Chef Amit Ghorpade On The Art Of Reinventing Lesser-Known Ingredients

India’s food space is constantly evolving. And the rise of ingredient-forward restaurants is an intrinsic aspect of this gradual and constant change. Talking about his journey of establishing Aragma, a 24-seater tasting menu restaurant in Pune, Chef Amit Ghorpade said, “I first look for the vegetables that are available in the local markets and then design the menu rather than designing the menu and then sourcing vegetables.” 

Founded by entrepreneur Poornima Samayaji, the restaurant comes up with a new, seasonal tasting menu every three months. The roster features dishes that bring the untapped ingredients and cooking techniques from across India not only to the the table but the consciousness of its diners.

In a conversation with Outlook Traveller Eats, Ghorpade talks about his travels and the significance of highlighting indigenous, local, and seasonal ingredients. 

The Shaping Of Aragma 

“Travel shapes you in more ways than one. My trips across the country and the world have helped me better understand ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavour profiles,” said Ghorpade. His travels to Kolkata introduced him to the smoky bandel cheese, a unique salty Indian cheese made using locally-sourced cow milk. It is known for its smoky flavour and crumbly texture.

Another ingredient he mentioned was almond gum. “I encountered it during my trip to Chennai, where I drank jigarthanda, one of their favourite summer drinks,” said Ghorpade. Ever since, the ingredient has featured on their menu in various dishes. Most of his seasonal menu serves between 8 and 10 courses.

Aragma’s Ingredient-Forward Menu 

Having lived and travelled across Maharashtra, Goa, parts of Karnataka, and the rest of the country, Ghorpade also got to explore local markets. “The ingredients you find in these local markets are underrated and unknown to most people outside their native land,” added Ghorpade.

He mentioned some ingredients, including sweet tomatoes, apple gourd, arbi (colocasia), moringa, drumsticks, stone flower from Maharashtra and South Indian states, mahua from Madhya Pradesh, and persimmon from Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. 

Elaborating on stone flowers, Ghorpade said, “In most dishes, stone flowers are usually mixed with ten other spices. It rarely gets a chance to be appreciated as a standalone star ingredient in a dish. We want to change that.” The chef introduced stone flower rice at Aragma’s Monsoon menu (from July to September). It is rice boiled in a vegetable stock infused with stone flower. “We use the ambemohar rice, which is native to Maharashtra, and the result is an aromatic and flavourful dish,” he added. 

The seasonal menu usually utilises ingredients available in the market in a particular season. However, they also preserve some fruits and vegetables from the previous seasons. “For this menu, we have preserved peaches that we use in a layered beetroot dessert,” explained Ghorpade. The dessert features multiple textures of beetroot, including a beetroot foam and puree, paired with peach yoghurt. 

Talking about another preparation at Aragma that pays tribute to jowar from Maharashtra. The state is known to be the country’s largest producer of the crop. “We prepare jowar and urad ka daal noodles, top it with toasted cashew nuts, a drumstick puree, and pepper sourced from the Konkan region of Maharashtra,” explained Ghorpade. In addition to being a tribute to Maharashtra’s indigenous ingredients, the dish is great for anyone looking for gluten-free options. 

Emphasising other innovative desserts that find a spot on their roster, Ghorpade mentioned a kunda-filled doughnut. Kunda is a popular sweet dish from Karnataka made by reducing and curdling milk and cooking it with caramelised sugar. The doughnut is topped with karavanda, a wild berry commonly found in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. 

Finally, the menu also features a corn-based dessert as a bow to the monsoon. “We have a corn custard paired with vanilla and grapefruit puree. I can assure you that this is unlike anything you would have eaten before,” Ghorpade claimed. 

With Aragma, Ghorpade not only brings lesser-known, humble ingredients to the fore, but with them come the stories of people of these lands that also remain equally unknown to the people elsewhere.

Information: 

Address: Ground floor, Insignia, Balkrishna Sakharam Dhole Patil Rd, opposite Axis Bank, Sangamvadi, Pune, Maharashtra 411001

Price for two: INR 6,800 

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