Invogue-Spa food new - Sheela...
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31 OCTOBER 2011 59 BUSINESSWORLD 31 OCTOBER 2011 58 BUSINESSWORLD I F you thought spa cuisine was bland and boring with a cucumber salad being the most exciting dish to tickle your taste buds, think again. Now you can have everything from guava gelato, to gluten-free coconut pancakes and even spa kebabs. It’s not just your health, but also your palate which is being taken care of by master chefs who are going all out to whip up the most delectable cuisine, resulting in unknown dishes and unimaginable food pairings. The accent is on wellness and the trick lies in tweaking the dish to give it a well-balanced flavour. Even your ordinary sandwich is not spared. “A pork and ham sandwich which is high in saturated fat, is replaced with ostrich or turkey ham and bacon which is comparatively leaner and healthier,” explains Mir Zafar Ali, the executive chef at The Leela Palace hotel in Udaipur. Likewise, a dish that requires butter is substituted with a low-fat variant or olive oil. Ali’s platter generously uses herbs, baby carrots, beetroot, turnips, tomatoes, basil and mint, among others. “If planned well, a spa menu can be nutritionally well-balanced, low in fat, rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It also offers the required hydration and does not use any artificial or synthetic ingredient. Usually, it is freshly prepared and served,” explains Sheela Krishnaswamy, a Bangalore-based diet, nutrition and wellness consultant. Nevertheless, the same spices and herbs used for regular cooking can make a spa menu palatable and healthy. Then comes a hint of innovation, as spa chefs try out fresh combinations with vegetables, fruit, sprouts and grains, adding variety and colour. Till Kapil Middha stepped on to the scene, spa kebabs were probably unheard of. The executive chef and co-owner of Ambrosia, the health café at Amatrra, a day spa in Delhi, concocted basil and olive oil chicken tikka and served with roasted pineapple and basil. There is also the salmon tikka, as salmon is a rich source of omega 3 and helps in lowering cholesterol. “From appetisers to desserts, we have a complete menu, and many dishes are Indian fusion food. We have a whole-wheat thin crust pizza. In place of a cheese topping, diners can choose a vegetable topping or even a chaat,” describes Middha. Yoghurt becomes the pizza dressing instead of the regular mayonnaise. Most of his clients relax at the spa and chomp their way through detox dishes like tomato and jasmine tea soup paired with whole-wheat pasta and olive focaccia (flat oven-baked Italian bread). Another detox offering is stuffed bitter gourd served on a base of red wine, accompanied with whole-wheat kulcha or Indian bread. They round off the meal with sugar-free variants of red wine kulfi or guava gelato. All through, the attempt is to give spa aficionados a bounty of delicious and nutritious dishes. “I was not focused on losing weight and did not hit the gym during my stay. Yet I lost six kilos in three weeks, just dining on what I can only describe as blissful food, and this was Indian food, comprising fantastic flavours and wonderful organic local produce,” says Ro Barford, a guest from the UK, while describing her experience at Ananda in the Himalayas, at Rishikesh. Chefs are out on a health mission, cautiously avoiding deep frying techniques to retain the essence of each ingredient. Along with this, the meal can be personalised to suit dietary needs. “For instance, a detox diet would consist of organic fruits and vegetables, water and a high-soluble fibre diet. The food should be easily digestible. Carrot, celery, lemon, ginger, gluten-free dishes, cucumber, grape fruit, apple juice, blue berry, oat porridge and flax seeds help detox the body. A detox menu would depend on which part of the body toxins need to be flushed out,” explains Ali. In spas like Ananda, most guests come with SPA FOOD REJUVENATE OR CLEANSE THE BODY, SOMETIMES BOTH HAUTE SPA PLATTER, ANYONE? In Vogue CUISINE Spa kebabs, gluten-free coconut pancakes and guava gelato are essential ingredients of any health resort menu By Kavitha Srinivasa NIRVANA SPA PUNE Corn pea cakes served with tomato compoto along with a medley of fresh fruit THE LEELA PALACE UDAIPUR Spa seafood sampler with pickled beetroot chutney PHOTOGRAPH: RITESH SHARMA; MODEL: PRETTY AGGARWAL; LOCATION: AMATRRA, ASHOKA HOTEL Invogue-Spa food_new.qxd 22-10-2011 16:25 Page 2
Transcript of Invogue-Spa food new - Sheela...
31 OCTOBER 2011 59 BUSINESSWORLD31 OCTOBER 2011 58 BUSINESSWORLD
IF you thought spa cuisine was blandand boring with a cucumber saladbeing the most exciting dish to tickleyour taste buds, think again. Now youcan have everything from guava gelato,
to gluten-free coconut pancakes and even spakebabs. It’s not just your health, but also yourpalate which is being taken care of by masterchefs who are going all out to whip up themost delectable cuisine, resulting in unknowndishes and unimaginable food pairings.
The accent is on wellness and the trick liesin tweaking the dish to give it a well-balancedflavour. Even your ordinary sandwich is notspared. “A pork and ham sandwich which ishigh in saturated fat, is replaced with ostrich
or turkey ham andbacon which iscomparatively leanerand healthier,”explains Mir Zafar Ali,the executive chef atThe Leela Palace hotelin Udaipur. Likewise, adish that requires butter is substituted with alow-fat variant or olive oil.
Ali’s platter generously uses herbs, babycarrots, beetroot, turnips, tomatoes, basil andmint, among others. “If planned well, a spamenu can be nutritionally well-balanced, lowin fat, rich in vitamins, minerals andantioxidants. It also offers the requiredhydration and does not use any artificial orsynthetic ingredient. Usually, it is freshlyprepared and served,” explains SheelaKrishnaswamy, a Bangalore-based diet,nutrition and wellness consultant.
Nevertheless, the same spices and herbsused for regular cooking can make a spa menupalatable and healthy. Then comes a hint ofinnovation, as spa chefs try out freshcombinations with vegetables, fruit, sproutsand grains, adding variety and colour. Till Kapil Middha stepped on to the scene, spa kebabs were probably unheard of. The executive chef and co-owner of Ambrosia,the health café at Amatrra, a day spa in Delhi,concocted basil and olive oil chicken tikka
and served with roasted pineapple and basil. There is also the salmon tikka, as salmonis a rich source of omega 3 and helps in lowering cholesterol.
“From appetisers to desserts, we have acomplete menu, and many dishes are Indianfusion food. We have a whole-wheat thin crustpizza. In place of a cheese topping, diners canchoose a vegetable topping or even a chaat,” describes Middha. Yoghurtbecomes the pizza dressing instead of theregular mayonnaise. Most of his clients relaxat the spa and chomp their way through detox dishes like tomato and jasmine tea souppaired with whole-wheat pasta and olivefocaccia (flat oven-baked Italian bread).Another detox offering is stuffed bitter gourdserved on a base of red wine, accompaniedwith whole-wheat kulcha or Indian bread.They round off the meal with sugar-freevariants of red wine kulfi or guava gelato.
All through, the attempt is to give spaaficionados a bounty of delicious andnutritious dishes. “I was not focused on losingweight and did not hit the gym during my stay.
Yet I lost six kilos in three weeks, just diningon what I can only describe as blissful food,and this was Indian food, comprising fantasticflavours and wonderful organic local produce,”says Ro Barford, a guest from the UK, whiledescribing her experience at Ananda in theHimalayas, at Rishikesh.
Chefs are out on a health mission, cautiouslyavoiding deep frying techniques to retain theessence of each ingredient. Along with this, themeal can be personalised to suit dietary needs.“For instance, a detox diet would consist oforganic fruits and vegetables, water and ahigh-soluble fibre diet. The food should beeasily digestible. Carrot, celery, lemon, ginger,gluten-free dishes, cucumber, grape fruit,apple juice, blue berry, oat porridge and flaxseeds help detox the body. A detox menuwould depend on which part of the bodytoxins need to be flushed out,” explains Ali.
In spas like Ananda, most guests come with
SPA FOOD REJUVENATE OR CLEANSE THE BODY, SOMETIMES BOTH
HAUTE SPA PLATTER, ANYONE?
InVogueCUISINE
Spa kebabs,
gluten-free
coconut
pancakes and
guava gelato
are essential
ingredients of
any health
resort menuBy Kavitha
Srinivasa
NIRVANA SPA
PUNE
Corn pea cakes
served with
tomato compoto
along with
a medley of
fresh fruit
THE LEELA PALACE
UDAIPUR
Spa seafood
sampler with
pickled beetroot
chutney
PHOTOGRAPH: RITESH SHARMA; MODEL: PRETTY AGGARWAL; LOCATION: AMATRRA, ASHOKA HOTEL
Invogue-Spa food_new.qxd 22-10-2011 16:25 Page 2
31 OCTOBER 2011 60 BUSINESSWORLD
ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS
RISHIKESH
Salad of golden beet, goat’s
cheese and pecan nuts;
(Below) Salad of prawns,
mustard cress, avocado
puree
AMBROSIA
NEW DELHI
Peri peri paneer
tikka served with
tomato & mirch ka
salan and sundried
tomato kulcha
specific wellness and health goals and stay fora duration, which encourages chefs to whip updelicacies. “The cuisine combines macronutrients like protein, carbohydrate and fatand six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter,pungent and astringent — in each meal,” sayschef Ashis Rout of Ananda.
His spa cuisine concept is based onAyurveda that defines foods according to bodytypes. Each individual is identified into bodytypes like Vatta, Pitta and Kapha, dependingon the activity level, medical condition andlifestyle. The cuisine uses organic ingredientsprocured from certified local farmers. A recentaddition to the menu is sattu, a flour varietywhich is an energiser and body cleanser.
A spa or wellness menu is different from aregular menu. A regular one will considerfactors such as the prototype of guests(psychographics or demographics), thelocation and availability of produce. On theother hand, the primary concern of a wellnessmenu is the individual’s constitution.
In the Nirvana Spa in Pune, at a guest’srequest, coconut pancakes were made withoutgluten. “Normally they contain gluten, but ithad to be omitted due to health concerns.Besides customising a meal, the menu is alsoupdated every six months keeping in tab theseasonal organic veggies available in themarket,” explains Keshav Baljee, managingdirector of Spree Lotus Valley Hotel, where theNirvana Spa is located. That’s how they havecreated dishes like corn pea cakes, served with tomato compote and a medley of freshfruit. Fragrant prawns — with rice noodles,cucumber and Thai herbs — is accompaniedby fresh organic seasonal vegetables. The hotel also offers an Asian Salad served with coconut fish cakes.
In one way or the other, many of thesedishes are sought after not because they arerelatively unknown and carry fancy names, butprimarily because they either rejuvenate or cleanse the body — sometimes both. Whatever the case may be, spa cuisine hasreinvented itself into a delicacy with anappetising variety of soups, salads and organicdishes, giving it an epicurean flavour.
InVogue
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