'Subtlety is the key'

Chef Gautam Chaudhry originally hails from Lucknow and has his roots imbedded in the fine traditions of Mughal, Avadh and Lucknow cuisine. A purist by nature, he believes that boundaries must exist in the culinary arena and only the very skilled or the very foolhardy should navigate the waters of culinary synthesis, otherwise known as ‘fusion’ cuisine.
“Having confessed to a certain orthodoxy in my cooking methods, I also feel that Indian cuisine is so vast in its scope and variety that it naturally lends itself to a skillful blending of ingredients and techniques,” he says, cautiously adding, “One must be careful not to turn it into ‘confusion’ cuisine by combining ingredients that have no business being together.”

So how does he create new taste sensations within the realm of traditional Indian recipes? “Subtlety is the key. I sometimes add a hint of lemon grass to the fragrance of a biryani. Or cook a sorsche bata machh — ( Bengal style fish curry in mustard gravy) in a tandoor. Here, the bite of the mustard is infused with smokeyness resulting in a delicious finish,” he explains.

Fusion food, according to chef Gautam, has a long and noble history and today’s bold experiment may well become tomorrow’s classic dish. “Take the well-known Galouti Kebab for example.This meltingly fine-minced lamb and spices patty was created by a clever chef to mask the flavour of the medicine the Nawab had to take. The mince was made so fine that it would literally melt on the tongue-medicine and all,” he laughs. With urban palates in the country becoming more demanding and sophisticated by the day, a chef must go where no chef has gone to leave his culinary mark, avers Gautam.
And for those traditionalists wary of fusion food and reluctant to get too experimental with their taste buds, he has some advice.

“On the homefront, add some green chillies and fresh coriander to a simple chicken stew at the last moment and see it come alive! Lemon grass can work wonders in a vegetable or shrimp pulao and coconut milk can be used in baked custard instead of cream.You are bound to be pleasantly surprised with the result. After all, fusion at its best allows ingredients from all over the world to be marinated, cooked and served together in harmony on the same plate.”