Peace Offerings

TO anyone familiar with Pushpesh Pant as one-third of 8216;Team Rasoi8217;, his latest offering is something of a shock to the tastebuds. ...

TO anyone familiar with Pushpesh Pant as one-third of 8216;Team Rasoi8217;, his latest offering is something of a shock to the tastebuds. A full book of pure vegetarian recipes! From a man who has been known to scour Delhi in search of the right butcher, and to wait for 30 minutes while the mutton chops are beaten to just the right millimetre of thickness. From the man who, along with Jiggs Kalra and Raminder Malhotra, authored books featuring exquisite non-vegetarian fare.

Pant, 58, candidly admits Buddhist Peace Recipes Roli Books, Rs 295 is not really his cup of tea, or the dinner on his table. 8216;8216;But Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books, his publisher was insistent that any collection of Buddhist recipes8212;basically, food from countries of the faith: India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Japan8212;had to be vegetarian. I tried convincing him that even Buddhist monks are known to eat meat, forget laymen, and the Master himself supposedly died of eating rotten pork, but he refused to come around.8217;8217;

The result is a book that Pant has rather mixed feelings about. On one hand, it8217;s excellently produced; on the other, it8217;s not as representative as it should be. 8216;8216;But then, it became one of those very rare books, a completely vegetarian compilation without even a splash of fish sauce,8217;8217; says the self-confessed reluctant chef. An academician, Pant is more interested in research about food and culture than in cooking per se.

Then he proceeds to throw the image to the winds, expertly coring red and yellow bell peppers and cutting them into strips. The mushrooms and baby corn follow.

8216;8216;I8217;m cheating. I have substituted broccoli for tofu. It takes away more in colour than in taste,8217;8217; Pant says.

		TRI-RATNA MANJUSHA

			INGREDIENTS 115 gm bamboo shoots, sliced 115 gm baby corn cobs, roughly chopped 115 gm broccoli florets 4 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp light brown sugar Vegetable stock or water 15 ml light soy sauce METHOD Heat the oil in a preheated wok, and stir-fry the vegetables on high heat for about two minutes. Add the salt and brown sugar and a little stock or water, if necessary. Continue stirring for another minute. Add the soy sauce. Blend well and serve. Serves four.

The occasion is a meal I8217;ve invited myself to, but the Pant family8212;father, son, daughter-in-law, newborn granddaughter and beautiful German Shepherd Khampa8212;plays perfect host in the staff quarters at Jawaharlal Nehru University, where Pant is a professor of diplomacy.

I cross the rules of etiquette for a guest and peek into the kitchen to see him swirl oil in a preheated kadai, turn the heat up high and add each vegetable. The salt and sugar follow, and a splash of water. One good turn with the spatula, a dash of soy sauce, and that8217;s it.

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I can8217;t help feeling a bit let down. Where are the flourishes, the showmanship, the bravura turns? I can8217;t spot a wok anywhere in the distinctly functional kitchen: Pant actually cooks in a much-used kadai, the kind found in any self-respecting Indian household.

With some misgivings, I pop a slice of bell pepper into my mouth8230; and then some tofu and baby corn. The bell pepper retains just the right bite, the tofu has absorbed the flavourings, the baby corn adds the sweetness essential to a good stir-fry.

8216;8216;The ingredients are all,8217;8217; explains Pant, without managing to sound the least bit professorial.

Right. The rest is window dressing. And who wants to look when you can taste?