I could say it over and over again, The Park is one of the few (in fact three) hotels that host fabulous food festivals and rarely do I see a run-of-the-mill kind here. After a fantastic Kashmiri Pundit food festival, this time they are back with a rather interesting one playing around with heritage rice. Partnering with Aim for Seva and Spirit of Earth, an NGO that preserves and cultivates heritage varieties of rice, the chefs here have worked hard to showcase rice without falling for the current wellness trap that is positioning rice as a villain! Kudos to that.
What they've also done is they've not stuck to Indian dishes, but have taken a world wide approach to show the spectrum of cooking that can be done with our heritage rice varieties without upsetting the flavours or textures that the original dishes are known for. Now, that is a lot of work.
Take the soup for example, the Portuguese flavoured soup, caldo verde, with spinach, artichokes, chicken chorizo and a rice called the Karun Karuvai. Very continental flavours and no one can pick holes on the health quotient. Our very own Bisi Bela Bath inspired dish, with a rice variety called the Acharmati, but made with broccoli and asparagus, with shallot sambar poured on top. Mix it up and you have your bisi bela bath!
Things then take a French-Italian turn, with the pistachio chicken, made with a Chak Hao Poreiton rice. The rice, rightfully takes a back seat to the chicken, in the form of a edamame risotto that works beautifully with the brilliant gastrique orange rice sauce. Matters then travels to the Mediterranean, with a tagine cooked New Zealand lamb chops and a Turkish pilaf rice. Both times, the rice is not forced to be the hero dish and that is the success of this festival, doing the dishes without messing the classics too much and showcasing where different rice varieties can be used.
Thooyamalli, which literally translates to Pure Jasmine, because of the way the rice looks, is used for dessert, a quirky cheese cake, that is a deviation from the other dishes simply because it messes with the classic. But it has been messed with correctly, so it works. The rice settles to the bottom and hence has a clear bottom layer while the almond rabdi renders it clearly Indian. A perfect way to finish the meal.
The festival is on till the 18th of August. Insider tip - Ask for a degustation menu, that is the best way to enjoy this. Though it is not on display, they are happy to make a degustation menu on request.
Take the soup for example, the Portuguese flavoured soup, caldo verde, with spinach, artichokes, chicken chorizo and a rice called the Karun Karuvai. Very continental flavours and no one can pick holes on the health quotient. Our very own Bisi Bela Bath inspired dish, with a rice variety called the Acharmati, but made with broccoli and asparagus, with shallot sambar poured on top. Mix it up and you have your bisi bela bath!
Things then take a French-Italian turn, with the pistachio chicken, made with a Chak Hao Poreiton rice. The rice, rightfully takes a back seat to the chicken, in the form of a edamame risotto that works beautifully with the brilliant gastrique orange rice sauce. Matters then travels to the Mediterranean, with a tagine cooked New Zealand lamb chops and a Turkish pilaf rice. Both times, the rice is not forced to be the hero dish and that is the success of this festival, doing the dishes without messing the classics too much and showcasing where different rice varieties can be used.
Thooyamalli, which literally translates to Pure Jasmine, because of the way the rice looks, is used for dessert, a quirky cheese cake, that is a deviation from the other dishes simply because it messes with the classic. But it has been messed with correctly, so it works. The rice settles to the bottom and hence has a clear bottom layer while the almond rabdi renders it clearly Indian. A perfect way to finish the meal.
The festival is on till the 18th of August. Insider tip - Ask for a degustation menu, that is the best way to enjoy this. Though it is not on display, they are happy to make a degustation menu on request.
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