Where there's smoke, there's flavour
Cooking may be simpler in gas and electric ovens, but they can't replicate the wood-fired ovens' unique, traditional flavours,
The only thing that looks fancy about the pumpkin and thyme soup at Miro is the bowl it is served in. The soup itself is thick, pale orange in colour, and reminds us — almost depressingly — of a pumpkin. So we're surprised that it is even on the menu of an upscale restaurant, let alone during a food festival, where chefs tend to strut out their inventiveness with food.
Turns out, that's exactly what Zubin D'Souza, director, Food and Beverages, Svenska Design Hotel, was trying to do. "I want the dishes to be simple so the influence of the wood-fired oven stands out," he says, explaining his choice of menu for the 'Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven'.
One whiff of the soup dispels any notion that it is boring. The smoky aroma complements the earthy, sweet flavour of the pumpkin. Adding pumpkin seeds and almond flakes lends crunch and texture to the soup. "The pumpkin is cut, marinated, and left overnight to roast in the oven after the wood fire has been put out," said D'Souza, "The next morning, we take it out, make the soup, and leave it in the oven to simmer and reduce. The oven gives it the unique smoky character."
The wood-fired oven works on the same principle as the tandoor, except the tandoor is usually made out of clay, while the oven at Miro is stone-lined, the kind used in Europe. The oven has two semi-circular openings, closed or opened using cast iron lids depending on whether you want to trap the heat in, bring the temperature down, or cut the oven's oxygen supply. Burning wood is placed on either side of the oven, while food is placed in the centre. The stone flooring serves a purpose — retaining heat for a longer duration and spreading it evenly across the oven's surface.
The only modern component is a white analog dial that stands out on the outer stone wall, giving a temperature reading. "But it's not of much use. So often, the pointer vibrates furiously at the maximum temperature. Unlike gas or electric ovens, you can't really control the temperature of a burning piece of wood. You need to observe carefully how the dish is turning out," says D'Souza. He experiments in the kitchen with different kinds of wood for the fire. "Mango wood was a great success. To experiment, we burnt even tea roots (expensive wood that is usually carved into furniture)." But the standard option is birch with assorted dried herbs.
The smoked flavour isn't quite apparent in every preparation. The paella, a Spanish rice dish, is prepared by cooking vegetables, meat and rice together in a vegetable, seafood or meat stock. According to D'Souza, the paella is cooked first in a pan and then finished in the oven. The veg paella doesn't make a distinct impression, while in the chicken and chorizo paella, it is only the roasted chorizo and bacon that are smoky.
Our faith is restored after we try the Hickory Wood-Fired Roasted Chicken, and the Mushroom Cannelloni. The chicken leg has a crisp texture, and the accompanying red wine sauce goes well with the smoky taste of roasted meat.
In the cannelloni, the pasta dough and white sauce is prepared outside the oven. The mushrooms are roasted in the oven just long enough to remove all the moisture. The mushrooms and sauce go on the pasta dough, which is then rolled. After adding white sauce and cheese on top of the roll, it is placed in the oven. The cheese, white sauce and mushroom absorb the smoky flavour making it cannelloni unlike any other.
By the time we finish, our tummies are full and our taste buds have been exposed to some interesting new flavours. But we wouldn't recommend an entire meal prepared in this technique, since the flavour graph will remain more or less the same. Nonetheless, a few smoked dishes certainly give the meal an interesting twist.
The Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven at Miro, Andheri West, Mumbai is on till December 4
Cooking may be simpler in gas and electric ovens, but they can't replicate the wood-fired ovens' unique, traditional flavours,
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| Pumpkin and thyme soup |
The only thing that looks fancy about the pumpkin and thyme soup at Miro is the bowl it is served in. The soup itself is thick, pale orange in colour, and reminds us — almost depressingly — of a pumpkin. So we're surprised that it is even on the menu of an upscale restaurant, let alone during a food festival, where chefs tend to strut out their inventiveness with food.
Turns out, that's exactly what Zubin D'Souza, director, Food and Beverages, Svenska Design Hotel, was trying to do. "I want the dishes to be simple so the influence of the wood-fired oven stands out," he says, explaining his choice of menu for the 'Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven'.
One whiff of the soup dispels any notion that it is boring. The smoky aroma complements the earthy, sweet flavour of the pumpkin. Adding pumpkin seeds and almond flakes lends crunch and texture to the soup. "The pumpkin is cut, marinated, and left overnight to roast in the oven after the wood fire has been put out," said D'Souza, "The next morning, we take it out, make the soup, and leave it in the oven to simmer and reduce. The oven gives it the unique smoky character."
The wood-fired oven works on the same principle as the tandoor, except the tandoor is usually made out of clay, while the oven at Miro is stone-lined, the kind used in Europe. The oven has two semi-circular openings, closed or opened using cast iron lids depending on whether you want to trap the heat in, bring the temperature down, or cut the oven's oxygen supply. Burning wood is placed on either side of the oven, while food is placed in the centre. The stone flooring serves a purpose — retaining heat for a longer duration and spreading it evenly across the oven's surface.
The only modern component is a white analog dial that stands out on the outer stone wall, giving a temperature reading. "But it's not of much use. So often, the pointer vibrates furiously at the maximum temperature. Unlike gas or electric ovens, you can't really control the temperature of a burning piece of wood. You need to observe carefully how the dish is turning out," says D'Souza. He experiments in the kitchen with different kinds of wood for the fire. "Mango wood was a great success. To experiment, we burnt even tea roots (expensive wood that is usually carved into furniture)." But the standard option is birch with assorted dried herbs.
The smoked flavour isn't quite apparent in every preparation. The paella, a Spanish rice dish, is prepared by cooking vegetables, meat and rice together in a vegetable, seafood or meat stock. According to D'Souza, the paella is cooked first in a pan and then finished in the oven. The veg paella doesn't make a distinct impression, while in the chicken and chorizo paella, it is only the roasted chorizo and bacon that are smoky.
Our faith is restored after we try the Hickory Wood-Fired Roasted Chicken, and the Mushroom Cannelloni. The chicken leg has a crisp texture, and the accompanying red wine sauce goes well with the smoky taste of roasted meat.
In the cannelloni, the pasta dough and white sauce is prepared outside the oven. The mushrooms are roasted in the oven just long enough to remove all the moisture. The mushrooms and sauce go on the pasta dough, which is then rolled. After adding white sauce and cheese on top of the roll, it is placed in the oven. The cheese, white sauce and mushroom absorb the smoky flavour making it cannelloni unlike any other.
By the time we finish, our tummies are full and our taste buds have been exposed to some interesting new flavours. But we wouldn't recommend an entire meal prepared in this technique, since the flavour graph will remain more or less the same. Nonetheless, a few smoked dishes certainly give the meal an interesting twist.
The Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven at Miro, Andheri West, Mumbai is on till December 4
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