Mumbai food: A home cook combines his love for travel and food to host his debut pop-up

Cous Cous and Prawns Salad

Over the last two years, Bandra resident Yatin Khanwalkar's kitchen has been wafting with scents and flavours from different parts of the world, whether it is Okra Gumbo, a dish from New Orleans or a Chorizo and Potato stew that's a staple in Spain. The reason: The 41-year-old marketing executive, who moonlights as a home cook, has been experimenting with dishes he has tried during his sojourns across the world in the past decade. These include Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand in Southeast Asia, London and other parts of the UK, New Orleans in USA and winters and summers spent in the snow-capped Ladakh.

Spanish Chorizo And Potatoes u00c2u0088Stew served with veggies and Sourdough bread

Now, Khanwalkar is set to whip up a three-course meal at the debut pop-up of The Storyteller's Kitchen, a concept he has launched with help from associate, Radhika Sirkhell. "It is a tribute to all the food we have eaten through our travels. We plan to host them once every two months," says Khanwalkar.

A meaty mix
Born and bred in Pune, Khanwalkar took to cooking at the age of seven, helping his mother peel potatoes. Once he migrated to Mumbai in 2007, he would regularly host friends and colleagues over for Indian and European dinners.

At the pop-up titled, Meat Me@Brunch, he will offer a three-course menu that promises to be a carnivore's feast. The starters include Moroccan-origin Cous Cous and Prawns Salad served with a yoghurt dip, and a platter packed with chilly Goan sausages, herbed chicken and smoked salmon.

Spanish comfort
The mains include Chorizo and Potato Stew served with Sourdough bread. "It looks like the Spanish national flag and is the most popular one-pot meal in Spain. I tried it at a restaurant in London and it was comfort food," says Khanwalkar, who is also going to whip up a classic Italian recipe of Green Pesto With Prawns and serve it with garlic bread.

Chat over kheema
During his student days at the Symbiosis Institute, Khanwalkar would often satiate midnight cravings with platefuls of Kheema Pav at spots near the railway station. He pays ode to the minced meat dish by including it in the pop-up too. "I will also share some interesting stories from those days, besides narrating experiences from my travels. The recipes are a mix of my creativity and what I came across on blogs and on TV shows. I have tried to create my versions of the dishes in terms of the available ingredients but stayed true to the techniques," says Khanwalkar, who is contemplating between South East Asia and New Orleans to map his next pop-up, to be held in January.

On: November 20, 12 pm to 3 pm
At: Foodgasm, Reclamation, Bandra (W).
Log on to: in.explara.com
Cost: 2,000