For the whole month of September, Bombay Brasserie, situated at Taj Cape Town and is regarded as one of Cape Town's finest Indian restaurant, is paying tribute to this noble pepper with their first Chilli Festival.
The chilli, with its internal seeds and as a part of a flowering plant, is clearly defined as a fruit, but a fruit that nature never intended to be eaten by humans. Birds, who cannot taste the capsicum which gives chillies their distinctive heat, are the airborne vehicles nature had in mind to disperse the seeds and in fact, we are the only mammals reported to enjoy eating them - and enjoy them we do.
Taj Cape Town's Executive Sous Chef, Harpreet Longani, is passionate about this little fruit and has devised a multi-course menu that showcases the duality of a number of rare and hard to find chilli cultivars from India and around the world. "Chillies are an essential ingredient in any gourmet kitchen, but here in South Africa we are only exposed to a few of the varieties that are used for cooking and adding flavour to fine Indian cuisine."
Chef Longani's four course menu for the Chilli Festival includes a number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options such as; sweet corn kernels with sago, pineapple relish and Deghi chillies; lamb kebabs flavoured with Roghani chilies cooked n beetle leaves; Lotus stems and water chestnut spiced with Gunter chillies; and lady's finger tossed in mango powder, fenugreek leaves and Byagdi chillies, to name a few.
A variety of speciality breads will be on offer to accompany the meal including, Chilli Olive Naan, Masala Parantha or a Roghani Kulcha, while dessert options such as home-churned Indian ice cream infused with a hint of red chilli, or fennel and black pepper scented pancakes round off this exotic feast.
Accompanying each course, a selection of Twankey Bars' finest Craft beers has been carefully paired to compliment the chilli dishes. Jack Black Pre-Prohibition style lager will be paired with the Pink pepper corn soup, while CBC Craft Pilsner accompanies the vegetarian and non-vegetarian starters. The main courses are paired with Lumber Jack Amber Ale and desserts with the CBC Krystal Weiss. In addition, guests can try chilli infused cocktails and mocktails such as a chilli mojito, chilli caipirinha, or Twankey Bar's speciality; a chilli bloody mary.
The Bombay Brasserie Chilli festival will run throughout the month of September and is priced at R495.00 per person for the four course tasting menu. Craft beer pairings are optional at an additional R85.00 per person or at R250.00 per person for a comprehensive wine pairing. Individually priced a la carte items will be available alongside a variety of chilli infused cocktails.
To secure your seat at the 'hottest' culinary festival, contact moc.sletohjat@nwotepac.stnaruatser
For more, go to www.tajcapetown.co.za/blog
