Break your food down

Itrsquos warm outside but safely ensconced and sufficiently cool inside the airconditioned Sanchos restaurant in Khar we are waiting for Chef Vikas Seth to bring us a special serving of Quesadilla with Deconstructed Guocomole We like our food to be in one piece and the idea of a dish broken down to the smallest molecule sounds weird to say the least So we are obviously curious The kitchen door opens and he walks out carrying an empty Molcajete a serving bowl and a plate of quesadilas ldquoIrsquoll show you how we deconstruct our Guocomole a Mexican avocado saucerdquo he announces u00a0He spreads a layer of the chunky avocado mixture which has hints of lemon salt olive oil on the Molcajete On top of it he places a small serving of Pico De Gallo mdash a mix of Jalepenos cilantro tomatoes and onions The Deconstructed Greek Salad at Otto Infinito in Bandra Kurla Complex PicNeha Parekh ldquoWhen the two are mixed they make your Guocomole sauce but individually they make for independent dips mdash avocado and salsardquo he says urging us to dig in I cut a piece of quesadilla and dip it into the avocado mixture The fresh overpowering taste of avocado followed by hints of olive oil goes well with the quesadilla stuffed with bell peppers and cheese Next I try it with the known flavour of the salsa dip The tanginess of the tomatoes and lemon juice replace the green of the avacado Finally I mix the two and hey presto We have a classic unedited fully constructed and perfectly edible Itrsquos not just Seth who is deconstructing yummy dishes and creating new delights Chef Vikas Seth of Sanchos Khar serves the Deconstructed Guacamole with Quesadillas PicPradeep Dhivaru00a0 Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal managing director APB Cook Studio in Powai compares the deconstruction of a dish to a game of Lego blocks ldquoWith the same tiny pieces one can create a castle a car or even a skyscraper Deconstruction of a dish follows a similar techniquerdquo she explains adding ldquoWe break down a known dish made of classic ingredients and test the taste memories of the eater For example a dal can be served as a clear soup or can be transformed into a kebabrdquo For chef Manish Mehrotra it is the element of surprise that inspires him to place deconstructed forms of an Indian dish on a guestrsquos table ldquoWe serve Malai Kofta in a deconstructed fashion The koftas are turned into potato rings and we pour the aromatic curry over it on the table Though Indian food is tough to deconstruct it is fun to play with the core ingredientsrdquo says Mehrotra head chef of New Delhibased Indian Accent Chef Vikas Seth of Sanchos Khar serves the Deconstructed Guacamole with Quesadillas PicPradeep Dhivar Sweet molecules It39s not just the main courses that have come under the deconstruction assault At the newly opened Sassy Spoon at Nariman Point it is the Tiramisu that has been broken down into its core elements mdash mascarpone biscuit and of course bitter coffee Chef Rachel Goenka remembers how when she was 12 she had forced a chef in a hotel in Italy to give her the recipe of authentic Italian tiramisu ldquoBut at Sassy Spoon we have opened up the tiramisu We want people to relish the individual flavours of this dish which are so humble but when combined become divine The mascarpone is slightly sweetened to cut the bitterness of the espresso and the lady fingers are crisp and light yet absorb the coffee brilliantlyrdquo says Goenka And no unlike breaking a glass or a bottle taking apart a dish takes time ldquoEach subset element has to taste beautiful and stand complete on its ownrdquo says Seth adding that the main idea behind deconstructing an item is to elevate the experience of a classic dish ldquoIt plays with the dinerrsquos taste buds to trigger a happy memoryrdquo he concludes u00a0 Deconstructed guacamole Ingredients Ingredients for avocado mix gtgt 200 g ripe avocado gtgt 2 ml lemon juice gtgt 2 ml olive oil gtgt Salt to taste Ingredients for Pico De Gallo gtgt 50 g tomatoes seeds amp pulp removed chopped gtgt 20 g onion chopped gtgt 2 to 4 g cilantro or coriander leaves chopped gtgt 2 g jalapeno chopped gtgt 2 ml lemon juice gtgt 2 ml olive oil gtgt Salt to taste Method gtgt For the avocado mix cut avocados in half Remove seed Scoop out avocado from the peel put in a mixing bowl gtgt Using a fork mash the avocado but keep it chunky Add rest of the ingredients and mix gtgt Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it gtgt Refrigerate until ready to served gtgt For the Pico De Gallo mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for 20 minutes before usingu00a0 Deconstruct a vada pav at home Ingredients gtgt 2 Pao gtgt 1 tbsp butter gtgt I boiled potato gtgt 1 pinch of cumin seeds gtgt Green chillies finely chopped gtgt 1 pinch of mustard seeds gtgt 56 cury leaves gtgt 13 tsp ginger garlic paste gtgt 1 tbsp chopped onion paste gtgt 1 pinch turmeric powder gtgt Coriander leaves finely chopped gtgt 1 tsp oil gtgt 5 tbsp coconut oil gtgt 2 red chillies crushed gtgt 4 garlic pods finely chopped gtgt 3 tbsp rock salt gtgt 2 cloves garlic gtgt 23 green chillies gtgt Salt to taste Method gtgt Butter pavs slice and grill on low heat in oven till hard and crisp like rusk Grind to a powder gtgt For the vada heat oil add mustard seeds and jeera allow it to crackle gtgt Add green chillies ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes gtgt Add onions and saute till it turns lightly browned gtgt Add mashed potatoes turmeric powder required salt and mix well Allow it to cool and mash into a smooth paste with a little oil gtgt Add chopped coriander leaves mix well gtgt For the red garlic chutney oil heat the coconut oil and add red chillies garlic and salt gtgt Stir fry strain and reserve gtgt For the Thencha Salt heat a pan and dry roast salt with garlic and chillies on a low flame until dry and crisp gtgt In four shot glasses add 1 tbsp breadcrumbs pipe in a large swirl of vada mash pour a little chilli garlic oil top with a little boondi sprinkle in a pinch of thencha salt Serve u00a0