HAUTE SOUTH

How chefs are infusing innovation into south Indian cuisine to offer a diverse and unique culinary experience

- VAISHALI DAR

“THE CUISINE IN south India has always been diverse. It’s just that it wasn't showcased in the way it is now,” says chef Chalapathy Rao, who helms Simply South, a fine dining south Indian restaurant in Hyderabad, and a cooking legend with more than two decades of expertise in Andhra and Telangana cuisine.

Rao’s statement resonates with what the region offers today in terms of food. Often associated with just idli or dosa, the cuisine is no doubt rooted in tradition but is now experiencing innovation and experimentation in ingredients and culinary offerings. Whether it’s ghee roast chicken seekh in pear and radish koshimbir or Shetty Hotel-style pulimunchi and filter coffee ice cream, chefs are showcasing versatility in their culinary repertoire with a modern take on the region’s cuisine at specialty dining outlets.

Take, for instance, Hosa in Goa. The restaurant-cum-bar experiments with molecular gastronomy techniques that are applied to traditional gravies or presents fusion dishes like tamarind-glazed pork. Similarly, while Mumbai’s The Bombay Canteen brings heritage stories to life on its menu and showcases lesser-known dishes in unique backgrounds, a progressive avatar of flavours, ingredients and sensorial renditions in a 13-course degustation menu called the Anika is found in perhaps India’s only luxury dining experience, incubated in ITC Grand Chola, Chennai’s Avartana, and ITC Maurya, New Delhi, taking the cuisine to the next level.

The pan-India outlets of Monkey Bar have a differentiated offering from the south Indian region—for example, the puliyogare rice and bhindi raita features local gojju masala and is served with crisp-fried bhindi raita, papadam and chaat salad. Similarly, paddus are offered with a twist with mushrooms and asparagus pepper fry