December 31, 2017

The Daily Dish: Gobi Manchurian at Red Lentil

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RestaurantInterviews

Today we’d like to introduce you to Watertown MA’s Red Lentil.

Please tell us about how you got started in the restaurant business.
My name is Pankaj Pradhan, and I’m the proud owner and chef of a vegan and vegetarian restaurant just outside of Boston, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Cooking vegan and vegetarian food is my passion, and after several years of sharing that passion with others through my restaurant. I’d like to share with you my story: how I found my passion for vegan and vegetarian food.

I came to cooking in a rather roundabout way, after a brief and unfulfilling career in IT. The pay was decent, but something was missing from my life. I felt drawn towards cooking, so I decided to go to culinary school in Kolkata, in my home country of India. From there I landed a job working for Hyatt, and before long I took a job as a Carnival Cruise Lines chef so that I could travel the world. During my time at Carnival, I visited over 40 countries and completed my higher culinary training in France. Being exposed to so many different places, cultures, and cuisines was one of the most enriching experiences I ever had.

But working for Carnival put me in an uncomfortable position. I’d grown up vegetarian, and on the cruise ship I had to work with a great deal of beef — not exactly the ideal food for a vegetarian to cook with. When I quit working for the cruise line I decided to try out living as a chef in New York City. There, I worked in an Indian restaurant, and although I love working with Indian spices and technique, I was more passionate about French cuisine, having done my training in France. Before long I moved to Rhode Island to be near friends and worked for several years as a chef at a vegetarian restaurant.

Then, I became a dad: of newborn twins, no less. Being a single dad, I needed a more flexible schedule so that I could spend more time with my sons. In the middle of 2009, with the economy tanked and restaurants closing left and right, I decided to take a risk [or take advantage of the low cost?] and start up a restaurant. Red Lentil Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant was born.

Red Lentil has been in business for nine years now, and, looking back, I see that opening the restaurant was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Owning a restaurant has allowed me to express my creativity as a chef more than ever before. Cooking is my passion, and although I have numerous responsibilities as the owner of my restaurant, I can’t stay out of the kitchen. I like to play with food, to be creative with vegan and vegetarian ingredients. People tend to underestimate what you can do with vegan and vegetarian food; with the right technique and the right ingredients, the possibilities are endless!

In the kitchen, you’re apt to find me grilling and sauteing. Fresh vegetables cooked on the grill take on an irresistible sweet and smoky flavor, robust enough to win over hard-core carnivores as well as vegans. I also turn to numerous spices, especially Indian, to bump up the flavor of vegan and vegetarian foods. My favorite foods to work with are pulses (also known as legumes), which are common in Indian cuisine and come in a vast array of different varieties. I like to take advantage of the versatility of pulses, which can be used in soups, crepes, burgers, and pastries. They make it possible to create vegan and vegetarian dishes that are both flavorful and high in protein, fiber, and vitamins. Including pulses in vegan and vegetarian cuisine helps reduce the extent to which a chef relies on processed protein substitutes like tofu, tempeh, and seitan. These processed foods are good options for those who don’t eat meat, but should be used sparingly.

Of course, running a restaurant is about so much more than just the food itself (although that’s a pretty important part!). Food brings people together. It creates closeness in our social-media-dominated society. A good meal can transform a person’s attitude and outlook on their day. I opened Red Lentil because I love interacting with people. I created a menu that incorporates cuisines from around the world because I wanted to entice a diverse group of people to my restaurant. I thought: creating delicious food is the best way for me to show my gratitude to the world.

Introducing the younger generation to vegan and vegetarian food is especially important to me. It’s what drives my creativity in the kitchen. Meat-free cuisine is good for the eater and good for the earth, and today’s young people face environmental and lifestyle challenges now and in the years ahead. Living a mostly meat- and dairy-free lifestyle can help their generation live healthier and meet the needs of the world of tomorrow. That’s why I’ve been working with two prestigious universities, not far from Red Lentil, to bring great-tasting vegetarian food to their students. This summer, I revamped Harvard University Dining Services’ vegetarian menu with my original recipes, including a couple that are popular at Red Lentil. And for the past several months Red Lentil has provided MIT’s dining services with catering for “Meatless Mondays,” twice a month. The feedback from Harvard and MIT has been very positive. Knowing that the food I’ve created is giving Boston’s college students a delicious taste of vegetarian and vegan food makes me proud of the work I do.

Back at Red Lentil, I often get the pleasure of knowing that an omnivorous guest has been blown away by the flavor of our vegan and vegetarian dishes. It makes my day when someone who typically shies away from anything that doesn’t have meat finds that they can have an incredible dining experience without meat, too. The best reward of the hard work of owning a restaurant — and believe me, it is an enormous responsibility! — comes when I watch a customer take the first bite and absolutely sink into the pleasure of the taste. At Red Lentil our best-selling dish is an appetizer called Gobi Manchurian. We toss cauliflower in a light coating of chickpea flour and then briefly drop it in the fryer. A couple of minutes later the cauliflower comes out of the fryer and is tossed in a saute pan with peppers, onions, and our special spicy-sweet Manchurian sauce. The sauce is quite complicated and must marinate over the course of several hours, but it yields big flavor to the dish. The result is an extremely flavorful appetizer that wows our guests without being too greasy or overindulgent.

When a customer takes that first bite of our Gobi, they usually can’t help surrendering completely to the taste. Their eyes close. Their shoulders melt into relaxation. You can hear a soft “mmm” emanate like a purr, and a hushed “wow” as they come back up for air. You can see the satisfaction in their eyes. That’s when I know I’ve done my job. It’s the best reward of being a chef and a restaurant owner. That’s when I know I’m doing precisely what I was born to do.

So the Gratitude of the passion for vegetarian and vegan food that I get to express when I’m crafting dishes at my restaurant. I hope to introduce you to healthful, sustainable food that makes you go “wow” when you take that first bite. Food that’s good for you and the earth.

Has it been a smooth road to get to where you are today?
Persistance, desire, and challenge are few things which you will meet everyday in your restaurant life

Tell us about what makes Red Lentil special or unique?

Most Popular Items

Gobi Manchurian

Cauliflower tossed in Indian seasoning, breaded with chickpea flour, fried, finished with sweet, and spicy tangy tomato sauce.
Dietary: Vegetarian Vegan Gluten-free Kosher
Vegan Carrot Cake

Vegan carrot cake, with raspberry drizzle, and fresh blueberry.
Dietary: Vegetarian Vegan Kosher Jain

Roasted Beet, and Walnut Salad

Baby Arugula, tossed with Shallot vinaigrette accompanied with roasted maple walnut, red and golden beets, and Fresh herbed goat cheese.
Dietary: Vegetarian KosherParking Advice:
Street Parking