Chef Atul Kochhar's street food binge

When we asked Atul Kochhar about his favourite Mumbai haunt he picked Bademiya not the newer finedining version but the gritty offroad stall in Colaba because it has maintained its authenticity in flavour and looks almost as it did decades agoThats an unexpected choice for one of Britains acclaimed chefs one to have been invited to cook for Prince Charles at St James Palace London Yet Kochhar seemed perfectly at home munching on sheekh kebabs and baida roti off plastic plates washing the snack down with Thums Up All this with the support of the boot of his carStar chef Atul Kochhar at Bademiya Colaba PicSharad VegdaTwentytwo years in England but Kochhar displays his desiness while saying I would never have left India if I had the economic choice And now hes ready to take Mumbai by storm with the quirky restaurant NRI Not Really Indian set to open in BKC mid NovemberIndia for the worldSince authentic Indian was available he thought of bringing home Indian recipes that had travelled the globe and subsequently changed over centuries food with a history attached to itKochhar elaborates Our food has been going out of India for centuries thanks to the British When Indian immigrants first went abroad starting with the days when labourers were sent by the boatload to work in Mauritius South Africa Trinidad and Tobago they took with them their idols clothes and spicesWhen the spices ran out they experimented and substituted with locally grown products And new recipes were born Thats what NRI will serve Every dish tells a tale he saysBunnyChow is a favourite on the menu a popular fastfood dish in South Africa Kochhar reveals Indians largely from the Bania community dominated Durban along with the Chinese Ethnic communities in South Africa werent allowed at certain cafes and stores during ApartheidAs a result a Baniarun store in Durban served minorities using the back door This brave vendor opted for a convenient and quick method to cater to them he scooped out bread loafs and filled them with meat or vegetarian curries The end product could be whisked away without attracting the attention of authorities And the BunnyChow was bornThem and usWith a passion for food that goes beyond the palate Kochhar says The British introduced us to biscuits and cakes We gave them their muchloved curries and khichdi Politics aside the human race has become more tolerant thanks to food since this is where we have something to give He sums up Food is the language of the worldAptly the decor of NRI captures days goneby Victorian benches once seen at railway stations during the British era antique lampposts and sepia huesLocal is the wayWhile NRIs recipes came from the immigrants Kochhar insists on homegrown produce A friend owns a plot in Ganeshpuri outside Mumbai He has been generous enough to give me four acres It wont be possible to grow everything on this plot the rest will be sourced from across India he shares To get the best of the country Kochhar has connected with wellknown horticulturist Dr IyengarI have visited organic farms in Nashik and Lonavala sourced an artisan cheese factory in Coorg and visited a farm thats into ethical goat herding he informs On the latter he says India is known for ethics I have found that local farmers and chefs insist on humane treatment of animalsRealising that change begins at the grassroots Kochhar who has studied similar models of locally grown foods and ethical farming in Peru Mexico and Brazil knows its a possibility in IndiaWhile NRI has an elaborate philosophy his other haunt set to open in December is Lima Bar and Restaurant Its a bar before its a restaurant and is inspired by nightouts in Latin America he adds In conclusion he reveals a theme that binds his seemingly different ventures As Indians were always ready to accept new cultures and ways of life