A Vedic eve to celebrate HT City's 25th birthday

From a scrumptious Vedic menu to a soulful musical performance from Tokyo, HT City readers came together to mark HT City’s 25th birthday year, gourmet-style.

On a warm, cozy Friday afternoon, foodies from across Delhi and beyond gathered at Sattvik, Saket, a vegetarian fine dining restaurant, to be a part of the pinging celebration of HT City, which is turning 25 soon. Readers were asked to show off their Vedic food knowledge in a contest, and those who won joined renowned chef Nishant Choubey and others for an afternoon of food and music. The menu, from Ayodhya to Lakshadweep, offered a true taste of Vedic cooking. The chef didn’t just prepare the dishes in front of a live audience but also called on the participants to try their hand at cooking.

Choubey’s imaginative, modern take on Vedic cuisine—dishes made using fresh, seasonal produce such as Bonda Papri Aloo Tamatar, Unnakaya with Coconut Kheer, and more—took centre stage.

Choubey’s imaginative, modern take on Vedic cuisine—dishes made using fresh, seasonal produce such as Bonda Papri Aloo Tamatar, Unnakaya with Coconut Kheer, and more—took centre stage. The dishes withheld in themselves inspiration from both Lakshadweep and Ayodhya. For example, in the Steamed Sweet Rice Cake Chat, the rice soaked and pureed with coconut milk was inspired by Lakshadweep, while the tamarind chutney and spice mix drew influence from Ayodhya’s piquant street food scene. “The Vedic way of cooking emphasizes the importance of a vegetarian diet that is plant-based, all-natural, pure, and unrefined, backed by Ayurvedic wisdom,” said Choubey. “There’s a remarkable culinary opportunity that Vedic food offers, and to craft dishes from clean produce rooted in the Vedas is a euphoric experience,” he added.