07-05-2025
How India's chefs are rewriting the rules with indigenous ingredients
From thangnyer chillies to Bandel cheese, a new wave of Indian chefs is turning hyper-regional ingredients into genre-defying dishes and redefining modern Indian cuisine in the process
Picture a delicate masala papad, a classic Indian snack, reimagined with nixtamalized corn. It's a dish that nods to tradition while embracing bold, unexpected technique: a snapshot of how India's chefs are celebrating indigenous ingredients in formats few might anticipate.
India's culinary identity is shaped by more than 500 indigenous communities, each with distinct flavours and cooking traditions that speak to heritage, adaptation and regional biodiversity. In the North East, for example, the techniques of stewing, smoking and roasting yield dishes such as Nagaland's smoked pork and bamboo-steamed fish: unfussy, flavourful fare with deep roots.
Further south, Kerala's sun-washed coastline brings bolder, layered profiles to the fore. Thal curry, made from yam stems and puzha meen curry, a tangy river fish dish, underscore the state's reverence for seasonal, local ingredients. Tamarind-laced chemmeen curry offers both bright acidity and a sense of culinary continuity. In Odisha and Jharkhand, the simplicity of pithas, steamed or griddled rice cakes, evokes the soul of home cooking. The Warli tribe in Maharashtra blends river fish with forest greens in dishes like tarwadi bhaat, a one-pot celebration of rice, lentils and wild herbs.
Above Masque's corn papad, bhakarwadi, kachori, miso chai
Across India, chefs are refocusing attention on these indigenous ingredients, reviving ancient grains, hardy millets and hyperlocal produce, and placing them at the centre of modern menus. At Masque in Mumbai, head chef Varun Totlani highlights ingredients like prickly pear, transformed into sorbet with tadgola (ice apple), gondhoraj lime oil and chaat masala salt. 'We nixtamalize corn for our masala papad dough,' he explains. 'The same process is applied to ash gourd in a dessert course. There's no single way to honour these ingredients—we explore every possible avenue.'
This thoughtful revival isn't confined to fine dining. At The Bombay Canteen, co-founder Yash Bhanage notes a growing appetite for Indian cuisine that is both modern and rooted in tradition. Black carrot koftas meet Calcutta Mughlai rezala (chicken cooked in a gravy); Gujarati undhiyu (mixed vegetable dish) becomes an okonomiyaki. It's a culinary dialogue between old and new, one that champions ingredients like thangnyer chillies and black garlic without losing sight of regional identity.
Above Masque's prickly pear sorbet with tadgola (ice apple)
Above Stone fruit chaat by The Bombay Canteen
For OMO Café in Gurgaon, the focus is on thoughtful sourcing and plant-forward creativity. Dishes including fried oyster mushrooms from Delhi's Shroomery, black rice tacos with produce from Nagaland and raw banana shawarma wrapped in ragi tortillas speak to a new culinary language, one grounded in terroir. 'We're not just using these ingredients,' says co-founder Deepika Sethi, 'we're reimagining the narrative around them.' Fiddlehead ferns, Malabar spinach and pumpkin flowers all play starring roles in this contemporary reinterpretation of Indian cooking.
See also: How Shatbhi Basu blazed a trail in India's bartending scene and has inspired generations of mixologists
Above Sirohi goat tortelli at Olive Qutub, New Delhi
Above King mushrooms dish at OMO Café in Gurgaon
At Olive Qutub in New Delhi, chef Dhruv Oberoi merges local traditions with European techniques. Bandel cheese, smoky and crumbly, takes the place of ricotta in housemade pasta. Fermented amla adds brightness to a burrata starter. A dish of Kadaknath chicken consommé arrives with a mountain cheese biscuit; the Sirohi goat Scotch egg, served with pickled ivy gourd, bridges culinary worlds. 'Working directly with small-scale farmers and producers ensures that we stay true to the ingredient's character,' says Oberoi.
In Goa, Hosa is pushing the envelope of South Indian and coastal cuisine. Chef Harish Rao's Jaffna chicken skewers with raw mango chutney and chocolate chilli Basque cheesecake made with Andhra chillies are both grounded and daring. The Kari dosa with bone marrow hollandaise and a poached egg reimagines Madurai street food as a luxe small plate. The aubergine steak, served with peanut-sesame curry and a yoghurt sphere, channels the closing ritual of curd rice through fine-dining form.
Above The jaffna chicken at Hosa, Goa
Above Hosa's chocolate chilli Basque cheesecake
As more chefs across India rework indigenous ingredients into contemporary dishes, they're not simply reviving tradition, they're reshaping it. A tamarind glaze on charred lamb chops, the warmth of cumin in a mango panna cotta, these are flavours that build bridges. This new Indian cuisine asks diners not just to taste, but to connect with the land, the people and the evolving story behind every plate.
