India, July 5 -- South Indian food has evolved over the years with the addition of new flavours, ingredients and techniques. But for Deepti Jadhav, Head Chef of Avartana, ITC Maratha, Mumbai, "modernising South Indian cuisine, is not about changing its identity - it's about reimagining how it's experienced". She adds, "I believe in taking the soul of traditional ingredients, reinterpreting them with modern techniques, refined presentation, and a deeper understanding of core memories. The goal is to retain authenticity and elevate the dining experience." Sharing how she incorporates traditional South Indian flavours in her contemporary food, the chef adds, "The foundation of my food begins with traditional ingredients - whether it's the sharp earthiness of black Tellicherry pepper from Kerala, the umami of Tamil Nadu's fermented raw rice batters, or the fragrance of curry leaves and coconut from coastal Andhra and Karnataka. I might present a rasam as a consomme or serve a Talegaon potato sandwich instead of a classic vadai, but the soul remains rooted in South India." Some of her go-to ingredients include Tellicherry pepper, chillies like Byadgi, Salem and Guntur, jaggery and tamarind palm cake, Coorg vinegar and Uthukuli butter. Speaking about the techniques that she uses in her kitchen, she shares, "It is a mix of traditional and modern techniques, like roasting spices, hand pounding pepper and pulled sugar for fennel Panacotta, along with using sous vide for cuttle fish and garlic, distillation for the liquid gold tomato rasam, dehydrating beetroot sheets for the Uthukuli chicken and morel dishes, add a unique dimension to age-old South Indian ingredients."htc...