This pop-up in Mumbai reimagines Indian iterations of cacao

Last mango season chef Gokul Kumar aka Goku hosted a popup celebrating the fruit mdash leaf wood seed blossom and all mdash across nine courses This year he focuses on cacao with Uncharted Terroir with Chef Goku at Magazine St Kitchen in association with Patricia Cosma and the Indian Craft Chocolate Festival in collaboration with craft chocolate producers nationwideA cacao pod PICS COURTESYGOKUL KUMARldquoIndian cacao has long been overlooked globally and at homerdquo he says ldquoMost farms some over four generations old have grown for big brands with little focus on quality or craft The farmers I met in Pollachi Tamil Nadu are hesitant to shift mdash but awareness is the first step Therersquos a market now Itrsquos time we tap into itrdquoMeanwhile global cacao is facing a crisis Prices are soaring due to crop failures in West Africa mdash where most of the worldrsquos supply comes from mdash driven by climate change ageing trees and disease And yet Indiarsquos potential remains largely untapped This dinner is his way of changing the narrative ldquoMost chefs I know including myself at one point still default to Belgian chocolate But Indian cacao offers incredible nuance depth and character We havenrsquot explored it enoughrdquoA single cocoa pod takes months of work to grow harvest and process This menu traces its journey through every hand it touches mdash from farmer to forest to plate mdash giving Indian cacao the spotlight it long deservesThe Guidersquos top 5 picks from the tasting menuBread and butter The first course is a nod to the chefrsquos personal journey mdash glutenintolerant and passionate about sourdough Featuring bread made with superior quality wheat from Punjab the course includes chocolate sourdough using Manamrsquos Amaravati Andhra Pradesh singleorigin cacao Itrsquos paired with a vegan cherrycacao butter that lets the subtle acidity of cacao butter shine mdash a playful plantbased take on black forest flavoursYelakkiCheese board The cheese course is a thoughtful play on classic pairings Collaborating with Chennaibased cheesemaker Namrata Sundaresan the chef presents a kokum and cacao nibndashrubbed Manchego aged for depth and complexity Served with guava compote on a filled pastry it pays homage to South American traditions while subtly referencing the Spanish conquest mdash tracing cacaorsquos journey from indigenous hands to European tablesGhana dreams One of the most poignant courses on the menu is a soup rooted in resilience Inspired by African cacao farmers who with little means and unfair wages created a nourishing dish from leftover cacao pods and leaves it speaks to struggle and ingenuity The chef refines this humble grainy intensely flavourful recipe just enough for the plate mdash without stripping away its soul Itrsquos a tribute to the hands that grow cacao and a reminder of the recognition they deserveGokul KumarMayan way This course dives into cacaorsquos origin story through a traditional Oaxacan mole Known as the land of seven moles Oaxaca has long celebrated this rich layered sauce mdash once made without chocolate onion or garlic Only after the Spanish conquest did sweetened cacao find its way into mole changing it forever Much like sambar varies across Indian homes mole is profoundly personal and complex This dish reflects cacaorsquos transformation across cultures and time mdash a story of adaptation survival and the quiet power of food to carry historyYelakki The final course is a playful ode to elaki mdash the tiny sweet banana from Tamil Nadu and Kerala At first glance it looks like a banana but itrsquos entirely made of chocolate filled with a bananarum mousse It also features cupuaccedilu a Brazilian cousin of cacao with a coconutlike shell and rich tangy notes Shared by a friend from Brazil it adds a unique twist to this dish This dessert is all about surprise and nostalgia mdash a familiar flavour reimagined to end the meal with a sense of wonder A reminder that cacao like stories can take many formsON April 11 and 12 730 pm to 1030 pmAT Magazine St Kitchen BycullaCOST 3750 exclusive of taxesCALL 9987897207 to book a slotatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params