Global cuisines get a desi touch

Of late, the food scene in the city has been growing and improving by leaps and bounds much to the delight of diners. An interesting trend that can be observed is that restaurants have been going an extra mile to serve Jain versions of certain dishes. Global cuisines such as Chinese, Italian and Belgian too can be seen taking on this desi avatar. Well, this is a phenomenon to which we can confidently say ‘it happens only in India’!

Food blogger Ekta Kothari begins by sharing what the Jain community believes in and why it’s important for them to refrain from consuming a particular food group. “90-95 per cent of Jains believe in eating produce that grows only above the ground. Potato, onion, ginger, carrot, beetroot, garlic, broccoli and so on, which are root vegetables, are avoided. When we pull these vegetable out, we may kill the insects that are underground. So we make a conscious choice to live and let live by not eating such produce,” she explains.

Naturally, it becomes difficult for her family and others in the community to dine outside. “You won’t believe it but some people don’t step into restaurants that serve non-vegetarian food. In the pure vegetarian eateries too, we can order only two-three dishes and people like my mother find it difficult to eat even South Indian food because it has ginger in it,” she says. However, it’s simpler these days to find Jain versions of everything right from sambar and chutney to chowmein, “And it tastes absolutely amazing,” assures Ekta.

Restaurants such as The Rolling Pin, which serves global cuisines, and Quattro that specialises in Italian, ensure to add alternatives to some of the dishes for their Jain customers. The managing director of both the eateries, Shruti Bokdia, tells us, “60 per cent of our customers are Jains and Gujaratis — because they can relish dishes from across the world without worrying if its conducive to their beliefs, they become repeat customers.” 

While the Oriental rice bowls are a hit in the former, taquitos are a favourite in Quattro. “The rice bowls come in a variety of options like red rice, black rice or brown rice with sauces like BBQ, sweet-n-spicy or hot-n-sour. Diners can choose their own veggies such as edamame, snow peas, bok choy and so on. Khow Suey, which is a Burmese dish, also has a Jain alternative,” she shares. But aren’t ginger and garlic essential to the Oriental cuisine? Shruti replies, “We use kaffir lime as an alternative because it adds a really good flavour.” 

As for taquitos, they are tortilla cones filled with Mexican beans and avocado ice cream. She says, “It is almost Jain by default because there’s no use of ginger or garlic. The beans are cooked in pelati tomato gravy, which enhances the taste. So, instead of using condiments, we play up flavours of the main ingredients.” 

To top it all, desserts are getting a Jain spin too — take The Belgian Waffle and Co. for instance. It is run by Shantanu Jain, who says, “Belgian Chocolate Milk and Naked Nutella are two of the signature flavours preferred by customers. It is 100 per cent vegetarian and we don’t use any imported ingredients or eggs to make the batter. For those like my family and relatives, it is the perfect option because it satisfies the cravings for waffles and ice-cream and doesn’t interfere with their beliefs at the same time.”