India at 70: Mumbai's expat chefs reveal their favourite Indian dish

Slowcooked Dal MakhaniBy Chef Christophe PerrinExecutive chef and owner Gaia GourmetCountry of origin SwitzerlandIn India since 2009My first visit to India was in 1998 when I was 18 along with my brother The first place our karma took us to was a little village in Himachal Pradesh called Chowki It was my first exposure to simple wholesome vegetarian food made with ingredients grown in the backyard Dal and roti never tasted better I have ridden my Enfield from Himachal to Goa five times after and dal makhani is a staples ontheroad eat Himachal offers a simpler lighter version Punjab likes it slowcooked and thickerI wanted to try my hand at making it since its a favourite but also because I was contemplating including Indian dishes in our catering service To get it right my wife Chinu and I started researching recipes from Moti Mahal and Bukhara I think we have managed to crack it It took us a while to realise that the longer you cook the dal the better it tastes like the famous dal bukhara that is cooked for over 24 hoursI got Chinus grandmother to taste my first attempt Even though she is married to a Maharashtrian at heart shes a hardcore Punjabi from Lahore and then Amritsar after the Partition She approved of it although she did find it heavyWhen we visit my family in Switzerland we plan to take a pressure cooker to hurry it along a little but never do since its too heavy to lug Then we regret it because the dal takes forever to cook But this is comfort food that involves an unhurried process I made it for my brothers 40th birthday celebration last week It was an Indian feast that also included rogan joshChicken Tikka amp ChutneyBy Marika JohanssonCoowner and ambassador of Marikas Healthy KitchenCountry of origin SwedenIn India since 2012Being part of the fitness industry Ive always tried to choose the healthy yet delicious options and chicken tikka was the best choice from Indian cuisine since it doesnt contain the usual gravy or ghee The Roshans egged me to try it back in 2013 since I was working closely with them on Krrish 3For me the biggest challenge in cooking Indian food was to get to know the spices and flavours In Sweden we are alien to garam masala so I hardly knew any names or the taste On many occasions I misjudged the spices and burnt my mouth Another hiccup was that we use electric stoves and ovens back home It is difficult to gauge the heat when working with gas Hence the chicken would either be under cooked or burnt After some trial and error I nailed it and now felt confident about making it healthy by substituting some ingredients and using less oilI prepare the dish in steps and while my chicken is in the marinate I cut the vegetables and prepare the mint chutney I do my chicken tikka on the pan or in the oven The dish is ready in 30 minutes My wish is to have a real tandoori oven in futureIn retrospect the chicken tikka saved my first year here as it was easily available and simple to cook I still have to get used to the hotness of the amazing spices India has to offerBesan LadooWith European twistBy Thea TammelehtCofounder and Director Nordic KandieCountry of origin EstoniaIn India since 2012I had visited India several times before I made it my home in 2012 and was always curious to try out Indian sweets but never got the opportunity Finally when I moved here my husband and business partner Thomas Abraham who is an Indian got me to try jalebi kaju katli and besan ladoo Thats where it all startedThere is something about besan ladoos that is uniquely Indian and traditional And if done right the sweetness is perfect for the global palate That it can transcend borders and be enjoyed by the wider global audienceWhile my recipe is simple it requires technique and understanding of the Indian style of preparation The first time I got it all wrong In an attempt to get the nutty flavour and right colour I ended up scorching the mix of besan sugar and calcified butter Once I understood the adjustments in temperature and method the mix required it turned out just right The first people to sample it were my husband and kidsAfter I made the fist batch of besan ladoos I felt that we could add a European twist The Indian chefs on my team offered to help but I was adamant to do it on my own They had a hearty laugh to see me struggling After repeated trials the besan ladoo dipped in decadent Belgian chocolate seemed right This not only improved the shelf life of the ladoo but also kept the flavours intact A batch now takes us two days and will be making it to the list of our new Indian delicacies sectionDhoklaBy Antonello CanceddaChef at PregoCountry of origin ItalyIn India since 2011I had visited the Vipassana Meditation Centre in Kalyan for a 10day meditation course When youre there apart from other restrictions the diet to be followed is vegetarian for an Italian this is very tough and meals are available only until 5 pm It was during a meal here that I was served the dhokla with tamarind chutney The explosion of flavours on my palate was unforgettableWhen I came back to work I missed the taste I visited food joints to relieve my craving but none of them could match the delicious taste at the centre so I decided to cook it myselfThe first time was a disaster the batter became so hard it was impossible to chew The problem I realised was the pot So I bought a steam pot to get the sponginess right I even referred to the chef of the Meditation Center who took me through the process of tempering It took me a week to get it right also because I tried both khaman and rava dhokla Rava dhokla is now the one I cook and also my favouriteYou may also like Photos 10 snacks that will make Mumbai rains more enjoyable