Chef Kunal Kapur: If your ingredients are raw and crisp, your dish will automatically stand out

Kunal Kapur is an Indian chef and restaurateur known for hosting and judging MasterChef India

Having created a culinary buzz in Dubai and New Delhi, Chef Kunal Kapur arrives with ‘pincode' fever in Mumbai. To test the waters, we pulled up at his pop-up event "Pincode to Plates" hosted by Virat Kohli's One8 Commune in Juhu.

"Why pincode?" we ask the chef. He tells midday: "By using pin codes, we've curated a selection of legacy dishes, which echo nostalgic flavours of heritage Indian cities." Kapur's menu is nothing short of a culinary journey through the diverse Indian kitchens, akin to holding a passport to myriad palates.

And, quite literally so! Each dish on the menu was accompanied by a pin code: For instance, Champaran's iconic mutton curry had the city's postal pin code - 493992. The crispy chicken strips coated with podi-dust signalled Thiruvananthapuram's pin code - 695036. Another variation was Tawa-style mutton seekh kebab hailing straight from the heart of Karol Bagh in Old Delhi (110005).

Food at new Pincode menu by Kunal Kapur

1 year agoWEBSTORY

The menu doesn't just offer a wide array of dishes; it presents a journey through various cooking techniques that have shaped Indian cuisine over the centuries. "Dhungar" from the central and northern regions infuses smoky flavours, "Khurchan" from the west and north for that delightful crispiness, while "Bhapa" from the east and northeast offers tender fragrant delights.

Secrets from the Pincode's kitchen
Delving into the intricacies, Chef Kapur reveals that his vision for "Pincodes" serves a dual purpose. Primarily, he intends to safeguard the authentic, time-honoured flavours from lesser-explored pin codes. And secondly, he wants to charm the well-seasoned globetrotters with inventive and contemporary culinary offerings.

To fathom the quintessence, we scrolled through the pedigree dishes birthed in traditional Indian cities. The first platter to arrive was Kanpuri Shami Kebab Bun Tikka which summarised the sterling flavours of minced meat cooked with passion in the Awadh (Eastern Uttar Pradesh) region. Kapur shares that while Lucknow is famous for Galawati Kababs (finely minced, mouth-melting meat cutlets), it is the shami kababs that stand out as the true gems.

Kapur shares with us the culinary secrets he acquired from the Nawab's kitchen in Lucknow. "For authentic shami kababs, you cook the meat first and then you hand-pound it. You absolutely never use a meat mincer to make a patty. It is the hand-pounding that makes the kababs juicy, moist and seamlessly dissoluble in our mouths."

Elaborating on the ingredients, he mentions that the proportion of chana daal is supposed to be 10:90, 90 being the minced meat. In Lucknow, the kababs are never deep fried but tawa-fried, unlike what you find in Mumbai kitchens. "Where people goof up is when they assume shami kabab to be a cocktail snack. They fry shami kababs and serve it with chutneys at their soirees - which becomes an innovative dish and not the authentic dish itself" remarks Kapur.

The debate on food innovations is a heated one that is capable of touching the chef's raw nerves. And, rightfully so - chefs are the medium through which culinary practices get passed on from generation to generation. As custodians of age-old gastronomic wisdom, they preserve the culinary heritage that evolved in India's expansive landscape, marked by cultural diversity but united by a shared passion for food.

In order to spice things up, we quiz him: Shami or galawati? To which he says, both, "I am able to enjoy the variations given my hunger and mood." We quiz him again on a pro tip to enhance any dish. Kapur blurts without thinking, "Freshness of ingredients! It doesn't matter what recipe you choose, if your ingredients are raw and crisp - your dish will automatically stand out."

Fancy a chaat Hummus?
‘Pincodes' is not just a symphony of Indian kitchens. Through this eclectic menu, Kapur has made an effort to infuse flavours from the Middle East and the Levant. Since the first ‘pincode' was launched in Dubai, he was inclined to pick up their signature delicacy - The hummus. In a rather radical move, chef Kunal has dished ‘Chaat Hummus' which is the marriage of taste bud-stimulating flavours from the core of India and Dubai.

Naturally, we had to try it out. The Chaat Hummus (122002) arrived with a chickpea spread twisted with the tangy raw mango infusion. The hummus was flavoured with chaat and chutney, topped with farsaan, and papdi on the side. A bite into it was a series of realisation, reflection and revelry. For a moment, we forgot what we were chewing and just soaked in the flavour outburst. Amaze would be an understatement for the unique blend of papdi dipped in creamy hummus.

On a personal level, Chef Kunal loves to devour chaat. So, we spice things up again with a rapid one: Delhi chaat or Bombay chaat? And bang came the answer: "Delhi does it better!" We held a moment of silence for obvious reasons. At this point, there was no going back, and the mother of all chaats - The Delhi chaat pulled a +1 in the timeless trial.

However, the loyalists will remain loyalists and for legitimate reasons. We have grown up consuming food prepared with localised techniques and thereby, acquired tastes over a period of time. Hence, every nook and corner will find patrons for the customary regional flavours.

Commenting on Mumbai's cosmopolitan nature, Kunal says that we cannot really typecast the cuisine of Mumbai. "Just like the heart of Mumbai, we have to keep the cuisines wide open. Here, the acceptance level for newcomers, communities and food palates is exceptionally high. The city has historically been a melting pot of cultures, languages, and traditions which imparts it a diverse flavour. This necessitates a mixed gastronomical experience that I wish to serve."

Every food item on the menu whispers the scents and hues of India's culinary geography. Springing from Kapur's travels spanning two decades, he tells us, "The menu is an attempt to map delectable bites across 6 pre-Independence era regions - There is a strong influence of Old Delhi, there is a bit of Hyderabad and Lucknow. We have also secured the iconic Punjabi Chole, Chur Chur Naan. A little bit of Bengal and a lot of Kerala-infused flavours find a place on the spread."