Spilling the beans

Avocado chutney in Dubai. Kashmiri duck tacos in the US. Coorgi pork ribs in Spain. How did Indian restaurants abroad get so cool? See how chefs are making tiny but crucial adjustments to please new palates and keep desis coming back for more

- Karishma Kuenzang

Cittamani by Ritu Dalmia
Regional Indian food; in Milan, Spain
Ritu Dalmia has built her career on serving high-quality, Italian food in India. But when she revisited Milan in 2015, she found that the city was finally opening up - it was the perfect place to set up an international outpost.

Cittamani by Ritu Dalmia opened in 2017. She started cautiously, with a menu that featured safe bets: Kadi samosa chaat, kachori subzi and Coorgi pork ribs. "I didn't serve dishes that might not be acceptable to the Italian palate," Dalmia recalls. "I underestimated them." Cittamani diners can now order Gujarati sambharo fafda, and jadoh from Shillong.

The food has been a hit with Italians who've travelled East, and locals who are curious. The Indian touch goes far, she says. "Though I used to have an Italian chef who made better dosas than most places I have eaten in South India. But that's a different story!"

Indienne
Offbeat favourites, with an American touch; in Chicago, US

At the two-year-old Indienne, chef Sujan Sarkar knows exactly what his food is supposed to do: Reassure the desi, accommodate the American and mix both sensibilities to make everyone happy.

Indienne gets plenty of diners who've never tasted Indian food, but "Americans experiment more than Europeans," he says, drawing on the 11 years he spent in London kitchens. The restaurant leans in by incorporating local ingredients: the Alleppey fish curry is made with lobster; there are Kashmiri duck tacos, with a trendy birria-style dip on the side. Americans also prefer their dessert a little salty. So, the Goan bebinca comes with brown butter icecream. "Indians might not like it as much. For them, there's mishti doi tart, much like a key lime pie."