Brothers Pujan & Sujan Sarkar Offer Elegant Indian Dining At San Francisco’s Tiya

Local, sustainable

I’ve known Chef Pujan, who ran Rooh in San Francisco, for many years. I have always marveled at his smiling playfulness in the kitchen which belies how very seriously he takes his creations and how passionate he can get about what he brings to your table. His unique take on Indian cuisine using local, sustainable produce found at local California farms is what made his stint as head chef so successful.

I remember this one time he had created a dish using Himalayan Morel mushrooms– a rare and expensive wild mushroom known as gucchi in Kashmir, he explained. A dish that in its simplicity made the star ingredient shine with a depth of flavor I have yet to taste elsewhere.

Chef Pujan has shared his Morel Malai recipe with us below, and the one at his new restaurant is delectable. Now, the brothers Sujan and Pujan Sarkar have teamed up to open up a new restaurant, Tiya, located at 3213 Scott Street, in the very happening Marina district of San Francisco. Sujan Sarkar is best known for his Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Indienne, praised for its tasting menus – recently it earned a James Beard Award nomination.

Brothers in culinary arts

Both brothers are experienced in the San Francisco dining scene and recognized that there was a need for an affordable, yet elegant Indian dining experience. The five-course tasting menu is $95, and a wine pairing an additional $55. Chef Pujan Sarkar’s culinary prowess shines brilliantly at Tiya, where his innovative five-course tasting menu is a gastronomic journey that demands to be experienced.

Tiya means a small and beautiful bird, the symbolic green parrot native to eastern India, and this is apparent in the décor. “I remember going on picnics as a child, and we used to see these small parrots in the mango tree. My friends and I used to play and catch and release them. Tiya is that memory for me,” explains Chef Pujan.

The vibe here is opulent, with deep emerald green walls, floral wallpaper and beautiful greenish-golden yellow velvet banquettes and chairs. Artwork from Indian artist, Saurav Das, adorns the walls. All of it evokes a sense of luxury and comfort, cozy and inviting with a clubby retro feel to it. 

Charcoal grilled dishes

The à  la carte menu features small and large plates, with a majority of the dishes cooked over a charcoal grill. Signature dishes include Goat Ghee Roast Taco, their take on a Birria Taco, featuring Oakland goat served alongside a birria that is inspired by the flavors of the Chettinadu region of India, Hamachi Bhel (recipe shared here), a play on the traditional Indian street food that combines red onion, cilantro, green mango and chili and ponk (young Millet,) served with a buttermilk dressing flavored with Kokum (sol kadhi), and Tiger Shrimp Xec Xec, a Goan masala flavored with miso-marinated shrimp cooked over charcoal and served with gooseberry chutney and pickled kohlrabi.

The vegetarian options I enjoyed were the Tandoori Avocado with a green chickpea hummus and dosa crisp, Paneer Polichattu, wrapped in banana leaf with spices and cooked over charcoal served with Malabar curry, and Tender Jackfruit Cutlet served with Dum Ki gravy and charred asparagus.

Sublime Desserts & Drinks

The desserts are sublime! You must have Besan Barfi Opera, a chocolate opera cake, layered with pistachio and besan barfi (chickpea fudge) served with milk ice cream, rhubarb chutney, and garnished with edible 24 karat gold. The Tender Coconut Payasam with sun choke ice cream and nitrogen-dried coconut was perfect on a rare warm San Francisco day.

“Our cocktail philosophy is built on our deep appreciation for the vibrant cultural capital that is San Francisco,” says Sarkar. Each cocktail is inspired by the city’s culinary landmarks, from Chinatown to the Mission District, taking guests on a journey through San Francisco’s neighborhoods. Most of you know, I do love my gins and Tiya offers a lovely selection of gin and tonics infused with fresh herbs and Indian spices. 

The wine selection is from California, France, and Italy, but Sujan has cleverly incorporated a South Asian selection from Naidu, the Sonoma winery owned by Indian American Raghni Naidu.

Dishes created by the Sarkar brothers at Tiya Restaurant in San Francisco (image courtesy: Tiya)

Tiya’s Head Chef Pujan Sarkar shares two superb recipes

MOREL MALAI 

This dish is a Kashmir-influenced dish. Morel is one of the most expensive mushrooms in the world found in the forests of Jammu & Kashmir and foot hills of Himalaya. Traditionally it’s used in dishes like gucchi pulao (a rice dish) and eaten with tomato & yogurt curry. Yakhni is a yogurt-based Kashmiri curry generally cooked with different meats or lotus stem which came to be known in Kashmir during Akbar’s rule in 1586 and which was part of Persian cuisine. In fact, yakhni-style dishes are even found in Greek and Turkish cuisine; the only difference is in Kashmiri Yakhni, is that tomatoes are not used. 

Traditional Yakhni is made with yogurt, cinnamon, clove, fennel seeds, and dry ginger powder cooked in ghee (clarified butter). Turmeric or red chili powder is not used in the sauce. In our version we marinate the stuffed morels with a yogurt and cream-based white marinade and serve it with potato-stuffed baby courgette with flower, parmesan yakhni, milk foam cilantro oil and shaved truffle.

INGREDIENTS

Morel stuffing 

• Khoya 100 gms 
• Chopped cilantro 10 gms
• Chopped green chilies 10 gms
• Chopped ginger 5 gms                           
• Chopped garlic 5 gms                           
• Roasted cumin powder 5 gms             
• Chat masala 3 gms
• Fried onion 30 gms                                

Baby courgette stuffing 

• Boiled potato 100 gms                             
• Grated courgette 100 gms                        
• Chopped cilantro  10 gms                         
• Chopped green chillies  10 gms                
• Chopped ginger  5 gms                              
• Chopped garlic  5 gms                                 
• Roasted cumin powder 5 gms                    
• Chat masala 3 gms                                     
• Fried onion  30 gms                                      

Parmesan yakhni sauce 

• Oil 100 gm                                                    
• Ghee 150 gms                                              
• Parmesan  100 gms                                      
• Star anise 3 nos                                        
• Cinnamon stick 1 nos  
• Cloves  4 nos 
• Green cardamom 4 nos
• Black cardamom  2 nos
• White slice onion 1000 gms
• Boiled cashew paste  100 gms
• Salt  15 gms 
• Sugar 50 gms
• Ginger- garlic paste  50 gms
• Milk  300 ml 

PREPARATION 

1. For morel, soak the morels in room temperature water for 2-3 hours then tap dry before use.
2. In a bowl take all the morel stuffing ingredients and mash them by hand until the mixture turns into a doughy form, stuff the morels with the mixture through a piping bag.
3. Marinate the morel with Amul cheese, cream and yogurt marination, bake them in the oven at 165 degrees (c) for 15 mins apply butter.
4. For the baby courgette stuffing take all the ingredients in a bowl and follow the same process as morel stuffing.
5. Stuff the courgette flower with the stuffing and grill it lightly then bake at 145 degrees (c) for 5 mins.
6. For parmesan yakhni, take a casserole add oil & ghee, add whole spices, add sliced onions, and sweat it.
7. Add ginger garlic paste, cook until the oil starts to appear, then add boiled cashew paste, cook, and then add milk. Finish with parmesan cheese 
8. For milk foam warm the milk then use a hand blender until the foam appears
9. For garnish, use two pieces of morels with one baby courgette with flower, milk foam, shaved truffle, and cilantro oil, and serve with parmesan yakhni.        

HAMACHI BHEL 

Hamachi is a yellowtail white fish from the Pacific, which is dry aged for 6 days, cut into thin strips on top of a young barley (ponk) Bhel mixture, garnished and served with buttermilk sol kadhi (a welcome drink traditionally served with fish thali) from the west coast of India.

INGREDIENTS

Kokum sol kadhi

• lime juice 120 ml
• buttermilk  3000 ml
• coconut milk  750 ml
• green chili chopped  40 gms
• salt 25 gms
• sugar  80 gms
• ginger  50 gms
• garlic  60 gms
• kokum powder 15 gms

Ponk bhel 

• chopped onions 200  gms 
• diced  green mango  100  gms 
• diced green apple 100  gms 
• diced avocado  60  gms 
• charred ponk  50  gms
• lemon juice  30   ml 
• chaat masala  20   gms 
• salt   30   gms 
• sugar   20  gms 
• tamarind chutney   30 ml 
• chopped green chilies 10 gms 
• chopped cilantro 10 gms 

Method

1. To dry age Hamachi loin. Wash the Hamachi in vinegar & saltwater and hang in a dry aging cabinet for 6 days. Then slice it into 2 inches thick slices from the gravity slicer.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix all the ponk bhel ingredients until it becomes one body.
3. For the sol kadhi, blend all the ingredients in a Vitamix for 7 mins.
4. To serve, in a plate make a flat quenelle of ponk bhel and then apply the Hamachi slices into it so that it appears like a tuna.
5. Garnish with fresh mango gel, pickled kohlrabi, fresh watermelon radish, pickled fat chili, fennel leaves, borage, and bachelors’ button, finished with mustard dressing, cilantro oil & kokum berry dust
6. Serve with chilled sol kadhi.