Pomfret on a bed of sugar cane sticks

It was at his home kitchen, quite by accident, that chef Jerson Fernandes stumbled on the rather off-beat procedure of sugarcane-bed cooking. "I had a few guests over for dinner. On the menu, was grilled pomfret, cottage cheese steaks and other meat cuts. Keeping any protein juicy is hard without a moisturising agent such as bacon strips, animal fat or pork lard. But, I had to stay clear of pork, which is why I needed a vegetarian moisturising agent. That’s when I happened to come across sugar cane sticks. I was sure sugarcane, which is juicy and full of moisture, would act as a perfect tenderising and moisturising agent for cuts of meat and vegetables for that evening," says the chef. As it turns out, not only did the proteins retain their juices, the charred sugarcane sticks helped make an accompanying sauce.