Indians are going the French way, indulging in food with expensive ingredients and exquisite presentation.

By Nasreen Ramnath

Visiting Bombay is not only an emotionally fulfilling journey for me, but also a constantly amazing experience, more so in recent times. Besides the sights, sounds and colours which satiate your senses, what also strikes you immediately is the increased spending power of the citizenry there. Visit any mall or shopping centre and you will see throngs of people rushing in and out of high-end shops tightly clutching their Gucci, Bossini, Levi’s, Bodyshop and a host of other branded shopping bags. This is repeated at every mall you visit, be it the neighborhood InOrbit in Malad or
the latest ultra high-end Palladium in Worli.

Not only are the malls chock-a-block full, try getting a table at any of the restaurants there and you will then realise what “conspicuous consumption” means in terms of our desi brethren!
On a recent visit to friends in Pune, we made the fatal mistake of not making a table reservation at our restaurant of choice a week in advance…and ended up roaming the streets of the city, driving from on joint to another searching for a place to eat! Every restaurant, from Melaka Spice to Mainland China, Sigree to Barbeque Nation, was packed with diners heartily tucking into their delicious fare! Now we can talk about conspicuous consumption!

RECIPE

Deviled Eggs with Caviar

Ingredients:
• Eggs: 6 (hard-boiled)
• Mayonnaise: 3 1/2tbsp
• Green onion: 3 tbsp (minced)
• Jalapeno pepper: 1 tbsp (minced)
• Mango chutney: 1 1/2 tsp (minced)
• Garam masala:1/2 tsp
• Salt and pepper: to taste
• Caviar: 1 small jar

Method:
• Shell the eggs and cut in half lengthwise. Separate the white from the yolk.
• In a separate bowl, mash the yolk with a fork and mix in the mayonnaise, onion, jalapeño, mango chutney, and garam masala. Season with salt and pepper.
• Fill each half-egg with a tsp or using a pastry bag. You can refrigerate the eggs, covered with plastic wrap for three hours.
• To serve, top each half-egg with a few grains of caviar. Arrange on a bed of greens to keep the eggs from sliding.

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