Chef Niyati Rao Opens Up About Her Love For Regional Ingredients

One thing that I’ve learned about cooking is that on a plate, there’s nowhere to hide. When you cook, a part of your life is always in that dish. It could be a flavour from your past, a new idea that you wanted to try out, or simply the amount of salt that’s used, that dish is a direct reflection of the person who made it. This experience of raw honesty on a plate is something that shines through at Ekaa. 

Located in Fort in a quiet South Bombay by-lane, Ekaa is an embodiment of Chef and partner, Niyati Rao’s vision for a menu that is truly ingredient-centric. Inspired by seven terrains of India from the mountains and tundras to backwaters and beaches, the menu is a journey through regional ingredients and eschews any typical cuisine. You’ll definitely find familiarity and comfort doled out in spades, but the dishes themselves have Chef Niyati’s own stamp of originality. 

"My food philosophy has changed over the years. I was very cuisine centric and wanted to excel in Japanese cuisine. But that’s changed over the years as I’ve worked in different places. I realised that there’s so much more to be explored. Even though I had always been in the fine dining space at Zodiac and Wasabi Grill – the first time I got to see interpretive or inspired cuisine was at Noma, it was eye-opening. When I went there all the chefs were inspired by local ingredients and not any cuisine as such which is something I realised I was doing unconsciously, so when I went there I learnt how to optimise that way of cooking and now our chefs at Ekaa, we don’t limit ourselves to any one way or sector of culture."

The bar menu is a journey unto itself, conceived by Head Mixologist Jishnu A.J. and featuring over 50 unique infusions all made in-house with an array of obscure herbs, spices and oddities sourced from an Ayurvedic specialist in Kalbadevi. The bespoke cocktails also draw inspiration from the seven ecosystems of India with drinks like Petrichor echoing the earth through mezcal, gooseberry and a calcium stone infusion, or the grassland tribute Elysian with gin, wheatgrass and citrus. 

"India’s an extremely diverse nation with so many weather terrains from snow-clad mountains to Kerala backwaters and deserts, but the produce from each region was underexposed and I wanted to bring these ingredients to the limelight. That way when I’m focusing only on the ingredient I’m able to make my own combinations. So I’d say my philosophy is to always create your own blueprint and not follow someone else’s."

Seasonality is also a huge part of the philosophy here, to the point that they never print the Chef’s tasting menu in order to retain the freedom to alter it in accordance with the availability. If you’re looking for a relaxed experience, they offer a Tapas menu which can be enjoyed alongside your drinks or a lengthier a la carte menu to try some of their specialities, but the tasting menu is the best way to experience Chef Niyati’s vision in its entirety. 

The 10-course meal begins with Arambh, a pandan jelly with a cucumber and lime granita which is a sharp and refreshing palate cleanser, almost in danger of being a little bitter but balanced by the use of cucumber. There’s also an old 10 paise coin placed next to my plate as my server winks and mysteriously warns me to hold onto it for later.

Up next is what proved to be one of my favourite dishes of the evening, िचबोरी आिण चहा – Chaha ani Chimbori. A take on ‘tea and biscuits’ this dish features a crab cookie filled with dried prawn chutney (kismoor) butter topped off with nori dust along with a hot and spicy shrimp and coriander broth.

The Story Behind The Dish

"It was inspired by one of my fondest childhood memories of my mother’s annual crab curry. Every single year without fail during the rainy she would go and pick the best crabs and make this curry for 18 or 19 people. The taste of this crab curry is unlike anything I’ve ever had, even I can’t replicate it but this course was inspired by that experience of the crunchy bite along with the hot crab broth. It’s a dish and a memory that’s very close to my heart."

The next dish is Lilypad which, inspired by a tranquil pond is almost too beautiful to eat…almost. In a tribute to their love of fresh produce, the first of the season’s mulberries swim alongside grapes and figs in a sea of oat milk tinged with the flavour of wild plums from Nagaland – a dressing they call the Soul of The Plum. 

Also Read: Axone: A Fermented Naga Chutney That Also Has A Film Named After It

Potato-Potato is a tribute to – unsurprisingly – potato. Inspired by Nagaland’s fermented bamboo and a hat tip to their dish, iromba. A serving of mashed potato with bamboo and confit kismoor along with a potato cracker topped with dehydrated tomato dust, it’s a course that could be an acquired taste but perhaps all the more impressive for it. There has been no compromising on letting the ingredients speak for themselves. 

The Grain/Ash course is a delightful entr'acte in the form of a bouncy and textured 72% hydrated loaf with butter infused with the ash and remains of charred scallions and chillies. It has solidly convinced me that all good menus require a bread course. On the menu, the next dish is simply called Duck, but it's a dish that’s anything but simple. A portion of Koji duck leg topped with fresh angel hair pasta and with a portion of in-house burrata to lay on top. It’s accompanied by a sprout and balsamic onion salad and a bowl of aerated almond milk. It’s comfort food, but gently elevated. The flavours are warm and decadent while the salad and the almond foam lend a reprieve of freshness. 

For The Love Of Fresh Ingredients

"I had come to Tokyo for a vacation around December 2012. We had gone to the Tsukiji fish market and it was around 4 in the morning because that’s when the fresh catch comes in. And I was there with my dad and we were waiting for the fresh tuna to come in, specifically the Otoro tuna – the ones with the fatty belly. (It was the peak season for that because they’re eating a lot in preparation for hibernating) The precision and love the chef had for that fish blew me away. He didn’t allow me to use soy sauce or anything, just enjoy the taste of the piece of fish with the rice, which was also just as special to him. I think every food experience brings me back here now."

My mysterious coin came into play as I was told to visit the kitchen, where I cashed it in for a Chuski flavoured with fresh raspberries, basil and rosemary. The small gesture was so filled with whimsy and was a beautiful reference to the joy of eating in an older and perhaps simpler time. The next course, Orophilia was an ode to the mountains with a terracotta-baked Himalayan trout, a side of Mizo sticky rice and an axone chutney, lovingly referred to as the umami bomb. The dish was beautifully understated with all the elements working to elevate each other and each ingredient getting the breathing room it deserved.

The Emotion Of Eating

"We like to play on emotions. Food can satiate you, and it can take hunger away, but I think that people come to chefs like us for an experience that can only be triggered by emotion. For example, something as simple as dipping a Parle G in tea is something that every Indian has done and everyone can relate to it. We love to play on nostalgia and memories because you never know whose heartstrings you might tug at. It should be a combination of memories, love and phenomenal taste that I’m trying to evoke through my ingredients. It’s what will make my diners come back. Somewhere down the road, we get busy with life and tend to lose that emotional connection with food."

Dessert at Ekaa comes in two parts. The first was a Fru-tea, a fresh melon trio with compressed melon jellies in a pear consomme with a dehydrated pear tuille. This is followed by the ‘<3’ a  dense heart-shaped waffle topped with dehydrated strawberries and served with a slightly acidic white jelly, and an ice cream topped with tart Zereshk berries. 

A meal here at Ekaa is a reflection of Chef Niyati’s vision for an ingredient-centric menu. Where cuisine doesn’t shape innovation, it’s led by the ingredients and their individual ability to inspire. But more than just a menu, they’ve created an atmosphere of playfulness and curiosity. One where you’re led by the dishes and the staff to explore the potential of food to inspire, evoke emotions and create memories.

Your favourite ingredient to cook with? 

• Soy sauce, fermented bamboo, fermented soy beans (axone)

If you weren’t a chef, what other career would you have chosen? 

• I’d be a tattoo artist or I’d make handmade stationery

One thing every kitchen should have? 

• A really good set of knives and a team that can make up for each others’ weaknesses.

The meal you’d pick to eat forever? 

• Idlis and prawn curry, no question.

If you were a dish on your menu, which one would you be?

• Koji duck, it’s texturally balanced. Crunchy, comforting and innovative. It takes you by surprise but you want to keep eating it.

Chef Niyati’s Top Tip

• Add a spoonful of sugar to any savoury dish. Even if you can't taste it, the balance will be there and change the whole flavour of the dish.