SETH: Chef.

VIKRAM: Hey, Seth.

Good to see you.

SETH: Good to see you as well.

And wow.

Oh, I can already smell some wonderful aroma coming from this bowl.

What is this that you're making?

VIKRAM: Well, we cook you wonderful fish.

It's black cod.

It's a nice, oily, buttery fish you get it in the, uh, mostly from Alaska.

And we've been having it on the menu since day one.

SETH: Day one, nice.

And what's in the bowl right here?

VIKRAM: Well, it's the first marination for the black cod.

And we marinate with red wine vinegar, fennel seeds, and star anise and some ginger garlic paste.

SETH: Oh, no wonder it smells so good.

VIKRAM: Yeah.

I mean, the reason we use red wine vinegar is it's sli... it's less acidic than normal vinegar.

So it gives a very subtle acidity to the, to the dish.

SETH: And you said first marinade.

So there's gonna be a second marinade to this?

VIKRAM: Oh yeah.

All these ingredients.

They all go into the second marinade.

And we're gonna make it.

SETH: And what's gonna go into this marinade?

VIKRAM: Well let's... Full fat yogurt.

And here we have some ginger garlic paste.

That's equal parts of ginger, fresh ginger, and garlic.

Add some chili powder for a little spice, spice of life.

Some honey for sweetness.

SETH: Oh, nice.

VIKRAM: Put some chopped fresh dill.

Heavy cream.

And, of course, salt.

SETH: Of course.

VIKRAM: The last but not the least is, is the cheese.

SETH: The cheese?

VIKRAM: Yes.

SETH: Not something I would think of going in a fish marinade, and what kind of cheese is this?

VIKRAM: It's English cheddar.

SETH: Cheddar cheese?

VIKRAM: Yes.

SETH: In your signature black cod?

Wow.

VIKRAM: It's a nice sort of, um, uh, glaze and like a gratinée effect when you bake the fish.

SETH: I feel like the Italians would go crazy if they saw you mixing cheddar cheese with fish.

VIKRAM: Ah, that's what's in Indian recipe.

(laughs) So here's, we got the fish that was marinating in the red wine vinegar.

And we'll take it off and drain out all the vinegar and let's put it in the marinade.

SETH: All right.

The acid meets the fat.

VIKRAM: Yup.

SETH: And so how long is the fish gonna marinate in here for?

VIKRAM: At the restaurant we try and do it for 24 hours so all the flavors sort of permeate more into the fish.

SETH: Really seep in.

VIKRAM: But I already have some fish that was marinated for 24 hours.

SETH: Wow.

And, uh, it's amazing how much of the marinade you're leaving on here.

VIKRAM: True.

As I said, you know, we try and put the cheese on top so that when we bake the fish, it gives a nice gratinée look to it.

SETH: Oh, nice.

Almost like a crust on top.

VIKRAM: Uh-huh.

SETH: So, Chef, you're gonna bake this off in the oven.

VIKRAM: Yes, the oven is back there.

SETH: Let's check it out.

VIKRAM: And so we've got the black cod which has been marinating for awhile.

And we will put it in a hot oven at about 375 degrees.

And while the black cod is cooking we will make another popular dish at the restaurant which is palak chaat.

SETH: Is the, uh, the famous fried spinach dish I've heard so much about?

VIKRAM: It is.

SETH: Well, I guess every signature dish needs a, a signature side to go with it, so.

VIKRAM: True.

So we've got some baby spinach.

I've got a batter that's seasoned with chili powder, salt, turmeric that gives it a nice yellow color.

And you do not add too much of the batter.

Just enough to coat the leaves.

SETH: And you're just gonna drop this spinach right into the fryer?

VIKRAM: True.

It's a, it's in hot oil.

It's just like flash frying.

And once it's fried, we will dress it up.

And we will enjoy it with the black cod with Ashok.

SETH: Well, I can't wait.

I'll leave you to it, Chef.

VIKRAM: Thank you.

People generally have a misconception of Indian food in some ways being only chicken and lamb and vegetarian.

But the Indian coastline is so big, so there's an array of seafood available in India.

I mean, now as we're talking, like my mouth waters when I think of the different sort of fish that are in India.

ASHOK: In the south and in west, you know, people love seafood.

Now with, uh, airlines and transportation being easy, seafood is, you can eat in New Delhi.

But the goal here was to introduce more than what they were used to.

Indian food is so varied.

So people come to there and say, "Oh, I want a fish curry."

You can have a fish curry.

But what we created with the cod is wonderful fish.

And when it comes out and melts in your mouth.

And it has remained on the menu for the last 16, 17 years.

SETH: Guys, this looks wonderful.

I can't wait to give it a try.

That is so rich and flavorful.

With the sweetness of the honey and some of the spiciness as well.

That's really amazing.

VIKRAM: Thank you.

SETH: And I can see why you decided to leave a lot of that marinade on top, to give it that nice texture.

VIKRAM: That's all the cheese.

(laughs) SETH: Again, I never would have thought cheese on fish.

But it definitely works in this case.

VIKRAM: Yeah, it gives a nice color to it on top.

SETH: And what's, uh, what's the fish sitting on here?

VIKRAM: It's on a bed potatoes tossed with dill, cumin, ginger, and green chiles.

SETH: So flavorful.

And I love the presentation.

You're just letting the fish kind of shine through.

ASHOK: Showcase, yeah.

Yeah.

You've got to try the palak chaat.

Without palak chaat... SETH: The other, the other... ASHOK: Your visit to Rasika is not complete.

SETH: Something you've had a few times before.

ASHOK: Yeah.

VIKRAM: It's, it's been awhile now.

(laughs) SETH: Mmm.

That is just impossibly light and crispy.

You've got the honey in the fish.

You've got the sweetness of the tamarind and the yogurt on the palak chaat.

They play really nicely together.

VIKRAM: Thank you.

SETH: And so the black cod has been on the menu since day one.

How long after you guys opened did you know you had a hit on your hands?

ASHOK: I think in, in the first few months we knew black cod will be a great success.

And it is also a dish which is easier to introduce to the people who did not eat Indian food before because this doesn't have the overbearing spiciness and, and it's not a lot of sauce or gravy or curry in there.

SETH: Right.

ASHOK: So it, it's a way of introducing Indian cuisine to the non-Indian eaters.

SETH: And it's amazing to think that there was a time not that long ago that Indian food, fine dining, was just not something that went together.

ASHOK: So, when I opened my first restaurant, The Bombay Club, okay there were not many fine dining Indian restaurants.

And I did not open Rasika for, for 16 years after that.

It's very flattering to see all around fine dining Indian restaurants are coming up and they're doing their own thing.

We, we are very pleased and very humbled that we were able to introduce this to Washingtonian and beyond.

SETH: What a legacy.

Thank you guys so much.

ASHOK: Thank you.

SETH: This black cod was outstanding.

ASHOK: Thank you.

VIKRAM: Cheers.

SETH: Cheers.