Sugar, spice and everything nice!

Shorter days, a slight nip in the air and the sweet smell of October blooms are almost synonymous with autumn. The onset of fall also brings with it green leafy vegetables, juicy fruits, fresh herbs, spices and seasonal produce in abundance, just in time for the festivities of Dussehra and Diwali. Welcoming the aromas of the season, eateries across India are sprucing up their menus, incorporating ingredients that are soulful and comforting — similar to what this season is known to be like.

Tapping into Nature’s marvels

A fusion of earthy flavours, vibrant ingredients and the comforting essence of autumn summarises the menu at Novotel Mumbai International Airport. “The pumpkin ravioli pays homage to the harvest, with creamy yellow sun carrots purée embracing the nutty sweetness of carrots. Our apple cinnamon tart is an ode to the orchard, where tart apples meet a fragrant cinnamon crumble,” says Ashish Kadam, chef de cuisine.

Making the most of Nature’s bounty — pumpkin, eggplant, mushroom, zucchini, sweet potato and broccoli — Crowne Plaza Okhla, Delhi has an autumnal feast in store, with dishes such as apple and berry tart, kohlrabi and pine seed salad, broccoli and almond soup, pumpkin and walnut tart, cauliflower steak, honey glazed roast pumpkin and more. “We are also serving a variety of handmade pastas, raviolis and risottos for soul-nourishing comfort. In a nutshell, seasonal produce and comforting flavours is the thought when creating new dishes. We have extensively used fresh, locally sourced fruits such as apples, plums, bananas and nashi pears to add freshness,” says Ashutosh Bisht, executive sous chef.

For the love of authentic, aromatic spices

Pullman New Delhi Aerocity has introduced an autumn menu that has ingredients picked from their own herb garden, where they grow fresh, aromatic herbs, citrus fruits, sweet potatoes and green veggies. On the menu are canapé (nutty goat cheese steak coated with baby beet dust and citrus caviar), methi matar mushroom masala made of fresh methi leaves, shalgam gosht made of juicy turnips and more.

Serving up a spice platter, Bahce in Gurugram has on offer Chettinad-style chicken curry, featuring a burst of flavours, herbs and spices, making for a perfect autumn meal. Their paneer bhurji is a vegetarian alternative — exuding similar comfort and the warmth of spices — paired with a buttered bun. They also have a no-bake biscoff dessert for a cosy conclusion to the autumn dining experience.

Abundance of greens

During this time of the year, we get the best of local produce whether it is the greens like spinach, mustard leaves or other root vegetables like carrot, cauliflower and other tubers. Someplace Else, a restaurant in Mumbai offers asian greens stir-fry, malai methi mutter Tiger prawns butter garlic, salsa fresca. “These ingredients are available in abundance during autumn and not just add freshness and flavours but also provide mutiple health benefits,” says Parikshit Joshi, executive chef.

Zoca Cafe in all its outlets across the country features Tomato Basil Soup, Wok tossed Cantonese Vegetable (delicately spiced Chinese styled vegetable made with spinach, pok Choy, carrots etc), Miloni Tarkari (a dish made with spinach and fibrous vegetables).