New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived US on a five-day visit during which he will address world leaders at a landmark UN sustainable development summit. He also will interact with top CEOs and the Indian diaspora in Silicon Valley.
Modi will be hosting a meal for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies at the Waldorf Astoria in New York today where the Gujrati dish ‘Dhokla' is certain to be found. But, this time, this delicious Gujarati snack will be presented in the form of corn dhokla molten cake that will be served with berry compote and this will be done by the great Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna.
Khanna, who also owns the award-winning restaurant, Junoon, in New York, has been working really hard over a seven-course meal for a month. To let not any stone unturned to impress PM Modi, Khanna will present variety of dishes themed on the festivals of India.
Khanna has been working hard for more than 250 hours at Junoon, and his staff would be assisting him during the meal at the Waldorf Astoria.
Some of the dishes that PM will be enjoying are sevaiyan cakes and rolls inspired by the Jama Masjid, coconut chutney mousse, pongal and bisi bele bath served as rice porridge and Parsi patrani fish.
“It will be a mix of Indian cuisines. The meal will not only focus on treats from Diwali, Eid and Christmas but also other festivals like the Hornbill festival of Nagaland and the Bohada tribal festival of Maharashtra," says Khanna's representative Deepika Bansal.
Things like Kokum and black coconut jaggery have been flown to New York from Goa along with Kolhapuri chillies that will be brought in use for "chilli pearls".
Chef Khanna will also team Mathura ke pedhe with chicken and black rice from Mizoram.
Desserts include Diwali mithai, Goan dodol served with caramel custard, cardamom milk and Kashmiri qahwa. "Indian food is more than chicken tikka masala. That's the message we will be sending across," says Bansal.
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"The chef has gone to every festival around the country and this has inspired the menu, which is based on his book Utsav: A culinary epic of Indian festivals," added Bansal.
The dish that is expected to win everyone's heart is the modak foam, which is inspired by great singer Lata Mangeshkar's modak recipe.
"Khanna visits Lata Mangeshkar every year during the Ganpati festival, and he has given her recipe a twist," says Bansal.
Amritsar-born Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna, who has worked with top chefs like Gordon Ramsay, was asked to plan and serve a meal celebrating the country, by the Indian government.
