Avatara Dubai will open its doors in Juhu this November. Its executive chef, Rahul Rana decodes the philosophy of the world’s only vegetarian Indian-cuisine restaurant with a Michelin star, reveals his love for sourcing eclectic Indian ingredients, and what’s on the Mumbai menu
Naivedhya or holy offering
It's a few hours before service, and the kitchen is abuzz. The world’s first Indian cuisine vegetarian restaurant to have been awarded a Michelin star, Dubai’s Avatara is doing a showcase at Pune’s Conrad Hotel, with a 15-course pop-up meal. The event was crafted by Conosh, a Bengaluru-based platform that curates unique dining experiences with international chefs. “The team from Conosh approached us to host this pop-up in Pune in April, even before we won the star. The Michelin win happened in May,” reveals Rahul Rana, Avatara’s executive chef. The restaurant is part of the Passion F&B group, the parent company to Trèsind (Mumbai and Dubai) and Trèsind Studio in Dubai, among other restaurants.
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Avatara’s specials are a tribute to India’s diversity. The amuse-bouche is a combination of makhan malai (freshly churned butter) with popping mishri (rock sugar), saffron and panchamrita, inspired by the food that’s offered to the gods. There’s panasa, a jackfruit momo with sea buckthorn thukpa and black rice papad that celebrates Northeastern India; karuvelvilas is a delightful ghee roast karela with a mango sambar gelato and dosai crisp from South India; dalika, a horse gram curry with ragi bhatura and jakhiya aloo, is a hat tip to the chef’s home state — Uttarakhand. Gujarat finds representation in a unique version of jalebi-fafda, butternut dhokla and khandvi ice cream. There’s also a modern take on the humble khichdi.
Panasa or jackfruit
The dishes are meticulously crafted and almost too pretty to eat, while the flavours blend familiarity with surprise. “When you travel to showcase your food, you find new ingredients, get educated, and also educate patrons. We are opening an outpost in Mumbai this November,” the chef confirms. Intrigued, we chat with chef Rana to find out more. Excerpts from the interview.
What can we expect at Avatara Mumbai?
We are excited. At Trèsind in Mumbai too, we noticed that it’s a 60-40 split between the non-vegetarian and vegetarian patrons. There’s huge scope for an imaginative vegetarian fine-dining experience. Chef Sanket Joshi is most likely to head the Mumbai outpost, while I will be in the city to set up the restaurant initially. There will be a 16-course vegetarian tasting menu, cooked without onion and garlic. This will include a selection from our previous menu, and present menu with new dishes. There will be a live kitchen, like in Dubai, where people can interact with the chef during their visit.
Chef Rahul Rana
What inspired you to start an Indian vegetarian restaurant in Dubai?
In the past, I’ve worked with various concepts across restaurants. However, I’ve always felt that vegetarian food doesn’t always get the appreciation it deserves. I hail from Rishikesh where I grew up in a predominantly vegetarian community, which exposed me to a varied cuisine where different possibilities can be explored. It was a conscious decision to steer clear of onion, garlic, paneer and mushroom. Instead, we chose turnips and bitter gourd as hero ingredients. The menu is inspired by fresh and seasonal ingredients. Tradition and innovation always go hand in hand. When people dine out, they expect a certain level of creativity. Here, we innovate while keeping traditional flavours and taste in mind. Take the example of the sea buckthorn thukpa and the jackfruit momo; if you visit the North East, it’s a common perception that people there are predominantly meat eaters. In their homes, however, vegetables are a staple, and jackfruit is one of them. Our take on the thukpa has sea buckthorn berries. I tasted it for the first time in Russia, and later discovered that it grows in Ladakh too.
Even vegetarians don’t usually order karela and lauki at a restaurant. Bitterness is the flavour profile of the karela so people tend to reduce it while cooking. I wanted to retain the flavour as part of the aftertaste. Lentils are sourced from my hometown. The jakhiya (wild mustard) is also not easily available, and found only in Uttarakhand. Most importantly, we should be aware that these ingredients form a part of Indian cuisine.
Karuvelvilas or bitter gourd served on the menu
You have an interesting take on the khichdi where the presentation includes a world map. Tell us about the process?
Seven to eight months ago, I discovered that the first world map was created by an Indian during the time of the Mahabharata. I have always been interested in the history of Indian food, and so I began researching the food available at the time. When the Pandavas were exiled to the forest, they would visit the homes of the villagers and request food. In the bag, people would put all kinds of ingredients such as rice, vegetables and lentils.
When they returned home, they would empty the bag and cook all the ingredients together. That’s how khichdi originated. Khichdi in a bite is an ode to that. Naivedhya has a great significance in Indian culture; it stands for offerings to God. People tend to often confuse it with prasad. Whenever we consume food, we first offer it to God; this is naivedya. Once the food is blessed and we eat it, it is referred to as prasadam. In India, we also believe that before you start something good, you must sweeten the palate. This is a constant on our menu.
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