A diner ordering butter chicken, dal, ramen or a birria taco might reasonably expect familiarity: the same ingredients, the same established method, perhaps even the same name. Yet taste a version at another restaurant and the difference can be striking. The reason is simple, chefs say: recipes are frameworks, not mathematical equations. That difference is not necessarily inconsistency; it can be the clearest expression of a chef’s understanding of the dish for diners.
Chef Vishal Chandnani, culinary director, The Orchid Hotel Mumbai, describes a recipe as “essentially a framework”, with the final result depending on execution. “Ingredient quality, freshness, proportions, temperature, cooking time, seasoning and technique all matter,” he says. Even small changes in salt, oil, spices or acidity can alter the balance, while heat control can transform flavour and texture.
That makes a recipe less like a rigid set of instructions and more like a map. The destination may be recognisable, but the route can vary.
The chef’s hand
At Hearth On The First in Churchgate, Mumbai, Chef Dhriti and Chef Sabby, co-founders and culinary directors, put it even more simply: “The recipe is just a blueprint.” Their point is that two kitchens can use the same ingredients and still produce different dishes because raw materials, seasonality, heat, cooking time, seasoning, fat and water balance all affect the result. “Ultimately, it’s the chef, ingredients and instincts what make the dish its own.”
Technique can be decisive. Chandnani points out that a slow-cooked dish and the same dish cooked at a higher temperature can develop very different flavours and textures. The order in which ingredients enter the pan matters too, because each needs a different amount of time to release flavour or cook properly.
Rinchen Angchuk, co-founder, YUME Culinary Hospitality LLP, which operates Mirai and SEA SEE in Bandra, Mumbai, adds another dimension. “Cooking is much more than just following a recipe,” he says, arguing that cuisine knowledge and product knowledge determine whether a chef understands what each ingredient contributes. He also stresses control over oil, sugar and salt, as well as serving temperature, taste and aroma checks before a dish leaves the pass.
That explains why two cooks following identical instructions can produce results that diverge. A recipe can specify quantities, but it cannot fully prescribe judgement: when browning has gone far enough, when a sauce has reduced sufficiently, or when seasoning has reached its balance.
Ingredients tell their own story
Pork & Rosemary Toast - Hearth |
The phrase “same ingredients” is itself misleading. Chef Ameya Prachand, head chef, TAB – The American Buzz, Mumbai points out that ingredients are “the main hero and mother nature the true artist”. At TAB, the birria sauce for lamb and jackfruit tacos could use Indian Byadgi and Kashmiri chillies, but the kitchen chooses guajillo and ancho chillies to achieve a more authentic flavour.
At SEA SEE, Angchuk notes that even soy sauce can vary in fermentation and saltiness, while basil and chillies can differ in freshness, variety, heat and flavour. Water and equipment add further variables. A heavy-bottomed pan, commercial range or induction cooktop can distribute heat differently, changing what happens inside the vessel.
Hearth’s chefs similarly point to provenance, seasonality, soil, climate, harvesting, farming practices, transport and storage. Water, they note, can affect stocks and doughs through its mineral content.
Tradition with a signature
The question then becomes whether there is one correct version of a traditional dish. Chandnani believes there is a traditional benchmark, but rarely one universally correct taste. Butter chicken, he says, can vary dramatically: one chef may make it richer and creamier, another may emphasise tandoor smokiness, while another may foreground tomato acidity or spices.
Angchuk makes a useful distinction between authenticity and signature. “Authenticity is about respecting the dish’s roots, ingredients, techniques, and cultural context,” he says, while a chef’s signature is the personal touch brought to it. His example is ramen, where miso balance, cooking technique, noodles and handling of the meat can make versions taste completely different.
Prachand agrees that traditional dishes have a defining taste, but says every chef brings a personal touch shaped, sometimes unknowingly, by cultural background and previous influences.
That is perhaps why a curry or dal can taste different from one kitchen to another without either being wrong. Chef Dhriti and Chef Sabby argue that individuality need not diminish tradition; it can help keep it alive.
In the end, the recipe provides identity, but ingredients, fire and human judgement provide character. The dish changes hands, crosses kitchens and arrives at the table carrying the imprint of the person who cooked it. Same recipe, perhaps; never quite the same plate.
(The writer is a food and travel columnist and editor)
