When bacon beckons

As Australia celebrates National Bacon Week, here are five porky dishes you should order. Plus, how to treat cured meat in your kitchen

Cheesy kulcha

If you've visited Darjeeling and been brave enough to try the sharp version of the ema datchi, which may not have been easy on your nose at first, then you're familiar with aged Kalimpong cheese. This Lower Parel eatery, which sources it from the hill station, is serving the cheese with bacon, stuffed in a kulcha. "We wanted to highlight an indigenous Indian artisanal cheese in the form of something familiar and at the same time, delicious. Kalimpong cheese is a semi-soft cheese from the West Bengal town that ripens as it ages into an aromatic yet delicate cheese. It melts inside the kulcha," chef-partner Thomas Zacharias tell us.

At The Bombay Canteen, unit-1, SB Road, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel.
Time 12 pm to 1 am
Call 49666666
Cost Rs 250

Healthy brekkie

Keto bacon and cheddar omelette. Pics/Sameer Abedi

If healthy eating is your mantra, this restaurant helps you gi­ve it the ideal start at bre­a­k­fast. The Keto bacon and ch­e­ddar omelette in their new Keto menu, served with sautéed veggies, is a rendition of the classic bacon and eggs. "The flavours play off each other. The bacon is the hero of the dish, thanks to the burst of flavour it lends to the dish. The bacon is diced and then cooked in a pan before using it in the omelette. Frying the bacon in a cold pan allows the fat to render out," says Sandip Dalvi, head chef at the eatery.

Sandip Dalvi

At Jamjar Diner, 133, Gazebo House, Hill Road, Bandra West; and Andheri West.
Time 9 am to 1 am
Call 26415555
Cost Rs 350

Nuts about Nutella

Smoked bacon with sea salt Nutella, maple syrup and bacon fat-soaked toast

There's a lot of work that goes into this dish — 12 days, dry cured and aged, smoked crispy bacon served with sea salt Nutella, maple syrup and bacon fat-soaked toast. It is cold smoked in the offset smoker with apple wood for four hours, cured for four days at 12°C and massaged twice a day. "We observed bacon elevating the simplest of dishes and decided it was time it got a dish of its own. Our 1/4 pounder, cured and aged for 12 days is sliced thin, streaky, smoked and crispy. The sweet-salty dips balance the cured and aged funk, umami and fat of the bacon," explains Siddharth Kashyap, head chef at the eatery. They also sprinkle smoked chilli powder or house hot sauce on request.

Siddharth Kashyap

At The Boston Butt, Shop 5 and 6, A wing, Gasper Enclave, Dr Ambedkar Road, Bandra West.
Time 6 pm to 1.30 am
Call 26513838
Cost Rs 695

Board the pineapple express

Maple glazed bacon wrapped pineapple

There are two kinds of people in the world — those who love pineapple on their pizza, and those who can't stand the thought of it. Well, this Lower Parel eatery is putting that debate to rest with its maple glazed bacon wrapped pineapple. The spicy fruit chunks wrapped in maple-glazed bacon is served with cheese sauce and green apple pineapple tequila salsa. "The saltiness of the bacon marries perfectly with the sweetness of the maple syrup and roasted pineapple. The crispy bacon fat complements the acidity of the pineapple," says Nagraj Bhat, executive head chef at the restaurant.

Nagraj Bhat

At London Taxi, Kamala Mills Compound, A wing, Trade Centre, Lower Parel.
Time 12 pm to 1.30 am
Call 7710082222
Cost Rs 345

Gyoza garnish

Gyoza with bacon garnish

If you enjoy pork-based cold cuts, this pan-seared gyoza st­u­ffed with pork shoulder and fat available at a diner in Colaba will get your vote. It comes garnished with crisp bacon. The bacon is cooked at 120 degrees for 40 minutes, allowing the fat to render out, which hel­ps it become crispy. "Bacon has an intense fl­a­vour and is salty. Hence, we have only used a little for garnish so that it adds to the flavour but doesn't overpower the taste of the dish. It also adds a crunch to the texture," sa­ys executive chef Nikhil Ajay Abhyankar.

Nikhil Ajay Abhyankar

At Miss T, 4, Apollo Bunder, Colaba.
Time 12 pm to 3.30 pm; 7 pm to 1 am
Call 22801144
Cost Rs 495

DIY at home

. There are two types of bacon — made with meat from the belly called streaky bacon with 40 per cent fat — and other that uses meat from the loin and has 25 per cent fat. Streaky is the crispy version but this isn't commonly made in India.
. Start cooking it on low heat or cook it for a long time, using minimum oil. If not, it doesn't render properly, leaving raw fat, which makes it chewy.
. You can use the excess bacon oil to cook other dishes. The oil makes the pan smooth and non-stick.
. Don't place frozen bacon directly on the pan. Let it thaw for 15 minutes. Cook for 40 minutes in slow heat.
. Don't overcrowd the pan with too many bacon strips.

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