Indian celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani is introducing Singapore to Sindhi cuisine through a special three-night pop-up event at Firangi Superstar. The event, running from April 22 to 24, aims to highlight this often-overlooked culinary tradition.
Ratnani describes Sindhi cuisine as deeply emotional, shaped by migration and resilience, with influences from the Sindh region now in Pakistan. "After the Partition, Sindhis became a displaced community, so the food evolved without a fixed geography," he explained.
He characterizes Sindhi food as bold, tangy, and layered, balancing souring agents with slow-cooked onions and a touch of sweetness. Unlike some other Indian cuisines, it relies less on heavy cream or butter, focusing instead on pantry ingredients and techniques like bhunao and slow cooking, with key ingredients including lotus stem and gram flour.
Dishes like Sai Bhaji (a lentil and spinach stew) are central, while festivals feature items such as Tahiri (sweet saffron rice) and traditional sweets. Ratnani will also present a personal dish, Mum’s Sindhi Mutton Curry, slow-cooked with onions and dried plums.
Ratnani emphasizes that his approach to cooking traditional food today is about respecting its soul while adapting it for a contemporary audience. "If we don’t evolve it, it risks being forgotten. But if we over-modernise it, we lose its identity, so, balance is key."
He aims to show that Sindhi cooking is a sophisticated cuisine with depth and identity, far beyond being just "home food."
