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Humble Khichdi's a
National Icon Even Without Branding
Top chefs liken it to soul
food; its many avatars are loved by rich and poor alike
The government may have stirred up
more than an 800 kg pot at the World Food India expo on the India Gate lawns
in New Delhi by mooting khichdi as `Brand India Food' if not a national dish.
Some think it's too “modest' (read downmarket) to represent Incredible India;
others say no dish can be elevated to `National' status.But everyone has an
opinion on khichdi, and a recipe too.
London-based
Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia calls khichdi “soul food“ and Sir Mick
Jagger orders it every time he goes to Indian Accent's New York outlet.
Interestingly , Ritu Dalmia, who avers no one dish can represent all of
India, has included a Bengali Khichuri with Bhaja (fritters) at her newly
opened Cittamani in Milan, a city renowned for its Italian khichdisaffron
infused risotto.
All the way from
the two Michelin-starred Campton Place in San Francisco, Taj Chef Srijith
Gopinathan enthuses that “Khichdi has style and substance, is eaten by the
poor and the rich and can be healthy or indulgent...When I put fresh corn
khichdi with chanterelle mushrooms and green pea poppadoms on the menu last
summer it was a super hit among both locals as well as Indians!“ Mythology
has it that Shiva loved khichdi; foreign travellers have recorded Mughal
emperors also did. Even the British concocted their own version with flaked
fish and boiled eggs and called it kedgeree. Every Indian family, rich or
poor, has its own recipe. Its sheer versatility and the fact that it has
avatars across India makes it an obvious candidate for pan-Indian status, pun
intended.
It is probably It
is probably one of the oldest dishes in India, not only because ancient texts
allude to it but because it's so simple to make. The irrepressible Gaggan
Anand of Bangkok's Gaggan restaurant once quip ped, “Why would you want
risotto when khichdi is better?“ But Dalmia echoes many Indians when she says
“I love khichdi, but does it truly represent the whole country?“ Some say it
does. “Not only every region, but every community in India has a
version.Khichra is served at dargahs and khichri at temples, and it is a
festival food at many places,“ says Indian Accent's Manish Mehrotra, whose
`Bengal Rice Khichdi', crispy lentils, smoked papad' captivated Jagger.
“Besides having an amazing array of possibilities in terms of texture and
flavour, khichdi has massive nostalgia value,“ he added.
The success of one
of Chef Manu Chandra's earliest innovations, Butter Chicken Khichdi
underlines the strong pull factor of both iconic elements. And veteran Chef
Sriram Aylur of the Michelin starred of Quilon restaurant at the Taj group's
51 Buckingham Gate London property calls it “a great comfort food“ and whips
up light or rich versions for the hotel's upscale Indian regulars very often.
“Khichdi is a
wonderful one pot meal,“ says Aylur. “Because of its subtle nature it can be
mixed with spices, vegetables and seafood, etc. We are happy to oblige when
requests come as then we also get to have some! We sometimes put khichdi in
our tasting menu, with seafood and fresh crushed chillies or with spring
vegetables, in individual serving pots. Khichdi will never go out of
fashion!“ Social media has been buzzing with food bloggers and home cooks
weighing in on both sides. Sentiment seems to be dependent on region, with
many north Indians dismissing khichdi as bland, “illness-food“, south Indians
appreciating the comfort of savoury Pongal and Bisibele Bhaath, and Bengalis
singing paeans to ghee-dripping khichuri with crisp fried hilsa during the
monsoon.
Actually , one
could liken khichdi to the LBD (little black dress): appropriate for all
occasions, depending on the accessories... And khichdi is undoubtedly a
metaphor for India -a diverse mishmash of flavours and textures, coalescing
into a composite, comforting dish for people of all ages and incomes, whether
that 800 kg pot of it at India Gate actually achieves a world record or not!
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Reshmi
Dasgupta
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Nov
04 2017 : The Economic Times (Mumbai)
New Delhi:
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