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How do you imagine millet in the recipe? Is everything Khishdi or Dalia? To get away from the way people put millet back into their diet and help them see and taste the different ways our super food can be used, Ballard Estate based Native Bombay company has put together a new menu of just 12 items.
Titled Millets at Native, it consists of three starters and two main courses each for vegetarians and non-vegetarians with two millet-based desserts to complement it. In keeping with the restaurant’s ethos, expect regional food blended seamlessly with millet cereal.
Chef Bhairav Singh has curated a special millet menu at Native Bombay. (photo: private order)
We visited the restaurant on the day when Mumbai received one of the highest rainfalls of the season. Once inside, we immediately developed a crush on it—the exposed brick and wood paneling space makes for a serene, relaxing space, perhaps providing the refuge we need from the constant rain. While the central space contains tables for gatherings of four and larger, there are high bar stools and a series of tables for two lining the windows.
We quickly settled down at one of their family tables and served them – posh-papad corn with a spicy dip made with thatcha, a peanut merki paste integral to Maharashtrian cuisine, and a tangy dip of mango and onion. Our color palette really messed up, and we started wanting more. From the start, the Bajre Ki Pasali was from Rajasthan, a melt-in-the-mouth mutton chop marinated in roasted bajra (pearl millet) and chilli was a great addition. So was the Rajgira Seekh Kebab served by UP on a bed of crispy chivda bagra. The kebab cooked in a clay oven was tender, with a texture and taste very similar to a lamb kebab.
Bhatti Ki Kokdi at Native Bombay. (photo: private order)
The latter is made using ragira (amaranth) powder, sweet potatoes, and amaranth (red spinach) greens. “What a wonder here is the masala. We have used all kinds of masalas to add to our lamb kebabs, which is why all your senses are left amazed at the first bite,” said Chef Bhairav Singh, Executive Chef at Native Bombay, who brings almost a quarter century of experience in the culinary world.
year ago 2023 has been declared the year of milletHe saw this as a perfect opportunity to introduce people to the different ways millet can be used. “People often run towards quinoa or other foreign ‘superfoods’ even though we have plenty of them here on our land,” Singh said, adding that they used six millets in this list — kudu, nachni (ragi), rajera, gwar (sorghum), bhagra and kutki (baby millet).
Bhatti Ki Kokdi at Native Bombay. (photo: private order)
Back at our table, all of the mains from the vegetarian section were a delight. Bajre Gondh Khichdi, which has its roots in Gujarat, was basically a comforting bajre ki khichdi, slow cooked in pure ghee. It was served with arbi (taro) sticks with gand (edible gum) and pharwan mirchi ka achar on the side, making for a beneficial combination.
Although this writer isn’t a fan of sweet pulao, the Lucknowi Zarda Pulao Kangani made using foxtail millet and cooked with apricot, saffron, and pistachio leaves was savory and slightly sweet, making us reach for another meal. For non-vegetarians, the menu features Kadaknath chicken, the Indian breed that is not a common sight on restaurant menus. We would have appreciated it if the broth wasn’t lacking in flavours. Although what we enjoyed was the Lal Saag Gosht, the lamb was well cooked and the red spinach gravy with kale was delicious.
Rajgira Seekh Kebab at Native Bombay. (photo: private order)
While phirni is a common sight in Indian restaurants, Jav Ka Meetha’s sweet hot lapisi, made with jau (native barley), black jaggery and edible gum and topped with dried, toasted coconut flakes, has won our hearts. We ended up licking the mole.
What we also appreciated was how the food didn’t feel heavy even though our stomachs were full. Chef Singh says it’s because “as I served this food in a restaurant, it was made using techniques that my mom and her mom relied on” – making it a true return to our roots.
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