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| A sprinkle and a dash |
| Abhilasha Ojha / New Delhi May 03, 2009, 00:34 IST |
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Fashion retailer Shaan Thadani's kitchen is alive with flavours.
I’ve had a miserable time with the traffic, and by the time I reach Shaan Thadani’s residence, I’m fuming. But the mood changes quickly when I am offered a chilled glass of water and sink into a comfortable chair on Thadani’s terrace, which is lush green with plants — all freshly watered. The space even has a little kitchen area.
The setting is perfect, I tell Thadani, my gaze resting on the tinkling windchimes that hang in various parts of the terrace. We settle comfortably and Thadani talks about his influences in the kitchen. “My parents are foodies,” he confesses, revealing that they travel on holidays to different destinations to learn to cook. So, Parsi dishes, French and Italian fare, palate-tingling Chinese or authentic Indian cuisine — the Thadani kitchen is always a riot of flavours.
“My earliest memory of food is of peering into the kitchen as a little boy and watching Sindhi food being prepared,” he laughs.
“I love experimenting with ingredients,” he laughs again, and decides to do an impromptu demonstration of the influences from across the world in his kitchen. “Take some oil in a pan and throw in some cumin seeds. Take a guava, cut it and simply mix it in. It’ll give a gorgeous orange colour and you can sprinkle some black salt and a dash of lemon perhaps. That’s it.” I agree that it’s a step beyond cutting fruit and sprinkling some salt over it.
Thadani, whose venture, White, started a few months ago in Delhi’s Hauz Khas village, stock designs from about 30-odd designers, including Namrata Joshipura, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Gauri and Nainika, Sonam Dubal, Rabani and Rakha, Siddarth Tytler, J brand Jeans, Seven Jeans, Starfish and E.vil. Thadani says that the idea behind White was to offer people Western wear. “I didn’t want fusion or Indian, we stock pure Western wear,” says Thadani, who is looking at taking White to other metros too. But do we need White when we already have Ogaan, Kimaya and similar outlets? “I suppose we sensed the need and that’s why we are here,” says Thadani, who admits that the current economic scenario has put the brakes on his expansion plans for now.
“I’m amazed at the response we get for some of our younger designers, as compared to the seasoned lot,” he laughs, rushing into the kitchen to stir the dish that he’s preparing for us. He then adds: “You must come back to try my home-made pizzas someday,” while setting his dish on the table.
“Today you can try this Parsi dish — a combination of eggs and potatoes that is simple to prepare. It is a hit when my friends come home,” he says.
FAVOURITE RECIPE
PARSI STYLE POTATOES WITH EGGS
200 gm medium-sized potatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
20-30 fresh curry leaves
3-4 fresh green chillies,
slit lengthwise
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon turmeric
3 large eggs, separated
¼ cup water
Cover the potatoes with water, stir in one tablespoon of salt. Let it simmer and boil. Once done, drain and let the potatoes cool. Peel the potatoes, then quarter and cut into half inch-thick slices. Heat oil in a wok and add mustard and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds begin to pop, add curry leaves and green chillies and stir. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add turmeric and one-and-a-half teaspoonfuls of salt, then add potatoes and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender. In the meantime, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks. Lightly beat yolks with a fork, then stir in a spoonful of beaten whites to lighten them. Fold in remaining whites. Spread eggs evenly over the surface of potatoes. Garnish with lime wedges and roasted cashews. Serve hot.
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