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Though he’s half a world away from his hometown of Deli, India, Manish Tyagi, chef and chief operating officer at Aurum in Los Altos, California, remains anchored in a key culinary principle of his homeland: Cook only with local ingredients.
Tyagi admits that the year-round plentitude of fresh foods in California makes that easy. Yet he challenges himself to create dishes that reflect true Indian food while modifying them with influences of the local food scene.
“Indian people are very adaptive, so Indian chefs bring their own persona to the cuisine,” Tyagi says. “Using more cheese is part of that for me.”
Indian culture, history and pride in food
Tyagi credits his mother’s home cooking with inspiring him to become a chef. After cooking professionally in a number of restaurants in India, he moved to the U.S. in 2012 as chef de cuisine at Rasika West End, a high-end Indian restaurant in Washington. Years later, he moved to San Francisco to work at Amber Dhara before opening August 1 Five, which showcased delicacies inspired by central and northern India.
COVID-hampered sales ended the restaurant’s run in 2020, leading Tyagi to open Aurum (Latin for “gold”) that same year in nearby Los Altos, California. The philosophy of the restaurant, he says, is to bring back nostalgic and forgotten Indian recipes that remind him of the comfort foods of his youth.
“I do look at things from a modern angle while keeping the soul of the dish intact and presenting it in a very artistic way,” Tyagi says.
Another part of his mission is to end the misconception that cheese is not a part of Indian food.
“We do have cheese, and we use them in different ways,” he says. Historically, India’s climate was too hot and humid for proper cheese fermentation, but modern refrigeration has changed that. “I like California cheeses both for their consistency and taste.”
Among those currently cycling through his menus are California paneer, mozzarella, feta and cream cheese.
“In the past I’ve used California cotija and sharp cheddar—things you would not find in Indian cuisine,” he says. “But with every menu change, I try to use different cheeses from California that add an element of quality and interest.”
It’s still about the taste
Tyagi says California cheeses inspire him in the kitchen, especially given Aurum’s bent toward comfort food. His riff on Italian arancini is even named “Comfy” on his menu.
“I use California mozzarella because I like the way it stretches in this dish,” he says. The dish replaces risotto with a cooked and cooled Indian lentil porridge, which is wrapped around a boccancini. The mass is dipped in chickpea flour batter, coated in bread crumbs and fried. “It is a flavor bomb for guests—the tartness from the yogurt and pickle sauce and the gooiness from the California boccancini.”
Another Indian variation on an Italian classic is the cleverly named I’m Not Pasta. This lasagne replaces traditional pasta with layers of sliced California paneer cheese, cooked fenugreek leaves, brown garlic and shredded California mozzarella. The three-layered appetizer is baked at 450 F until melted and then placed in a bowl along with a spicy tomato cream sauce. The dish is garnished with basil oil and chili threads. (Click here to see Tyagi make both dishes in this Real Makers video.)
His inspiration for I’m Not Pasta came under the final round pressure of the “Beat Bobby Flay” show. Impressed with the dish and its presentation, judges gave him the win over Flay.
“Indian food has this reputation of having no plate presentation, so my challenge was to make this dish presentable,” he says. “I want people to eat with their eyes first. California cheeses help me achieve all that.”
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