India’slargestcityoffersa worldofglobalflavoursifyouknow
wheretolook. PRATEEK SADHU shares his insider tips.
A CHEF’SGUIDETO...
Mumbai, India
A
t hisMumbairestaurantMasque– recently
namedthisyear’sOneToWatchbyAsia’s
50 BestRestaurants– chefPrateekSadhu
sharesstoriesaboutIndia,includinghis
own.BorninJammuandKashmir,Sadhugrewup
aroundfarms,foodandaccomplishedfamilycooks.
Afterhoninghiscraftat high-poweredinternational
kitchens,includingPerSe,AlineaandNoma,he
returnedhomeandbeganearnestlychampioning
farmers and artisans around the country. Sadhu’s
Mumbaihit-listmirrorshisown
internationaltaleandincludes
everythingfromregionalIndian
favouritestocontemporary
American cooking.More than just curry
OneofthebiggestmessagesI keep
reiteratingis thatIndiaisn’tjusta
curry nation. We’re beyond curry.We’rebeyondchickentikkamasala.
We’rebeyondnaan.Indiaisn’tjust
onedish.Indianfoodis 29statesand
everystatehasitsowncuisine.Even
thoughMumbaiis overwhelming,
it’sa goodintroductionbecauseyou
can– if youlookhardenough– get
anyregionalstyleofIndianfood.
It’sreallyimportanttodropyour
perceptionsandjustcomewithan
openmindandanopenheart.If
you’reclosed,you’llfindit difficult
toadjust.Justaccepthowthecityis.
It’scrowded,yes.It’snoisy,yes.But
if you accept it, you’ll have a blast.Mumbai breakfast
Myfavouritebreakfastplaceis Café
Madras,whichspecialisesinSouth
Indianbreakfasts.It’saninstitution
and has been there since the early