Philippe Daue, the Belgian Executive Pastry Chef, who lives in Delhi, India just sent me those pictures from Karim’s, an old establishment, well known in Town. What a great story to publish! Looking at those pictures in Philipp’s FaceBook, I had to ask him to send me the original files for a “PostCard from India”, his second. Thank you Philippe for allowing me the use of those fantastic Images!

Just had to remember Russell Peters: click here to view him on YouTube

Karim’s is an Old Delhi institution. Mutton, which generally means goat in India, is king here, especially in thick, rich gravies; try mutton Mughlai or badaam pasanda (“almond delight,” mutton in a slightly sweet gravy) for the full experience. To get here, walk down the street that runs out from the mosque’s main entrance, Gate 1, and about four shops down on the left, walk through the passageway into a small courtyard—you’ll see smoking kababs on spits and several indoor seating areas. The newer Karim’s, Dastar Khwan-e-Karim, near Hazrat Nizamuddin Darga, is more of a restaurant proper. Alcohol is not served.

There are two kinds of food in India: vegetarian and meaty, “veg” and “non-veg,” colloquially. To make even more of a generalization, Hindus are vegetarians, and Muslims are carnivores. Karim’s is one of the best non-veg restaurants in all of North India, and serves exquisite, “royal” Mughal cuisine at popular prices. The tandoor, or clay oven, is perhaps the most important culinary legacy of the Mughal invasions of the 16th century. Also, the liberal use of spices and the rich, creamy curries many people associate with “Indian food” are Mughal influences. Karim’s has been serving peerless curries, kebabs, and breads for almost 100 years and has opened several branches within and outside Delhi.

Once you locate and meander through the tiny passageway leading to the courtyard of Karim’s, the restaurant itself is really nothing to look at. The royal cuisine so revered by generations of Delhiites and international epicures is served in a shabby, divey setting that belies the delicacies on offer. There is nothing to be concerned with hygienically, but if this is your very first dining experience in India, you may feel quite apprehensive. The connoisseurs will say how Karim’s has gone downhill in recent years, and that there are superior offerings from the street carts the government is trying to banish, but my Western tummy precludes any first-hand assessment of street eats. Karim’s, like any institution, has its detractors, but I think the food here is first-rate.

Even though some of the press clips at the entrance are 20 years old, which is never a good sign, Karim’s must be in every current guidebook, since tourists consistently find their way to this well-concealed destination

Karim’s
Gali Kababian, near Jama Masjid
Old Delhi
India

It gives me the utmost pleasure to introduce a good friend of mine, fellow Executive Pastry Chef Philippe Daue who just a few month ago moved to India from Thailand. Philippe is overlooking the pastry operation at the New Delhi Imperial Hotel in India.

I met Philippe in Malaysia while working at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur. I was about to leave for Japan and he was working at the Hilton in Bangkok, taking over the operation. Every now and then we met again. After a short stay in New Zealand Philippe joined the Shangri-La in Bangkok as Executive Pastry Chef.

As Daue’s confection testifies, chocolate is one of the most flexible ingredients a pastry chef has at hand. It is used differently in different countries. In his homeland, for instance – the Land of Chocolate! – chocolate serves to enhance sauces for chicken and game dishes. Those with a sweet tooth would truly feel at home in that country, where sweet breakfasts – consisting of chocolate Danish and bread – are the norm.

“In the Middle-Eastern countries, dried fruits and figs are used as fillings in chocolates. Over there, spices and herbs are also used in combination with chocolate and this sits well with taste buds there. Fillings are also sometimes used to reduce the sweetness of the chocolate.

“In Europe, the classic fillings are berries, orange and passion fruit – but it doesn’t stop there as I think the possibilities for combination are endless. Lavender and thyme are also widely used as fillings. You could even, if you found the right balance, have a durian chocolate or a curry flavoured chocolate,” insists the 38-year-old chef who claims that chocolates keep him looking youthful.

One of his other quirky creations is the chocolate pizza – a dish, he admits, that would be looked upon warily in Europe. For the adventurous taster though, chocolate knows no master but the palate.

Its flexibility brings to mind another foodstuff that plays a large part in any desert menu: cheese. Not surprisingly, these two foodstuffs do not see eye to eye. “Chocolate absorbs smells and flavours very quickly, it is like a sponge. That is why it does not combine very well with cheese as the latter would ‘colonise’ and take over the taste of chocolate. With cream cheese and the lighter varieties, though, it’s all right.”

For Daue, chocolate is the more interesting of the two foodstuffs, not least because its role extends beyond the culinary realm. There are many myths associated with chocolate – its status as a “food of love”, for instance, is well known.

Some say that this belief dates back to the early 16th century in what is now Mexico when the Aztec king Montezuma began the ritual of taking chocolate daily in liquid form. Because of its supposed powers over the libido, that chocolate drink was kept a royal secret, and women were not allowed to have it.

Today, its role in “making things happen” for couples has evolved in strange ways in some parts of the world: ”A new trend in the United States is that of using chocolate for what they call ‘couple therapy’, for those facing problems in their relationships. This therapy requires the couple to paint each other’s body with chocolate and then to lick it off! After all, it is a well-known fact today that chocolate is an anti-depressant and makes people feel good,” says Daue.

Chocolate is so well loved in some parts of the world that there are connoisseurs who can wax lyrical over “divine” flavours just as wine lovers do. In France, for instance, there are groups such as the Croqueur de Chocolats (Chocolate Bitters) that engage in debates over flavours and, especially, over fake chocolates.

“In Europe, a law was passed that allowed manufacturers to substitute a percentage of vegetable fat (which is cheaper) for cocoa butter when making chocolates. These sorts of chocolates are widely eaten in Britain and the United States but to many people in France, Belgium and Switzerland, they are not the real thing.”

Connoisseurs can tell you how to distinguish good chocolate from bad: one needs only to master the three-step approach of breaking, smelling and tasting.

“First, when you break a premium piece of chocolate, it should make a sharp noise and crumble crisply into pieces. There should also be a delicate aroma, which should not be overwhelming. Then comes the tasting. Good chocolate melts easily all over the mouth and its taste should develop. The aftertaste should linger for about half an hour,” explains Daue.

What, though, does this connoisseur have to say about white chocolate? The debate over whether white chocolate can even be called chocolate is fierce. Chocolate is made from chocolate “liquor” and cocoa butter while white chocolate only has the cocoa butter (see box).

“White chocolate was recognised as chocolate only lately in Europe. In certain countries, it is quite popular,” Daue admits.

The brown version still rules taste buds in Europe – especially during festivals.

“The biggest chocolate occasion has to be Valentines Day. But chocolates also feature in other festivals. In Belgium, where the Christmas tradition does not have as long a tradition as it does in Germany and France, everything revolves around chocolates during the year-end festivities. You will find chocolate pralines, chocolate cakes and chocolate everything everywhere. And because everywhere is dark during winter, chocolates in fancy wrappings help to brighten the place and people eat them to make them feel better,” says Daue.

Philippe Daue
Executive Pastry Chef
The Imperial New Delhi
Janpath
New Delhi 110001
India

I just love to receive “Postcards” from around the world, especially from Tim since he is such a well traveled and seasoned ex-hotelier. I never knew that such beautiful food is served on golf courses like on Tim’s BlueStar Golf & Resort in Arizona.

Here in Dubai it seems to me that the boyz are coming off the greens totally blasted by the grog they consume while away from the missus? Sorry DXB golfers; I do not play golf for that very reason!

Thank you Tim!