Indian cuisine is emerging as new global favourite

We keep hearing about vibrant global food scene and newer concepts daily. But where does Indian cuisine stand? Is this the best time for Indian food? Are Indian restaurants also becoming the flavour of the world?

To know more, I caught up with two of the best exponents of modern Indian cuisine - legendary chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent and incredibly talented Prateek Sadhu of Naar. And both assert, this is the time for Indian cuisine and Indian F&B and the world is taking notice.

Chef Manish Mehrotra, an institution in himself, asserts many Indian chefs who are doing ‘real work’ for Indian food have put the cuisine on the world stage. He highlights the work done by prominent chefs Gaggan Anand, Himanshu Saini, Prateek Sadhu and Hussain Shehzad and says their efforts have ensured Indian cuisine is well respected and no longer seen as curry, naan or cheap greasy takeaway.

“Indian cuisine is well respected and no longer seen as curry, naan or cheap greasy takeaway.” - Manish Mehrotra

Sadhu concurs with Mehrotra and adds there hasn’t been a better time for Indian food and Indian restaurants as all eyes are in india. “People want to know what really is real Indian food. People are talking about regional and sub regional aspects,” he says.

Mehrotra explains what they are trying to do with Indian food is showcase regional Indian food and real flavours but with unique combinations and style so more people can relate to it. He points out concepts such as Papa’s, a 12 cover restaurant in Mumbai, Sadhu’s Naar, a 17 cover restaurant in the mountains that is 2 hours drive from the city of Chandigarh and Himanshu Saini’s vegetarian, no onion, no garlic, fine dining restaurant Avatara, as examples that no one could even think about five years ago but are successful today and loved by diners.

Growing popularity and recognition of Indian restaurants and chefs doesn’t surprise Mehrotra as he says Indian cuisine has a 5,000 years old history and all the research is well documented. All it needed was serious efforts on the part of chefs to take it on a global stage.

“This is an exciting time for Indian restaurants and Indian food per se. We are on the cusp of something big.” - Prateek Sadhu

Explaining how global gastronomy goes through waves where particular cuisines dominate global food scenes, Sadhu highlights how it was the Spanish cuisine in 1980s-90s, followed by Nordic and South American cuisines later. He feels this is the time of Indian cuisines and is excited that they are on the cusp of something big.

“Indian food is now about India and Indian history but done in a really modern way,” says Manish as he signs off by asserting the cuisine is among the most respected in the world now.