Desi-Aussie jugalbandi
What do you get when a desi chef and an Aussie politician jam in a culinary space? A spicy jugalbandi, we think. Well, something similar took place when chef Vicky Ratnani whipped up a series of Aussie-inspired dishes using Indian cooking techniques at a session yesterday.

Mark Coulton, Australian minister of trade, tourism and investment was in rapt attention as the chef created fusion dishes like Aussie laal maas chops with grilled haolumi cheese and Mumbai winter salad with cumin honey dressing. "The event was all about seasonality," the chef told this diarist, as he served the delish spread to bloggers and media in an Aussie- style setting.