Mumbai chefs on how to pair truffle with Indian cuisine, and our guide on where to find it

Itrsquos not a mere truffle Weighing two pounds an Italian truffle on Sunday fetched a whopping 103000 Euros 11779564 USD at the 21st World White Truffle Auction in Alba a town in Italyrsquos Piedmont region Piedmont is known as the countryrsquos white truffle producer where the soughtafter mushrooms are foraged from forests as opposed to their cousin black truffles which can be cultivated Seasonal difficult to farm and with a short shelf life truffles mdash boasting of a unique earthy aroma and nutty oaky flavour mdash are one of the mostprized ingredients in the worldTruffle biryani by Charcoal EatsExotic and expensiveThe most popular variants of truffles points out Prashant Issar creator and cofounder Ishaara are black winter truffles from France that are relatively subtle in flavour which is enhanced by gentle cooking and white truffles from Italy that pack in a strong pungent aroma and are usually used as shavings ldquoTruffles are rare and difficult to farm To grow them one will need to plant a deciduous forest and wait for about 10 years to harvestrdquo he reveals while Hiren Kumar executive chef Saltt Karjat adds that what further exoticises wild truffles is the fact that theyrsquore foraged from forests with the help of trained hound dogsTruffle oilinfused cream cheese encased in smoked mushroom dust by ttttapasChef Mikhail Shahani coheadculinary at Charcoal Eats shares that across the world there are specialised purveyors who source truffles for highend restaurants ldquoIn India in most cases where chefs want to bring out the flavour of truffle they use truffle oil which is strong and sparingly used added raw the mushroom otherwise can be really mildrdquo he explains adding that there are artificial truffle oils which are cheaper while oils extracted from truffles are priced above 500600 EuroslitreDesi spinTruffle pav bhaji by IshaaraWidely popular in European preparations such as risottos pastas and pizzas the desi palate is still warming up to the use of truffles in Indian cooking Inspired by his experience with using truffles in Italian fare at a previous restaurant Shahani introduced the fragrant fungi in biryani earlier this year ldquoYou canrsquot use truffle with just about any biryani or any dish that has 20 other spices In Indian food you have to be careful with what ingredients yoursquore using truffle or truffle oil with because the flavour is sophisticated and delicate It will work well with Afghani seekh malai tikka or cashewbased chicken curryrdquo he suggests adding ldquoTruffle shavings will be super mild and might get lost in say a curry that already has a ginger garlic or tomato base Other ingredients like garlic have to be toned down to ensure the truffle is the starrdquoPrashant Issar and Chef Mikhail ShahaniIssar whose restaurant offers a buttery pav bhaji with truffle butter explains they incorporated it because of the creamy nature of the bhaji ldquoIn India we use a lot of cream and butters so we can use truffles to enhance and at times alter the flavour profile Truffle paste butter or oil can be incorporated into a korma at the end One can shave white truffle over it too ideally at the table Itrsquos more of a price decision as generally two to four shavings will weigh 1 gm and can add R300R400 per gm to the price of the dishrdquo he tells us adding that porcini mushroominfused oil is a worthy substitute thatrsquos gaining popularityChef Hiren KumarKumar meanwhile also suggests using truffles in biryani as well as stews from Nizami and Peshawari cuisines ldquoYou can also make a bharwan gucci Indian variety ka salan junglee maans aur shalgam stew with truffle butter truffle kulcha and naan tokrirdquo he advises Among other desi crossovers Shahani reveals theyrsquore working on a special menu which will feature dishes such as truffle malai paneer sheek and Afghani chicken sheek with truffle tapenade His final tip for trufflelovers Make a garlic naan smear storebought mascarpone and drizzle truffle oil on top Sounds goodTruffle in the citygtgtShilpa Gupta who runs ttttapas makes a mean yoghurtbased truffle oilinfused cream cheese encased in smoked mushroom dust apart from edamame truffle pistachio cream cheeseCall 9321995616Log on to ttttapas on InstagramCost Rs 550 and Rs 600gtgt Chef Roberto Zorzoli has picked up fine black and white truffles from Italy to curate a limitededition menu comprising polenta spaghetti funghi e tartufo among other dishesAt JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar AndheriCall 68828888Cost A la cartegtgt Dip into truffle butter pav bhajiAt Ishaara third floor no 462 Palladium Mall High Street Phoenix Lower ParelCall 8657531988Cost Rs 420gtgt Grab a plate of truffle fries with cajun mayo and tomato jamAt The Table Kalapesi Trust Building CS Maharishi Marg ColabaCall 22825000Cost Rs 585gtgt Enjoy truffle biryani by Charcoal EatsCost Rs 449Log on to charcoaleatscom