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ALI KASIM
Savouring the langoustine coated in mustard-based masala, one would be rather shocked to learn that the creator of the dish is a vegetarian.
Renowned Indian wedding food curator Sarita Bazaz will also tell you that she’s never eaten meat in her life.
“I’ve always seen food with my eyes,” she told tabla at a nine-course tasting lunch at fine dining restaurant Rang Mahal last Friday.
“You won’t believe it, but I can see a dish and tell you if it’s lacking salt.”
Ms Sarita has been curating dishes for Indian weddings all over the globe for over three decades, from Mumbai to Copenhagen to the Canary Islands.
Known for her trend-setting menus built on India’s rich tapestry of regional dishes, her clients include a list of who’s who in India, and her team works on an average of 100 weddings a year.
“Once, I got a request from Korean delegates to serve vegetarian Korean dishes. I bought a Korean recipe book of non-vegetarian dishes and converted the dishes to vegetarian. So maybe that’s how I got the hang of doing non-vegetarian food,” she added.
Rang Mahal has launched The Great Indian Celebration Feast, a food promotion built around a classical Indian wedding experience. From April 12 to 21, the feast showcases the rich tapestry of India’s gastronomic diversity from various regions across the country.
Offerings include a five-course Thali ($88++ per pax), a 7-course ($138++) and 9-course ($188++) degustation menu, a buffet feast ($88++adult/ $44++kids) and an a la carte menu.
Ms Sarita has drawn inspiration from navaratna (nine gemstones representing the heavenly planets; it is also a metaphor for a collection of the best nine) for the nine-course degustation menu, which includes ingredients not usually found in Indian cuisine, such as morels and truffles.
Aside from the mustard-based “Langostino Paturi”, the “Himalayan Morels” was another stand-out dish at the tasting. Regarded as one of the world’s costliest mushrooms, the honeycomb-textured caps were stuffed with aged parmesan and goat cheese and finished with truffle salt and truffle oil.
What also impressed was the Thecha Biscuti, a smoked chicken tikka dish with lehsuni palak, crispy garlic chips and mint mango salad.
“Everything is about the fresh ingredients, which is the first and most important thing in my job,” Ms Sarita said. She explained that, when curating for destination weddings, the first thing she does in the new country is to visit the local markets.
“We see what’s on offer and get basic ingredients like yogurt, chilies and oil. We are very particular about the medium of cooking we use, so we’ll never use vegetable oil or soybean oil. We use peanut oil or sunflower oil instead.
“I think mustard oil is very underrated. It is hard to get, especially outside India, but the pungent and pronounced flavour of the mustard oil should really be noted.”
Since its beginnings at the now defunct Oberoi Imperial Hotel in Jalan Rumbia, Rang Mahal – now located at the Pan Pacific hotel – has long had a reputation for being the venue for Indian weddings in Singapore.
Rang Mahal’s managing director Ritu Jhunjhnuwala said the restaurant used to do a lot of weddings before Covid-19, and the eatery is now looking to re-establish that concept.
“Rang Mahal has always had the kind of vibe where people feel that it’s a place for a celebration,” Ms Ritu said. “So in planning for this, we turned to Sarita, who has worked with us on so many weddings before.
“In a collaboration like this, our chefs learn a lot from Sarita’s team, because they are together for a period of time, learning the preparation methods and new ways of working. So it’s really wonderful to have her and her team here.”
For reservations and to learn more about the various menus during the promotion, visit www.rangmahal.com.sg.
