Yum yum fare

Varun Tuli keeps his ear to the ground and his eye on the plate.

When once asked to define what authentic paella was, Varun Tuli couldn’t put his finger on it. And when he looked for an answer, he found there were 30,000 opinions on the subject. On the hospitality circuit, where you often meet opinions like “We know what we’re doing, thank you!”, Tuli’s busy taking suggestions and insisting on feedback at his contemporary Chinese restaurant and bar Yum Yum Tree in New Delhi. He is keen to showcase his steak delight for us — tenderloin pepper steak with black mushrooms and malt vinegar. “It’s fairly easy and quick to even make at home. The idea is to enjoy a large bite of meat with a balance of flavours,” he says.

Had the dorm at his university in Illinois, where he studied industrial engineering, boasted of tastier fare, perhaps Tuli would not be where he is right now. “I missed Indian food and, being a foodie, I couldn’t live on cafeteria food. So, I had to start cooking seriously,” he recalls. So why Chinese? “It was the cuisine with the weakest link for me, as I knew least about it. It was a challenge.”

As he gets started with the steak and tofu, he is particular to make a point about the texture. “The texture — starting from something like a kachori — with its crispness outside and soft insides, is the best part of the experience. It stays in your subconscious and that’s why you return to an eatery.” His enthusiasm for food and its intricacies is palpable. He tells me about a piece he wrote some time ago on “authenticity of food”. Upon later reading, I find it interesting: he understands that authenticity is more than about how a single dish is prepared.

A year since Yum Yum Tree opened, it’s without doubt one of the more popular restaurants in the city. One reason could be that Tuli targets the right taste buds. “We have been able to innovate effectively,” is how he explains his success. An example is the dim sum lunch that is making its way onto the menu. “I think our USP is anticipating what the customer wants. We listen to people.” That’s what they call an ear to the ground and an eye on the plate.

FAVOURITE RECIPES

Tenderloin Pepper Steak with Black Mushrooms and Malt Vinegar
300 gm tenderloin strip
50 gm crushed black pepper

For the sauce:
100 gm spring onion
4 chillies
A little chopped ginger
Mixed chopped coloured bell peppers
50 gm shiitake mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp Chinese malt vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese wine
1 tbsp soy sauce

Crust the tenderloin with pepper. Place it on a very hot pan in two teaspoon oil. Sear the steak for four minutes on each side. For the sauce, take a pan and heat one tablespoon oil. Add chopped ginger, chillies and onion. Cook for one minute on high heat. Add spring onion and mushrooms. Cook for another minute. Add the sauce to the pan and stir. Add two teaspoon malt vinegar. Back to the steak, once turned over, let it rest for five minutes on a plate to get the juice flowing. Slice into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Pour the sauce over the steak and garnish with chopped bell peppers

Crispy tofu and scallions in a sweet chilli vinegar
100 gm silken tofu
100 gm spring onions, julienned long

For the batter:
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup corn flour
2 cups club soda
4 cubes of ice

For the sauce:
4 chillies
4 tbsp lime juice
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 cup water

Deep fry spring onions and keep aside. Cut tofu into one inch-by-three inch nuggets. Make a batter of flour, corn flour and club soda and a little water. Dip the tofu nuggets in the batter and fry in medium temperature oil. In another pan, take two tablespoon oil. Add chopped chillies, stir for 30 seconds. Then add lime juice, vinegar, water, sugar and four teaspoon of corn flour slurry and mix. Stir for three minutes and keep the sauce aside. In a plate, place the nuggets with fried spring onions on top and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with more fried spring onion.