12 December,2019 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Karishma Kuenzang
Tapioca bravas and shallot chilli aoili
Mahe is a town on India's southwest coast that's one of four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry, surrounded by Kerala. So, it's only natural for it to have influences from the southern state when it comes to food. And chef Sandeep Sreedharan, who co-owns a Goan restaurant named after his hometown, is all set to bring the flavours of Mahe to Mumbai at a pop-up, along with other coastal favourites.
Sandeep Sreedharan
"The menu represents regional coastal food and offers flavours that people may not have been exposed to, besides focusing on what Mahé is all about. For example, people are used to eating pea puree with milk but if you use coconut milk, it's actually creamier. Or the use of the bilimbi fruit as a souring agent instead of imli, can be balanced well with something highly fatty. I grew up eating rasam rice and yogurt or sambhara which is yogurt with curry leaf and ginger. I wanted to introduce those flavours on the plate," Sreedharan tells us.
Preserved aubergine Rechaedo poie
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It's also common for people to eat tapioca in Kerala, but it's cumbersome to prepare. "So, how do you bring simple flavours to the table without jeopardising the ingredients used in creating them? This was the question on my mind while designing this menu," he reveals.
He also has a dish inspired by pickled carrot, cucumber and amla, which is quite common in Mahé. "I used to get a handful from a small shop across my school for one rupee," he adds. Besides this, there is a cured mahi mahi with spiced coconut milk, and preserved aubergine Rechaedo poie, a Goan staple that's been toned down by using aubergine to cut the spice.
Pan-seared fish pea puree, bilimbi jam
He will be sourcing kaima rice to make the biryani from North Kerala, as well as tapioca and small onions. The Rechaedo masala, plantain [used instead of banana], and sardine will be sourced from Goa.
AT The Bistro @ The A, One IndiaBulls, Tower 2A, 8th Floor, Lower Parel.
ON December 13, 8 pm onwards
CALL 226288222
Cost Rs 3,000
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