Good chives only

The menu features jackfruit massaman curry, amaranth bhel, cassava chips, kokum ketchup and lemon and coconut cake made with nolen gur

Over the past couple of months, Chef Himanshu Taneja, culinary director-South Asia, Marriott International, has noticed a steady rise in his energy levels. He has also shed a few kilos and is able to concentrate better on the tasks at hand. "There was a time when it would take a lot of time for me to get into my morning mode. But these days, I'm up at 5 am, and I feel fresh. I also feel hungrier, but then again my metabolism is much better so the food gets digested faster," he says. In November last year, Taneja took a plant-based plunge. When you're on the opposite end of the spectrum, incorporating a meat-less diet can take a little getting used to. But its benefits outweighed the challenges, he asserts.

Chefs were asked to include ingredients such as amaranth, lotus stem, jackfruit, gucchi, gondhoraj lebu, kokum, colocasia, foxtail millet, gooseberry and nolen gur in the dishes. Pics/Bipin Kokate

It's no surprise then that the chef has chosen to give Mood Diets 2.0, a menu conceptualised keeping in mind the nutritional requirements and fluctuating moods of people, a vegan spin. The initiative was launched last year by the Marriott International on a small scale. Its success inspired the hospitality brand to take it a notch up. Its second edition is inspired by the flavours of India and is aligned with the global trend of sustainability. Research tells us that plant-based diets are associated with healthier mood states attributed to the antioxidants and disease-protective bioactive chemical compounds that are produced by plants. "Therefore, the more fruits and vegetables people eat, the happier, and more satisfied you will be. Moreover, it's also good for the environment.

This is as much an awareness building campaign as it is about nourishing food," says Taneja. To make the menu a true reflection of the diverse flavours and authentic cooking styles from across India, they launched a crowd-sourcing contest and invited chefs to send in entries for the final menu, which launched last week. Participants were given a list of healthy ingredients that they had to incorporate in the dishes in an innovative manner. These include amaranth, lotus stem, jackfruit, gucchi, gondhoraj Lebu, kokum, colocasia, foxtail millet, gooseberry and nolen gur.

Chef Amitesh Virdi is the executive chef at JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa and one of the participants to submit an entry. His creation, the Mapo tofu heavy chilli sauce is a condiment which, he says, has a numbing kind of spiciness, characteristic of Sichuan food. "The sauce is pleasingly oily, which amplifies the spiciness and flavour. It also has a deep savouriness, thanks to the umami from the Doubanjiang." Its hero ingredient is the tofu or bean curd extracted from soya. "It's made by curdling fresh soya milk, then pressing it into a solid block and lastly, cooling it." Soy products like tofu contain natural compounds called Isoflavones which are also often described as being phyto-oestrogens, and can help alleviate peri-menopausal symptoms such as poor mood and hot flushes.

Chef Himanshu Taneja

Chef Piyush Mishra, executive Chef - Le Meridien Jaipur Resort & Spa, chose the crowd favourite jackfruit and incorporated it in the Massaman curry. The one-pot vegan Thai curry comes with a rich and silky texture. "Massaman curry is actually believed to have Persian roots.The sweet, tangy, spicy and salty flavours make it a very vibrant recipe. The jackfruit chunks add chewy meatiness, and all of it is drowned in a flavourful peanut-coconut sauce," he says. Research shows that people having trouble with their temperament should use jackfruit as a way to regulate their mood as it contains several nutrients that make this possible, including pyridoxine and norepinephrine. "Our body digests and absorbs jackfruit more slowly than some other foods. That means blood sugar won't rise as quickly as it might when you eat other fruits. The potassium in this tropical fruit could help lower your blood pressure, which can help stave off heart disease, stroke, and bone loss. Phytonutrients found in jackfruit, are natural compounds that have cancer-fighting benefits, such as preventing cancer cells from forming in your body."