Are microgreens replacing dhania in modern Indian restaurants?

At a recent food festival, Nizams of Hyderabad, hosted at Varq in Taj Mahal, New Delhi, there was one thing that almost every dish had in common—microgreens as garnish. They infused freshness and beauty to several dishes; from bite-sized, tapas-style naan with truffle oil to a flavourful Fish Pulusu (sea bass curry) and melt-in-the-mouth Nadru Matter Ke Kebab (minced lotus stem and green peas kebabs).  

Last month, chef Vineet Bhatia was in the city to launch Ziya, Oberoi Gurugram’s newest restaurant. He prepared an aromatic tawa fish, with achari tomato glaze, served with a gondhoraj raita topped with microgreens. Dishes such as chicken bonda lollipops and a delicious pan-grilled fish in sambhar sauce were garnished to perfection with microgreens. 

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Step into any of the top-rated Indian restaurants, and you’ll find microgreens are ubiquitous. “Indian cuisine (at premium restaurants) is evolving from typical garnishes, such as coriander leaves, ginger juliennes, or red chili oil drizzled on curries,” says Shivang Narula, senior sous chef of the restaurant Dhilli. In his view, microgreens are getting popular as garnishes in Indian cuisine, adding both visual appeal and flavour.

There are a variety of microgreens, such as mustard cress, pea shoots, red radish, nastartium and even coriander. At Dhilli, which opened a little over a year ago, dishes such as spinach and mustard saag are garnished with mustard cress. Another popular dish, pea kachori chaat, which is typically served with the classic combination of chopped coriander, sliced onion and a lime wedge, was topped with delicate pea shoots elevating the visual appeal.   

While pea shoots offer a fresh, sweet taste and crisp texture complementing dishes such as chaats and curries, red radish microgreens add a spicy kick to enhance salads and raitas in Dhilli. Coriander is not completely missing. “There are coriander microgreens with a mild, aromatic flavor to garnish biryanis, curries and soups, imparting them with fresh herbal notes,” says Narula. Microgreens appear in desserts too. The beetroot cress in Gulabo, a rose-rasamalai cheesecake, complements the sweet notes of rose and saffron in the dessert. 

“Microgreens are so Instagrammable,” points out chef Nishant Chaubey who opened his 71-cover restaurant Bhaanas in New Delhi specialising in Maithali cuisine earlier this month. “The visual appeal of the pretty, heart-shaped mustard cress is unmatched,” says Chaubey. Not only is this particular microgreen pretty, it’s also packed with nutrition, and equally importantly, it lends itself to certain dishes. Take the mutton taas, a dish that is traditionally made in mustard oil, and is believed to have originated in Champaran in Bihar (opinions are divided with some saying that it comes from Chitwan in Nepal) and is served in Bhaanas with a garnish of mustard cress. “It pairs well with the dish, which is already prepared in mustard oil with just that right kick of the mustard taste,” explains Chaubey. The dessert menu features Dumbu, a classic sweet dish made with rice flour from Jharkhand, and it is “prettified” with tiny leaves of alfalfa. 

A beetroot microgreen looks stunning with its lovely red stem while some others such as a radish and amaranth have striking purple, red and pink hues. Chef Abhijit Khandual of Juju, a modern Indian restaurant in south Goa, has been replacing the classic coriander garnish with microgreens. Since last year, he started to notice many diners toss coriander aside from their plates. Interestingly, he uses coriander microgreens that have a subtler flavour. “It cannot be a complete takeover of microgreens,” he notes, explaining that some of microgreen varieties pair well with appetisers and starters such as kebab platters, but not with biryani where chopped coriander leaves have their own authentic, timeless appeal. 

In Leela’s Jamavar, located in New Delhi, several kebab platters, which used to be garnished with coriander and mint sprigs, are now enhanced with beetroot, carrot and basil microgreens. Chef Rajesh Kumar Rana of the restaurant says there has been a rise in microgreens and edible flowers as garnish at Jamavar in the last two years.  

But, microgreens becoming a trend in modern Indian cuisine doesn’t nullify the use of good old coriander, says chef Arun Sundararaj, director of culinary operations, The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). In his view, more restaurants are using them given the increasing number of suppliers getting into the business of growing quality microgreens.

But what about landmark Indian restaurants, like the 45-year-old, iconic Bukhara at ITC Maurya, New Delhi? Microgreens, no matter how pretty they look, haven’t managed to gain a spot here. For now, the good old dhaniya continues to rule. In progressive Indian restaurants, where recipes are tweaked to suit modern palates and Instagram aesthetics, microgreens have found a permanent spot for now.

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