Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Look who’s causing a stir

From New York to London, from Delhi to Bangkok, chefs are redefining what Indian cuisine can be. Modern is no longer the experiment, it’s the new traditional

I had an excellent lunch at a collaboration between Manish Mehrotra and Prateek Sadhu at the Delhi Indian Accent. We sat in the main restaurant with Rohit Khattar, the proprietor, who had the vision and courage to put his faith in Manish. At that stage, Manish had worked for Rohit for a decade, but only as an Oriental chef, and it took guts to open the first Indian Accent at the Manor Hotel in Delhi’s Friends Colony.

At the collaboration between Manish Mehrotra and Prateek Sadhu at the Delhi Indian Accent, the food had distinct Indian flavours. (INSTAGRAM/@INDIANACCENTMUMBAI)

Should we still classify today’s food as Modern Indian? Or has it finally become the norm?

The Naar-Indian accent collab shows how each chef has changed Indian cuisine.

Gaggan Anand created a revolution with Indian flavours, changing the rules of the game.

Gaggan Anand has taken Indian flavours and created new dishes at his restaurants.

Atul Kochhar runs Sindhu by Atul Kochhar in Marlow, UK.

Kochhar was among the first chefs to take Indian cooking and give it a global edge.