Upma is to south India what bread and butter is to the rest of the world, and yet it took New York chef Floyd Cardoz a handful of mushrooms, some coconut milk and chicken stock to make it win the popular US TV show, Top Chef Masters (season 3).
The Mumbai-born chef, who bagged the $100,000 title on Wednesday, made the dish under the category of his first food memory. “I remember having upma at home with my family with with tea but I have to make a little bit of changes to it,” said Cardoz on the show.
Traditionally a semolina-ginger-onion breakfast staple, it is now trending on Twitter and has made the country sit up and take notice of how a simple dish, not even on the menu of most gourmet restaurants in India, could prove a jackpot winner.Cardoz named his prize-winning version ‘Wild Mushroom Upma Polenta with Kokum & Coconut Milk’.Floyd Cardoz’s winning upma recipe
Four servingsIngredients2 cups cream of wheat3 tablespoons canola oil1 teaspoon mustard seeds1 teaspoon cumin 4 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons shallots1 tablespoon ginger1 tablespoon chillies3 cups chicken stock3 cups coconut milkSalt and pepper, to tasteCilantro, as garnishPea shoots, as garnishMushrooms3 tablespoons canola oil1/2 cup oyster mushrooms1/2 cup Maitake1/2 cup king oyster mushrooms2 shallots1 chilli pepper1 knob gingerSalt and pepper, to taste2 tablespoons butter1/4 cup white port1 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Directions1. Heat oil and cream of wheat and toast for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from pan2. Heat oil mixture then add mustard seeds and whisk until seeds pop. Add cumin and reserve3. Heat pan. Add spice oil and butter. Add shallots, ginger, chillies, and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add cream of wheat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add stock and coconut milk. Mix and cook. Simmer4. Should be smooth.
{{/usCountry}}Directions1. Heat oil and cream of wheat and toast for 10 minutes on low heat. Remove from pan2. Heat oil mixture then add mustard seeds and whisk until seeds pop. Add cumin and reserve3. Heat pan. Add spice oil and butter. Add shallots, ginger, chillies, and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add cream of wheat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add stock and coconut milk. Mix and cook. Simmer4. Should be smooth.
{{/usCountry}}Directions for mushrooms1. Heat oil in sauté pan. Add mushrooms and cook with lightly coloured sear2. Add butter, shallots, ginger and chilli3. Deglaze with white port4. Season with salt and pepper and cilantro.
What city chefs sayFor us, upma scores high on nothing. It’s like a blob on a plate. Adding mushrooms and tomatoes to the original three-step recipe seems like an inspiration from its Italian variant, polentaChef Sabyasachi Gorai, Olive Bar & Kitchen
I think what made the dish click was the fusion spin. An upma made the traditional way may not have made such noise. He made the humble wheat dish look like gourmet Chef Tarun Kapoor, The Metropolitan
While we go on aping the West, we tend to overlook our own dishes. It’s heartening that Floyd Cardoz chose to make something Indian. It must make all Indian chefs proud Chef Debraj Halder, Suryaa