Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) Food on international flights from the country is becoming more of a home-away-from home experience for frequent fliers. You can now tickle your taste buds with a shahi Indian Thaali, gajar (carrot) halwa stuffed in pancakes and grilled masala lobsters. Menus on airlines are acquiring an Indian taste.
“The palate of Indian fliers is changing. What do people expect when they are travelling out of India? Food which is more restaurant style, stylish but Indian because 10 days later they will be back to home-cooked traditional Indian food,” celebrity chef and television presenter Sanjeev Kapoor told IANS in the capital.

Pointing out the changing culinary demands of the passengers flying out of the country, Kapoor said “research carried out among frequent fliers in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and New Delhi showed that there was an increase in regional preferences”.

“People travelling abroad from north India prefer south Indian breakfasts. Most passengers look for a combination of regional cuisines and fusion food as part of their breakfast, lunch and supper platters. It could be chicken done Chettinad style, pulao north Indian style, any kind of dal and an innovative curry of kadhi and baby corn,” he said.

Kapoor, who is on the International Culinary Panel for Singapore Airlines, said that passengers are willing to experiment with desserts.

“The desserts should be a bit out-of the-box, but a little less sweet as fliers are more concerned about their health. Moreover India is one of the diabetic hot-spots,” he said.

Kapoor has created a new range of airline desserts that combine traditional Indian sweets with popular western concepts.

“Instead of the usual fruit, pudding, custard, ice-cream or yogurt, why not serve something like carrot (gajar) halwa in a pancake casing, apple halwa cased in short crust pastry served with dates stewed in maple syrup and maple ice cream; desserts that are a fusion of India and the west,” the chef said.

A unique meal presentation organised by Singapore Airlines at the Taj Sats at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Complex Tuesday showed that Indian cuisine was scoring over its western counterparts in flights operating from India.

Kapoor and culinary expert Herman Friedanck showcased the airlines’ proposed business and first class platters for the next quarter beginning November to February.

Singapore Airlines operates 42 flights from India per week.

On display was a range of four types of supper and brunch menus for the upper class travellers. “The shahi Indian thaali is a favourite and we keep reinventing Indian meals in new ways,” Kapoor said.

The Indian section consisted of pulao, shahi paneer, dal, hariyali keema, shahi prawns, shahi chicken, sukhe palak methi matar and parantha, whereas the non-Indian sections included a do-it-yourself Asian noodle meal and a continental platter.

The main shahi course was accompanied by a variety of new starters like tandoori lobster, vegetable kebab with pine nuts and cheese, paneer tikka and stuffed potatoes.

“There are certain things one must keep in mind while preparing an airline menu. Since passengers do not have the chance to exercise on board, the food should not be too heavy. If the pressure in the flight is not normal, it affects the taste buds. The spice levels have to be treated differently,” Kapoor said.

Herman Friedbank, Food and Beverage manager, Singapore Airlines, summed up the trend as “eat the way the culture eats”.

“Airlines are deviating from the old western maxims of stock salad, soups, cold cuts and bread to work on local fare,” he said.