tillthe gravy thickens. If you like fruity flavours, you can add dried apricots or raisins as a little garnish. Serves 4 to 6.
