Rahul 'Maverick' Akerkar, 43

His "shiva blue" restaurant seats more sexy people per table than anywhere else in India and has a record of selling more wine than it does spirits. Making Indigo into a gourmet island of its own in Mumbai whose weekend collections are rumoured to be the highest in this swinging city.

Last meal?
Pani Puri or sushi.

Signature Recipe

Ingredients
Qty/Unit Item Description
4 (160 Gm) Rawas* Fillets Cleaned, Boned And Skinned
100 Gm Fennel Seed Roasted And Powdered
2 Star Anise Roasted And Powdered
5 Cloves Garlic Roasted Crisp And Powdered (~ 5gm)
20 Gm Paprika
50 Ml Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
100 Gm Butter Clarified
Salt
Pepper

(Portions: 4)

Note: Rawas Is An Indian Ocean Fish, Known Locally As "Indian White Salmon" With Firm, Flaky White Meat Akin To Sea Bass.

Method
Process the softened tamarind in vegetable stock in a blender or food processor to a smooth paste. Set aside. Combine and mix well, the roasted peanuts, roasted sesame seeds and dry coconut powder. Set aside.

In a thick-bottomed pan on high heat, heat 1/2 the quantity of vegetable oil and then temper 2/3 the quantityof mustard seeds, 5 to 6 curry leaves and 2/3 the turmeric. Add the peanut, sesame and coconut mixture to thepan and sauté well. Add the remaining vegetable stock, lower the heat and simmer for approximately 20minutes. Remove from the fire and after cooling, process in a food processor or blender to a smooth pasteconsistency. (remember to remove the curry leaves before processing!) Set aside.

In a fresh pan, repeat the mustard seed tempering step as above and after the seeds have popped add theprocessed peanut paste from the previous step to the pan. Sauté well and then add the coconut milk, tamarindpuree and jaggery and simmer for about 10 minutes on very low heat.

Check the seasoning and adjust the sweet-sour balance of the paste by adjusting the jaggery and tamarind quantities if need be. Remove from the fire and strain to remove any gritty and uncombined ingredients. You should have a smooth thin peanut sesame paste (a thickish sauce of pouring consistency.)

Drain the plumped, re-hydrated raisins and add them to the peanut sauce along with the roasted cashew nuts and the remaining peanuts. Hold warm till service.

Construction
Preheat an oven to 300°f.

Make a dry mixture of the paprika, fennel and star anise powders with some salt and pepper (to taste) and setaside. Heat the clarified butter in a well seasoned or non-stick sauté pan. While the pan is getting hot,bathe the fish fillets in lemon juice and rub the dry spice mix over them to cover the outsides well. When thebutter and pan are hot, sear the fish fillets, turning once to brown the outsides. Remove from the fire andtransfer the pan to the oven. Cook the fish for approximately 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked firm and flaky.Do not overcook the fish!

To serve, ladle a bed of the thick panch amrut sauce on the plate and place the fish fillet over it. Garnishwith additional roasted cashew nuts and peanuts.