Atul Kochhar, changing the perception of Indian food at Benares

Louise Elgin visits swanky Mayfair Indian restaurant Benares

Benares
12 Berkeley House
Berkeley Square
London W1
Tel: 020 7629 8886

I was lucky enough to visit the swanky Mayfair Indian restaurant Benares. Recently refurbished, it is everything a traditional British Indian restaurant is not. The interior is one of sophistication and elegance, somewhere to dress up for, an occasion restaurant. The kitchen is led by celebrated Michelin starred Chef/Patron Atul Kochhar, who is one of the most critically acclaimed chefs in Britain. Atul has been instrumental in changing the perception of Indian food in Britain. Named after the spiritual city of Benares in Northern India, the interior is reflected in its mood which is one of calm and spirituality.

The food served here is a mix of traditional and contempory. Each course comes beautifully presented and is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. When it comes to the question of what to drink with Indian fine dining, wine somehow just doesn’t cut the mustard. Atul is a huge fan of Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer and has created four exclusive dishes. It really is the most refreshing drink and slips down so easily. It was also very good to sip after the spicy food in order to cool the palate. If the mood takes you to try recipes these at home, otherwise pop along for a revered dining experience, one to savour.

CRABBIE’S BAKED SALMON MARINATED IN HERB PASTE
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

500g salmon fillet, cut into 4 portions

Paste: 150g mint, 100g coriander, 1 tbsp chopped ginger, 1 green chili,
1 tsp chat masala, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, salt to taste.

Marinate the salmon with the paste and leave for 30 minutes.

Bake in an oven at 200oC for 20 minutes.

Beetroot salad: Three cooked thinly sliced medium beetroots, olive oil to drizzle, sea salt to taste, crushed black pepper to sprinkle, red shisholeaves to garnish.

Presentation: Fan out the beetroot and drizzle the dressing on it.

Place the cooked salmon in the centre and garnish with fresh sprigs of shisho leaves.

Serving suggestion: This healthy recipe can be served either as a starter dish or as the main meal.

Top Atul tip:

“This recipe can be adapted to
just using one or two vegetables
if preferred. The sauce is a good
accompaniment to any poultry or
other meats as well as for a non
vegetarian alternative. A good
way to enhance the flavours is to
cook the sauce a day in advance”.

CRABBIE’S SPICE CRUSTED LAMB RACK
INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

2 lamb racks, excess fat removed

The marinade: 1 tbsp minced raw papaya, 1 tbsp minced ginger,
1 tsp minced green chillies, 1 tbsp crushed fennel seed, 1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tbsp crushed cumin seeds, 1 tsp crushed black pepper, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 3 tbsp mustard oil, salt to taste, 150ml single cream, 50ml double cream, 2 tbsp fl our, ½ nutmeg.

Whisk all the ingredients of the marinade together and keep aside. Rub the marinade on the rack of lamb and leave it to marinate for 2 hours before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 180oC. Remove the lamb from the marinade and shake off excess marinade and place in a roasting tray.

Cook for 15-20 minutes and baste with remaining marinade in between.

Cook for further 2-3 minutes, remove and baste with melted butter and keep aside warm until required.

Salad: Mixed seasonal salad leaves, 100g crumbled feta cheese,
12-16 pitted black olives, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt to taste, 1 tsp crushed black pepper.
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and salt together. Toss the salad leaves, feta and olives with the dressing made.

Carve the rack and serve with salad.

Serving suggestion: This dish would be an ideal alternative to the traditional Christmas dinner or Sunday roast

Top Atul tip:

“This dish works really well
cooked on a barbecue as well.
It produces a very superior
smoke wrapped flavour. The
lamb can also be substituted
for chicken or rabbit. For
a vegetarian alternative, the
marinade can be used on a mix
of courgettes and broccoli”.

CRABBIE’S GINGER PEAR CRUMBLE WITH
GINGER CUSTARD AND CINNAMON ICE CREAM

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

Ginger pears: 150g sugar, 65g butter, 8 pears, 1 tbsp fi nely chopped
ginger, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 vanilla scrap, pinch of salt
Crumble: Mix and rub the following ingredients together to get a breadcrumb
like mixture. 100g fl our, 100g sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon powder, 60g butter.
Peel and core pears and cut them into 8 pieces. Put all the ingredients
in a pan and cook on a slow heat until the pears are cooked completely.
Strain off the liquid and discard. Place the pears in a ring mould and top
with crumble. Bake in the oven at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Ginger custard (Optional): 240ml milk, 240ml double cream, 4 egg yolks,
75g sugar, 1 vanilla pod scrap, 1 tbsp fi nely chopped ginger.
Boil the milk and cream with the vanilla scrap and ginger. Infuse for 3
hrs. Strain the mix, bring to the boil and place aside and then whisk the
egg yolks and sugar. Cook slowly until the custard is ready.
Cinnamon ice cream: 240ml milk, 240ml double cream, 4-5 cinnamon
sticks, 4 egg yolks, 100g sugar, 1 vanilla pod, pinch of salt.
Boil the milk and cream with vanilla scrap and cinnamon. Let it infuse
for 1 hour, strain the mix. Beat the egg yolks and sugar, add a few
tablespoons of warm milk and then mix in the rest of the milk and cook
on a slow heat until the mixture thickens to coat the back of the spoon.
Remove and cool the mixture and then churn in an ice cream maker.
Store the mixture in a freezer until required.

To Serve: Place the crumble on a plate and place the ice cream on top.
If you are serving custard, spoon it around the crumble.
Serving suggestion: This is a perfect winter warmer to follow any of the
other main dishes.

Top Atul tip:

“This crumble is easy to make,
however, do not feel restricted to
using pears – apples work just
as well with ginger. You can also
experiment with peaches, apricots
or even bananas – cooking times

Louise Elgin.
March 2010.