Plating pretty

Right from the courts of Louis XIV in the 1600s where the art of plating food originated to todayrsquos social media food spreads presenting food aesthetically has come a long way Today food artists specialise in dressing up dishes in a manner thatrsquos appealing to the eyes and the lsquogramBut does the art of plating reach into a deeper science or is it just surfacelevel visual aesthetics ldquoItrsquos a mixture of bothrdquo according to UAEbased home chef Surabhi Sehgal who is popularly known by the moniker Supaintsonplates on Instagram ldquoItrsquos the way you are as a person that translates into the visual presentation Also itrsquos about understanding coloursrdquo she addsSehgal grew up in an artistically inclined family Her mum is a painter her dad a poet and her grandmother whose cooking inspired Sehgal to delve into the culinary world was a prolific chef Her page which is over seven years old started as a creative outlet to experiment with colours and express a passion for creating recipesHome chef Surabhi Sehgal adds simplistic elements while plating like a splash of beet juice or a strategically placed flower to highlight the dishrsquos coloursThe secret to creating food that looks good on the plate is the tried but tested ldquoless is morerdquo approach A glance at her work confirms this The staple grey backdrop against which buttercup yellow hummus or lavender jamun froyos feature sets of burnished copper utensils or golden spoons ldquoThere is so much noise in the way food is presented What people are looking for is simplicityrdquo she says Her work is almost meditative because it incorporates a few outstanding elementsldquoMy food is vibrant and colourfulrdquo the plantbased chef explains ldquoI love to retain the natural colours of the vegetables and use these colours on my plates This can be achieved by avoiding overcooking of the vegetables using methods like blanching in ice water sauteeing etcrdquo White space is another factor that can make or break a good layout ldquoItrsquos not the plates that should be bursting with colour but foodrdquoThe art of food presentation is a composite of many things Starting from the way one shops then slices the vegetables and how long the food is cooked Presentation Sehgal says is just the culmination of this processThese idlis made by home chef Rohini Natti have been steamed in cupcake moulds The green comes from mustard leaves pasteWhile for Sehgal food art is a set of streamlined processes itrsquos a journey for Rohini Deepthi Natti otherwise known as The Idli Mama on Instagram ldquoThe inspiration came from my mom As a kid I remember the joy of being served catshaped dosas made by her and thatrsquos what made the mom in me serve happiness on a plate for my son That spark in those little eyes is unmatchablerdquo she laughsThe journey started in 2020 after she donated a part of her liver to her father Natti decided to document recipes and create memories for her son at that point ldquoNow that hersquos older Adi loves to draw and pitch in ideas before we cook We call it the lsquoblueprintrsquordquo Itrsquos a collaborative process between the two which Natti says builds creative thinking and the art of conceptualising an idea ldquoArt has been with me since I was a child Itrsquos all around merdquoFor selftaught food artist Saila Ratho inspiration comes from fashioning a unique theme around ingredients found in her kitchenThe Hyderabadbased chef has fond memories of her dad cooking on Sundays He used to involve the whole family in the process and come up with stories around the dishes like creating a rice mountain and then pouring sambhar down it to resemble an erupting volcanoNatti views food as a creative medium through which she can experiment with the alchemy of colours and textures We ask her how she gets the delicate purple shade for idlis and she says the secret lies in butterfly pea extract ldquoI started experimenting with idlis because they have a beautiful neutral white base the colours pop out vibrantly exactly the way yoursquod imaginerdquo she quips ldquoI initially tried purple cabbage but the taste was blah So instead I mixed beetroot juice and a bit of butterfly pea extract to get pretty purple hues without altering the tasterdquoHer experiments led her to discover the perfect balance of coloursmdashadd too much carrot for example and the idlis donrsquot fluff up although they turn out a bright orange To get a stunning saffron she mixes beetroot juice with turmericNattirsquos food art can be described in one wordmdashcute True to its name there are many idlibased recipes with creative connotations of plating like cat idlis with carrots for ears and a version with cocoa and kernels of corn made to resemble a flower ldquoI use very basic ingredients found in any Indian kitchen And the best partmdashitrsquos all natural and super healthy as wellrdquo The home chef believes in keeping creations straightforward as ldquoart should be simplerdquoSurabhi Sehgal Rohini Natti and Saila RathoAnd therersquos an unexpected outcome ldquoMealtimes can be a wholesome sensory experience Involve kids in the process Get creative spin stories around it be silly and build that relationship with food together A few words of appreciation and love can go a long wayrdquo is her bit of wisdomChandigarhbased home chef Saila Ratho started creating food art during the pandemic just for fun The mint and turmeric leaves growing in her kitchen garden served as inspiration for one of the first posts she created a tribute to World Book Day For her food art is synonymous with patienceldquoI choose a theme based on World Days such as Environment Day Health Day etc and create something based on thatrdquo She uses only ingredients found in her kitchenmdashno added food colours or exotic veggies or fruits ldquoBeetroots can be used for many different shades of red It is very versatile It is like a healing act for your brain Or like meditationrdquo Ratho explains ldquoI read up about it and creating designs exercises different parts of your brainrdquoShe says itrsquos important to use your creativity and also not waste the elements one has used while cooking ldquoSometimes just looking at a vegetablemdashlike an onionmdashmakes me think about a design I created a girl with an onion skirt using fried onions that we ate laterrdquoAnother time she was cutting up apples in Odisha for her sister and the thick red pieces piling up sparked a creative train of thought They could be used as a little dress or shirt in a design she realised Itrsquos all about the artistic inspiration behind the concept that can make a difference she feelsWhen we ask her where the artistic streak in her personality comes from she traces it back to her days as a life sciences student drawing biology diagrams ldquoBack in the day we made everything by hand like greeting cards for occasionsrdquo she saysldquoI truly believe Irsquom born to do thisrdquo is Sehgalrsquos take on the art of food presentation For Natti ldquoevery creation is a fun and exciting experiencerdquo For these chefs food is not just about the process ofcooking and eating but the journey in between That to them constitutes artBeauty tips for your platesgtgt thinspDonrsquot overload the dishesmdashless is more Make use of white spacegtgt thinspNatural food colours are the most vibrant Grind beets or splash turmeric to infuse colour into your foodgtgt thinspGarnish with fresh seasonal and local producegtgt Keep the design simple