QSR July 2022

y , he believes it’s a higher quality prod uct than chefs can find elsewhere. He also believes in sustainable practices, and, according to the California Milk Advisory Board, California farmers are more than halfway to a statewide goal of 40 percent less methane emis sions by 2030. The California dairy industry’s carbon footprint has shrunk 45 percent over the past 5 decades, and about 40 percent of a California dairy cow’s diet consists of byproducts from food and fiber production—like almond hulls and grape pomace—keeping these byproducts out of landfills and reducing the amount of water needed to grow additional feed by around 1.3 trillion gallons per year. For these reasons, Tyagi relies on

CALIFORNIA MILK ADVISORY BOARD

CHEF MANISH TYAGI BELIEVES WHOLESOME, SUSTAINABLE CALIFORNIA DAIRY INGREDIENTS Y MAKE HIS SIGNATURE INDIAN FUSION DISH THAT MUCH MORE COMPELLING.

CHEF MANISH TYAGI has always done things his own way. That was never more evident than when, in the midst of the pandemic, he opened his restaurant, Aurum, in Los Altos, Cali fornia. It was a risky move, coming at a time when more independent full service restaurants were shuttering rather than opening. But Aurum has been a smash hit in the Bay Area, thanks in large part to Tyagi’s innovative takes on tradi tional Indian dishes. Tyagi’s artistry is on full display in Aurum’s best-sell ing dish: a spinach and paneer pasta dubbed “I’m Not Pasta.” The entreé uses thinly-sliced Real California pan eer cheese to mimic lasagne noodles, sandwiched around a filling of brown garlic, fenugreek leaves, and California

mozzarella. The lasagne-like creation is cooked and then plated atop a spicy tomato sauce and finished with basil oil and chili threads. “At any Indian restaurant, you’ll find a paneer dish,” Tyagi says. “But I don’t do any Indian dish the way you’d find it in a traditional Indian restaurant. I

add my own style to it. It’s a very old culture and cuisine, but there’s always room to present it as a new version. So when somebody sees ‘I’m Not Pasta’ on the menu, there’s a surprise element to it, but the color, texture, and taste of the dish speak for themselves.” The REAL Makers video series spotlights chefs using California dairy For more, visit realcaliforniamilk.com/foodservice Real California Cheese and trusts that it performs as well or better than any thing a restaurant could make in house. “I like California dairy for both its consistency and taste,” Tyagi says. “And because it’s from here, the taste is California.” BY CHARLIE POGACAR

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JULY 2022 | QSR | www.qsrmagazine.com