Ahead of Ratatouille's anniversary, city chefs and illustrators tell us about classic staples from France

There are only a few things that can brighten up a dull rainy day like food especially animated food In 2007 Disneyrsquos Pixar Studios tapped into this magical combination through one of their most popular releases Ratatouille The story of a rat Remy who dreams of being a chef in Paris captured the imagination of its audiences The late chef Anthony Bourdain thought ldquoit captured a passionate love for food in a way few other films haverdquoRemy Pic CourtesyWikimedia CommonsAbove all it brought back to the table the humble ratatouille A simple peasant dish from France it has often been part of the basic French cooking syllabus but is ignored for its lack of glamour A day before the anniversary of the filmrsquos release on June 29 we speak to chefs and animators to dive back into the magic of the stew and the movieIntroduction to a new flavourI never knew what a ratatouille was till I saw the film I could never have imagined that a baingan eggplant could taste so good Especially when you are trying to become vegan like me it is a goto dish It was my mother who suggested we should watch this film when it released I love Linguini and the tiny chef Skinner She always compares me with him Skinner since I am particular when it comes to kitchen work I suppose that is a funny and realistic comparisonWarm delight in the rainsAs a French restaurant ratatouille had to be on our menu and is one of our bestselling dishes People love it especially during the rain The dish has warmth in it My first tryst with the dish was back in culinary college during a mystery box challenge I opted for a basil flavour concentrated ratatouille To be honest the movie version is not the traditional way of plating the ratatouille It looked good but the classic dish has to be dipped in the sauce Also the portion would not have been enough for the guestsShreyas Kadam sous chef Cafeacute Noir Lower ParelA traditional stapleThe dish is a typical French staple Of course it got a lot more attention once the movie came out The first time I tasted it was back in culinary college It was basic practice to test and recognise all French dishes While it is a fairly simple dish you cannot underestimate its preparation The cuts of the vegetables are very importantYou cannot mash up the eggplants Also the tomato sauce is what gives the ratatouille its flavour Hence we emphasise on fresh flavours Over the years the presentation of the dish has changed The key to impressing the guests is always improving on the plating That is what we focus onChef Sidney Dcunha director of culinary Sofitel Pondichery Cafe BKCGastronomical memoriesMore than the characters in the movie the dreams ambition and food textures were absolutely yummy to look at in the animation Anton Ego as well as his review at the end are my favourite memories from the movie The imposing feeling you get just by watching his silhouette was such a treat There is also such simplicity in the character design too Ego is almost a stick figure Yet there is a personality and style that comes through the character Sadly I have never tried ratatouille My concern is that the dish looked so good in the movie that I donrsquot want to spoil its flavour in my mindAbhijeet Kini founder Abhijeet Kini StudiosRatatouilleIngredientsgtgt Yellow zucchini 150 gmsgtgt Green zucchini 150 gmsgtgt Large tomato 500 gmsgtgt Baby aubergine 150 gmsgtgt Garlic 10 gmsgtgt Onion 200 gmsgtgt Celery 10 gmsgtgt Leeks 10 gmsgtgt Carrot 20 gmsgtgt Salt 15 gmsgtgt White pepper 10 gmsgtgt Fresh basil 10 gmsgtgt Olive oil 30 mlMethodFor the sauce Blanch the tomatoes and take off the skin and seeds Roughly chop the tomatoes and keep aside Heat olive oil and sauteacute finely chopped garlic onion celery leeks and carrot in it Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it releases oil Add chopped basil to the mix and keep asideFor the ratatouille Slice thin roundels of the zucchini aubergine tomato and marinate with salt pepper olive oil chopped garlic and chopped basil Grill all the vegetables and keep aside Spread the tomato sauce at the base of the casserole and layer all the vegetable roundels and garnish with fresh basilRecipe courtesy Pondichery CafeGet your ratatouille1 Traditional vegetarian ratatouilleLog on to ratatouille diariesEmail ratatouillediariesgmailcomCall 8451040065Cost Rs 950 for 500 gms2 Cheesy polenta and ratatouilleAt Perch Wine and Coffee Bar 12 Ground Floor Union Park Pali Hill Bandra WestLog on to ZomatoCost Rs 6453 Riso ratatouilleAt IL Sale by The Ghost Chef KitchenLog on to Thrive ZomatoCost Rs 4194 RatatouilleAt Nava Suburbia Building Linking Road Bandra WestLog on to ZomatoCost Rs 7255 Oats crusted cottage cheese steak ratatouille burrataAt Bloom Cafe Turner Road Pali Hill Bandra WestLog on to ZomatoCost Rs 620