Dundrum Town Centre isn't the first place one would think of sending people in search of eternal joy, unless they worship at the altar of designer labels, writes Marie-Claire Digby.
But Aanandaa, which is set to open at the Dublin shopping Mecca next month - its name means eternal joy in Sanskrit - promises to bring the Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar's much-anticipated modern take on regional Indian food to our shores.
Kochhar, who trained with the Oberoi hotel group in New Delhi, first came to London in 1994, to cook at Tamarind, in Mayfair, earning a Michelin star for the restaurant in 2001. The following summer he left to set up his own restaurant, Benares, in the rarified surroundings of Berkeley Square, and in January of this year he earned his second star. But it's not all about awards for Kochhar. "Accolades are not driving me or my cooking. It's bringing people here and making them happy," he has said.
Recently, Kochhar has added a touch of spice to the Great British Menu TV programmes, which pit some of Britain's leading chefs against each other, and in which Richard Corrigan, the Ballivor-raised chef, somewhat contentiously represents Northern Ireland. Kochhar has twice been a finalist in the competition, beating Gary Rhodes last year and seeing off Stuart Gillies, who heads Gordon Ramsay's Boxwood CafÉ at the Berkeley Hotel, earlier this year.
Kochhar, who was born in Jamshedpur, in northeast India, is well travelled and draws inspiration from all over India for his menus. "When I decided to do cooking - not be a doctor like all good Indian parents want - my parents were quite offended, but they let me go. I travelled a lot, and my dad said I should go to south India, and I thank him for that."
South India is made up of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, and its vibrant, fragrant cuisine is a constant in Kochhar's diverse culinary repertoire. Bengali food is another favourite. "All the [ Bengali] dishes are so different and distinctive," he says.
Kochhar has continued to explore the many regional cooking styles of his birthplace, in search of inspiration for his menus and his writing. His debut book, Indian Essence (retitled Simple Indian in its Quadrille paperback format), was a bestseller that has been reprinted every year since it was first published, in 2004. His next book, British Fish Indian Style, is due out next spring, followed in the autumn of 2008 by Indian Light.
Aanandaa is scheduled to open in the second half of next month. "I have found Dublin to be a fantastic business city. Its character and people, and their love for good food, have lured me to open my restaurant in Dublin," he says. "Sunil Ghai is going to be at helm of the kitchen operations. He is someone I trust with my food, as he is young and innovative and shares the same passion for food."
Simple Indian, by Atul Kochhar, is published by Quadrille, £14.99 in UK
Cooking with Kochhar
•"Oil temperature is important; it has to be just right. Too cold and it won't extract the flavours from the spices; if it is too hot, they will burn. Drop a spice in, and if it starts to splutter, it's right."
•"When we cook in India and we use chilli, we want to taste it. It's not about the heat, it's about flavour."
•"Powdered spices don't keep more than three months; they lose flavour, from age and from light, if stored in transparent containers."
•"Serve Indian food with bread or plain rice. Pilau is nice, but it has a strong spice flavour of its own. Bread will let you enjoy the real flavour of what you are eating."
•"There's a knack to cooking ginger/garlic paste, and to cooking onions properly, and it takes time, but you must get those right."
•"In my restaurant we only use ghee in one dish, and that's a dessert. I just don't like the heaviness of ghee or butter."
•"When you roast spices, roast them separately. Then you'll get defined flavours."
CRAB SALAD WITH COCONUT AND CURRY LEAVES
From Goa, western India
3 tbsp vegetable or coconut oil
1½ tsp mustard seeds
10 curry leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped root ginger
½ tsp finely chopped green chillies
100g onions, finely chopped
300g white crab meat, flaked
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt, or to taste
3 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut (if unavailable use toasted unsweetened desiccated coconut)
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
Heat the oil in a wok, add the mustard seeds and saute until they splutter, then add the curry leaves and saute for a minute or two more.
Add the ginger and green chillies and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the chopped onions and saute until they are soft and translucent. Add the crab meat, stir for a few seconds, then add the turmeric and salt. Saute for two minutes, then stir in the coconut milk, grated coconut and chopped coriander. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Serve the salad cold, with kumquat chutney (see next recipe).
KUMQUAT CHUTNEY
From Goa, western India
100g sliced kumquats
30g palm sugar
20ml white vinegar
½ tsp toasted cumin seeds
½ tsp toasted crushed coriander seeds
1 chopped red chilli
1 tsp melon seeds
1 tsp salt
Heat the ingredients together in a pan,
cooking until they have a thick, chutney-like consistency. Cool and serve with the crab
salad.
TADKA DHAL, OR HOME-STYLE LENTILS
Shown below left; from northern India
300g yellow split peas or chana dhal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp shredded coriander leaves and deep-fried onions, to garnish (optional)
Put the split peas or dhal into a saucepan with the salt, turmeric and a litre of water. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. For the seasoning, heat the oil in a saute pan and fry the garlic until it is light brown. Add the chilli powder and saute for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for three or four minutes, then add the cooked lentils. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve the dhal hot, sprinkled with shredded coriander leaves and crisp fried onions, if you like.