Owing to the pandemic, food consumption has become a cautious habit and people are highly conscious of what they are eating and where it is coming from.
“It has given us an opportunity to explore ways to keep food simple, nutritious and how it can be transported safely from one place to the other with limited human handling,” says Chef Prabhakar Nagaraj, Managing Partner, Elior India.
IANSlife spoke to the veteran to know about the changes being seen in kitchens in terms of safety measures, ingredients, collaborative dishes and waste management.
Excerpts:
Food safety measures taken by chefs in the kitchen
This pandemic has taken away the exoticism of food from the menu. The masses have switched to basic meals, keeping away from complexity in its preparation and the ingredients used. Food consumption has become a cautious habit and people are highly conscious of what they are eating and where it is coming from. To serve this need, we have switched to pre-packed meals with limited variety as compared to the lavish buffet spreads during the pre-Covid times. We assume that this is going to be short lived. Although this step has restricted the inclusion of the number of dishes served during every meal, safety measures are in place as this step reduces the number of human touch-points.
Food is safe when it is handled by as few people as possible and cooked close to the hour of consumption. The pandemic has given us an opportunity to explore ways to keep food simple, nutritious and how it can be transported safely from one place to the other with limited human handling. We can also use flash-cooking methods. Flash cooking involves cooking ingredients on a very high flame so that the outer surface of the ingredient gets sealed, eliminating any loss of internal juices and thus sustaining the nutritive aspects of the ingredients.
Growing importance of Indian spices in the kitchen in the times of pandemic
We are creating menus that are primarily based on local produce rather than being sourced from other states or the country at large. In the near future, we will witness many international dishes being given an Indian twist and vice versa. Our chefs are handpicked from the best hotels and we are able to translate global food trends to our caf� food with ease.
The food which is delivered is as per the requirement of the clients; even though they may all be from the same geography; they still have completely different requirements from each other. For example, consider Vegetable Au Gratin, a famous western dish where you mix vegetables with cream sauce, grate cheese and bake it in the oven. Here we have substituted cream sauce with Makhani sauce which is typically creamy and slightly sweet. You mix it to the right consistency, add grated cheese and paneer on top and gratinate it. This dish acts as Au Gratin but it actually is Veg Makhani. However, the presentation becomes completely different.
As Indians, we like to bite into food that tastes Indian but looks very Western. For example, if you bite into an apple pie, it may not just have apple inside; instead it may have Anjeer Badam Halwa. These are some of the innovations that can be brought into corporate caf�s especially when there is a growing importance to match the taste buds of consumers in India.
The cooking process stays the same, but you need to start mapping ingredients accordingly. (IANS)
