This August 15, Qualia is serving Colonial India-inspired dishes
- Featured Food & Beverage
Pratishtha Rana- 7 minutes read
Pratishtha Rana
An Independence Day special feast from the food specialists at Qualia is here! This year-old restaurant by star Chef Rahul Akerkar has stirred up the gourmet food scene with its finger-licking dishes ever since it started. It also won the Condé Nast Traveller’s Best New Restaurant Award in 2019.
The celebratory feast for August 15, Arré Too Good Man!… is a complete set of mains, desserts and drinks that serves around two to four people, and can be delivered to your home.
What’s special is its exciting theme that revives the authentic palate of the Colonial Indian era. The menu is all about rich Anglo-Indian recipes; think Tamarind Coconut Pomfret Curry, Cashew Curry, Saffron Coconut Rice, Railway Vegetable Cutlets, Goan Red Rice Halwa and a lot more.
Chef Akerkar takes LuxeBook on a flavourful journey of Colonial India through the festive menu. We trail along.
A shout out to the Anglo-Indian community
Back in 1999, Akerkar opened Indigo in a Colonial bungalow in Colaba, which introduced the concept of European fine-dining in the Maximum City. This week, he revisits the nuances of Europe through the lens of the Anglo-Indian community in India. “It seemed like a really nice thing to recognise Anglo-Indians and their transition between Britain and India during the Independence phase,” says Chef Akerkar.
He adds, “We got our independence from the British, but they’ve never been able to shake off the influence of our rich culinary heritage in their food!”
A flavour fusion like no other…
The chef thinks that the menu has a really nice blend of sweet and sour and a wonderfully balanced play on aromatic spices. “Anglo-Indian food evolved from the Indian ‘khansamah’ cooks who used to work for the British in their homes, government agencies and administration offices,” he says.
He further adds that these cooks brought their culinary traditions to the kitchens of the British and improvised those recipes to suit the English palate. The resultant dishes ended up becoming a fusion of Indian and Western elements.
From the current menu, Dak Bungalow Chicken & Egg curry is a great example of it.
Akerkar’s top 3 picks from the menu
His personal favourite is Mother-in-Law’s Fiery Tongue, a chutney with amazing flavours. Others on his must-have list are Buff Glacie, a Colonial Buff thick-gravy curry with tangy mango chutney; Portuguese-inspired Brinjal Potato Vindaloo that packs hints of vinegary taste; and a really unique dessert Dhol Dhol made from Goan red rice, coconut and black jaggery.
Other dishes in the meal include Snake Coy Stuffing Curry, Radish Red Lentil Curry, Cabbage Foogath, Dol Mash and Groundnut Chutney. Chef reccomends pairing this Anglo-Indian feast with The Teatotaler, a mix of Earl Gray, hibiscus, lime, and tonic.
