Archit Agarwal

Of the many theories surrounding his love for cooking, blogger and chef Archit Agarwal’s most special one dates back to his childhood, where he would sit with his mother and grandmother, cooking next to them at the age of three. They would do all the cooking, he admits, whereas he would be standing next to them with stock pots filled with coins, imitating them in amazement. A simple memory, yet one that shaped his love for all things culinary today.

Believing that everything has a story, Archit began his blog, Life of Simple Treats, as a medium to explore and share along the way all the things he loves. He constantly pushes himself to be vulnerable, as he explores the world through a lens of gastronomy. Being a perceptive learner, he seeks out marvellous sensory experiences as he travels, and strives to document them succinctly through photography and writing.

Archit’s blog is all about the visual appeal. Whether it be a plate of Dutch baby pancakes, raw papaya salad, grilled mushroom tacos or simply eggs on toast, his presentation is no less than an art form. Instantly hit with an array of vibrant colours, his page truly entices all the senses. The amount of love and labour he puts into curating his dishes is glaringly evident. Patiently guiding the amateur chef through each step of the recipe, he has the power to instil confidence in them, all the while encouraging the experimenter to constantly explore and expand their comfort zones in the kitchen. Every post, every recipe is an experience in itself then.

Diving deep into his love for food content, the method to the young chef’s creative madness lies in his equal admiration of the technical culinary skills required in a recipe. “Casual yet technically informative” is how he describes his own personal style of cooking. And so explains, “salads teach you about emulsions, baking teaches you chemistry (and patience), and frying is all about the role of sugars in meals.” And yet, he never shies away from indulging in some fried chicken, or a plate of Dal Chawal and Sookhe Aloo, marking them as his all-time comfort foods. For that’s the thing about comfort foods - when times seem a little tough, breaking away from structured formulae to give in to nostalgic needs only feels all too apt.

Never having had any formal training in the culinary art, his journey began humbly when he was forced to whip up his own meals while in the USA for college, in 2014. “The first thing I ever made was a bowl of pasta. Italian cooking is very forgiving while technically diverse. In many ways, it’s similar to Indian cooking (family-style, built on generations of recipes, and full of flavour) just with a lot less diverse array of spices,” he tells me. And thus developed his fascination with the sights, sounds, flavours and smells of the world of food.

Since then, he has admired and been inspired by many culinary masters. Samin Nosrat, an Iranian-American author and food critic tops his list, with her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Awed by her expertise Archit says, “her ability to break any recipe into these four components is amazing. She essentially shares a template through which any meal can be built and that is what a good cook should be able to do - to take an idea or recipe and make it their own.” Jeni Britton-Bauer happens to be another current favourite. “She is the owner of one of the most popular ice-cream companies in America called Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. While I was in college, she had a one scoop shop where she would actually serve ice cream from. By the time I graduated, this ex-perfume maker turned her ice cream shop into one of the largest B-corps in the nation. What I love about her is that her past informed her food. Being a perfume maker, she built unique flavours of ice cream by melding aromatics with classic ice cream flavours. In many ways, she and I think very alike, explains Archit.

To cater to our sweet tooth and melt away some mid-day blues, Archit shares with us a recipe for a chocolate mousse which requires only two ingredients to make. In his words, “One of the most popular recipes on my blog is a two-ingredient mousse that is built on mixing warm water with dark chocolate. However, there is a secret third ingredient that is a real game-changer - sea salt. Salt when added to chocolate actually makes it sweeter and balances the acidity that dark chocolate tends to have. This was a recipe that was created by a French Gastronomist named Hervé This, which was then made widely popular by Heston Blumenthal. My only addition to this is to show my audience how to make it in India without spending an arm and a leg on couverture chocolate. Through my trials, I have found the perfect chocolate: 55% Cocoa Amul Dark choc is by far the best Indian chocolate to make this recipe with. Follow the recipe to the T and you won’t be disappointed:

Ingredients

286 grams of Dark Chocolate (55% - 70% cocoa)
235ml of water
Flaky sea salt (optional)

Method

• Create an ice bath in a large bowl using ice and a little cold water. Nestle a smaller bowl in an ice bath.
• Place chocolate and 1 cup water in a small pot and heat over medium. Whisk until mixture is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• Immediately pour melted chocolate into the bowl in the ice bath. Vigorously whisk the chocolate mixture by hand until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. The chocolate should be fluffy and form a mound when dolloped with the whisk (it should generally have the texture and appearance of mousse). If the mixture does not thicken, add a bit more chopped chocolate and remelt over the heat. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with sea salt.