~Invited Session~
The Holi festival is a
representation of the arrival of spring after winter, and the triumph of light
over darkness.
The playful nature of the
festival is also an enactment of a game the Hindu god Lord Krishna played with
his consort Radha and the gopis, or milkmaids. The story
represents the candidness of the gods but also touches on deeper themes:
of the marching of time in the passing of the seasons, and the illusory nature
of the material world.
Chef de Cuisine Kuldeep Negi captures this
playfulness with his take on the Holi festival with a special Holi menu.
Dahi
Bhalla Padpi Chaat, or deep-fried lentil dumplings, crispy fried bread,
tamarind chutney, sweet yogurt, and pomegranate.
Chef
Kuldeep always opens with a blast and this welcome dish is an explosion of
flavors and textures: sweet and sour, chewy and crispy, and I feel that
this is the summary of his interpretation of the meaning behind holi
festival in one single dish.
Tangdi Kebab and Jhinga Till
Pakora, or Spicy-tandoori grilled leg and deep fried prawn with sesame
seeds
The first appetiser whets your appetite with
teasing flavors of smoked chicken, and the nutty and sweet freshness of
the prawn. It is a sign of things to come and the ride will certainly get more
and more interesting from here.
Chole Kulche, or Chickpea Masala curry with naan, pickled onion, and cucumber
I
love Gyros and if I closed my eyes and popped this into my mouth, this would’ve
fooled me thinking that it is a really great rendition albeit with maybe
some Punjabi cuisine influences. The naan is fluffy and fragrant, and the
vegetables are pickled with finesse and leaves you relishing for
more.
Murgh Lazzez, or Chicken breast in almond and cashew nut gravy with saffron and spices
This
is a refreshing change to curry. The nutty gravy of cashew and almond is a
great compliment to the juicy chicken and frankly I nearly finished a plate of
naan with this delicious gravy.
Darbari Gosht, or Lamb chop in onions, coriander seeds and cardamon curry
For
me, this was the best dish of the night. Chef Kuldeep always does great things
with lamb dishes and I feel that very few chefs in Singapore can do a
better lamb dish than him.
Smoky
and tender lamb that is first baked and then doused in a pleasantly spicy curry
flavored with toasted coriander and cardamon, and is great with both
naan and basmati rice.
I
had second helpings of this.
Tawa
fish, or pan-seared barramundi with mint and coriander paste
Chef
Kuldeep also does excellent grilled fish dishes and this is flavorful but light
enough to be a dish eaten on its own. It’s a
great juxtaposition to the other two heavily-flavored main dishes.
Masala Charmagaj Naan and Laccha Paratha, or White flour bed with melon seed and spices, and Flaky wheat bread
It
pains me to have to choose what kind of naan I want to eat here at the Tiffin
Room, because Chef Kuldeep is extremely creative in combining traditional
naans with different regional subtypes and their seasonal
ingredients, and everything is so damn good.
Fragrant, chewy, fluffy, sweet and savory, all at the same time. I just can’t pick one favorite.
Jeera Rice, or Indian basmati rice with cumin seeds
If
you want to have a slightly less carb-heavy option, go for the basmatic rice. It
is highly aromatic with roasted cumin and onion flavors infused into the
rice, thick with heavenly flavors of clarified ghee.
Never be shy at a great Indian meal!
Paan Rasgulla, or betel leaf flavored cheese dumplings
I
never had a sweet cheese dumpling dessert before and I had to say this was a
really nice end to the meal.
The
cheese is very light and is almost like a yogurt dip; the piquant nuttiness of
the betel leaf is a great foil to the sweetness of this dish.
Pista Gujia and Gur Parre, or Traditional sweet dumplings with coconut and dried fruits, and jaggery bites
I
would imagine these would be great snacks on their own.
The
Pista Guijia is like a sweet puff pastry that goes with great with a strong
black coffee, the Gur Parre are sugar coated pieces of fried dough that is
surely popular with young children.
Once
again, Chef Kuldeep has shown the depth of this repertoire with his
interpretation of Holi in his new menu.
Be
sure to reserve your spots from 5 March to 19 March onwards.
The menu and also its vegetarian version, which I did not try, is available for both lunch and dinner daily.
Comments
Post a Comment