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When we talk about modern Indian cuisine, it’s easy to picture fancy dishes with a lot of flair—think food served in test tubes or on light bulbs. But this trend is about more than just making food look good for Instagram.
Modern Indian cuisine has evolved through several stages. It started with French-style plating of Indian dishes and moved on to molecular gastronomy techniques, like rasam foams and sous vide ribs. Today, it’s all about combining unusual ingredients, often in ways that chefs call “negative food pairing,” to create new and exciting flavors.
But let’s skip the technical talk. Modern Indian cuisine isn’t just about using liquid nitrogen or adding blue cheese to naan. It’s not about excluding traditional dishes like butter chicken or dal makhani either. It’s about creating a fresh, imaginative experience using Indian flavors, ingredients, and techniques. This new approach is putting Indian food on the global culinary map in a big way.
We all know that Indian cuisine is more than just curries, tandooris, naans, and biryanis. Still, there’s a strong love for these traditional flavors. However, diners are getting tired of the same old dishes, and this fatigue has paved the way for modern Indian cuisine to shine.
Reimagining Traditional Food
I had a chat with Gaggan Anand, a pioneer in modern Indian cuisine. His restaurant in Bangkok has been among the world’s top 50 since 2010 and has won top honors in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, along with two Michelin stars.
Anand prefers to call this movement “progressive Indian food.” He points out that Indian cuisine has evolved significantly. He laughs at the idea that some chefs claim their dishes are “authentic” 100-year-old recipes. “Food wasn’t cooked in ceramics or stainless steel cookware back then, nor was it prepared over stove fires,” he notes. So, the term “authentic” can be misleading.
For Anand, modern Indian cuisine is about reinterpreting personal memories of Indian food. It’s about using ingredients and techniques that bring back the taste of childhood dishes like ‘Chhole Bhature.’ It’s about reimagining traditional dishes with new, complex flavors.
Why ‘Modern Indian’ Restaurants Haven’t Picked Up
Despite a few exceptions like Indian Accent, Trèsind Mumbai, The Bombay Canteen, and the newer Naar and Ekaa, modern Indian restaurants in India haven’t really taken off. Anand believes that many Indians are resistant to new interpretations of traditional dishes. “They’d happily accept an Indian chef serving them a macaroon but would hesitate to try ghewar with strawberries,” he says.
There’s also confusion about what modern Indian cuisine really is. Some restaurants misuse the label by adding things like coriander foam as a garnish or flambéing gulab jamun, which isn’t true modern Indian cuisine. Further diluting the concept are dishes like Maggi with cheese or paneer makhani pizza.
Modern Indian cuisine isn’t about reinventing Indian food for a Western palate or toning down the bold, spicy flavors. It’s about combining unique Indian ingredients like bhoot jholakia chillies, kokum, amaranth, and gucchi mushrooms with international ingredients like caviar, foie gras, truffles, quail eggs, and quinoa. This blend creates new flavors that define modern Indian cuisine.
Beyond the Obvious
This innovative approach seems to be the future of Indian food. How long can Indian restaurants continue serving dishes like Chettinad chicken, masala dosas, and tikkas? Many popular world cuisines are evolving with fresh takes on traditional dishes. Modern Japanese cuisine, for instance, is booming with innovations like Katsu sandwiches, ‘Japas’ (tapas-style small plates), and sushi burritos. Similarly, Modern Mexican cuisine is gaining popularity with creative dishes like bulgogi burritos, kimchi tacos, and Mexican dishes enhanced with soy sauce and miso.
For chefs aiming to stand out, pushing culinary boundaries is essential. Moving beyond familiar dishes and creating novel dining experiences is key to establishing a unique identity. Authenticity in this innovation is what ultimately leads to recognition and acclaim.
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