Singapore restaurant Yantra is giving diners a taste of India’s home-kitchens

A culinary historian and a chef have paired up to take Singaporeans on a sojourn of regional Indian food, introducing them to more than just butter chicken

In a country like Singapore, where a street-food shop has a Michelin star, food is clearly taken very seriously. However, the scope for food from the Indian subcontinent remains very narrow, as most still identify butter chicken or tikka masala as “Indian food”. While Indian food–or the average Singaporean’s interpretation of it–is quite popular, a culinary historian has paired up with a chef to show what regional food in India truly means, at the reimagined fine-dine restaurant, Yantra.

Though Yantra at Singapore’s Tanglin Mall has been in existence for a while, it was known for its “north Indian” approach to Indian food with its palak paneer and dal makhni, which made it popular amongst India’s expat population in the Lion City. However, a change of ownership just before the COVID-19 pandemic saw culinary historian Pritha Sen and executive chef Pinaki Ray getting roped in to revamp the look, feel and the menu of Yantra, which opened doors in August this year. While Sen is known for her repertoire in regional cuisine and recipes that she sources from the home-kitchens from across India, Ray has a background in F&B and has worked in Singapore for around 20 years across major hotel chains.

A gourmet travelogue through India’s home-kitchens

“The concept of Yantra today is that it’s a very high-end, elegant, fine-dining venue. From the interiors to the menu, everything has changed. The concept behind the food is that it’s a gourmet travelogue through the home-kitchens of India, and is my tribute to all our grandmothers and mothers whose accomplishments in the kitchen have gone unsung,” says Sen, who is momentarily based out of Singapore. Apart from a main dining room, Yantra now has a bar and three private dining rooms (one with a bar) and can accommodate 74 guests, with about 30 items across both an à la carte and a tasting menu. Both Sen and Ray aim to keep changing the menu every few months, taking seasonality and festivals in account.

Dishes such as Ema Datshi, Bolgatty Island Fish Fry, Hyderabadi Patthar Gosht, Sutta Gosht and Ma Di Dal in the hands of Sen and Ray present a delicious take on the diversity of India’s regional cuisine. Since Yantra opened doors, the Nizam’s Kathi Kebab served on mini parathas and the cocktail Luchi Alu Dom have been “flying” off the tables.

“The Sutta Ghost is a 200-year-old recipe that I collected from a friend’s family with its antecedents in Persia. It’s called “Sutta,” meaning “sleep,” because the cooks used to slow-cook it and nap while the meat cooked. At Yantra, we cook it for almost four hours. The Bolgatty Island Fish Fry is from an island in Kerala where a cousin lived with her in-laws, who gave me the recipe, while the Nadru Yakhni from Kashmir connects southeast Asia with south Asia and the common love for water chestnuts and lotus root,” explains Sen. Luchi Alu Dum and a few bowl options, including one with the famous gobindo bhog variant of rice, are also Sen’s contribution to the menu and are doing well. The rationale behind the menu sees progressive plating that preserves the sanctity of the dishes and the rare fusion can only go up to the mixing of Indian regional flavours, without relying on the West.

Beyond conventions

While a variation of the famous north Indian dishes have been retained in the form of Butter Chicken Kulcha and Ma Di Dal, they are not your typical iterations that have been done to death. “Our version here is the original butter chicken, which doesn’t have loads of cashew paste. It has very little cream and is completely slow-cooked. The Ma Di Dal is also slow-cooked, smoked with charcoal and doesn’t have the usual heaviness of butter or cream,” shares Sen.

“The understanding of Indian food in Singapore is also often restricted to south Indian food with the use of a lot of curry leaves, apart from the commercial food. Locals are now opening up their minds to more culinary possibilities from India,” says Ray. While the restaurant sources a lot of ingredients locally, both Ray and Sen also value authenticity and quality, which makes them source items such as ghee, certain spices and the Goyna Bori (dried lentil lumping) from India. Evidently enough, Yantra has gotten that right with the local press giving it raving reviews and the restaurant mostly running full-house with Singaporeans and non-Indian expats forming the major chunk of it.

Also Read: Stories of culinary heritage are seeped in memory and family lore

Also Read: Cooking up a Revolution: An Interview with Chef Massimo Bottura

Also Read: For Chef Himanshu Saini of Michelin-starred Trèsind Studio, the definition of ‘modern Indian’ food has changed