As a culinary establishment, Indigo (Colaba) has always been a rock star, and we, its groupies. Naturally we were kicked when food blogger Shaheen Peerbhai (Purplefoodie.com) scored us backstage passes to the kitchen, and even got chef Irfan Pabaney to sing for our supper. Put your hands together for his secret recipe: Fettuccine with Roasted Root Vegetables and Braised Amaranth. This is the part where you hold up your lighter above the crowd and look starry eyed, your body swaying from side to side.

Follow cooking instructions below and view delicious step-by-step visuals in our culinary slideshow that will make you want to plate for life.

Photographs and text by Shaheen Peerbhai

Fettuccine with Roasted Root Vegetables and Braised Amaranth

Serves: 4

Pasta

400g dried pasta.

Cook pasta in boiling water according to package instructions. If you’re making fresh pasta, you can make the dough with 300g flour and 3 whole eggs.

Roasted Root Vegetables

100g carrots, 100g pumpkin, 100g sweet potato, 1 tbsp oil.

Cut all the vegetables into ½ inch cubes and roast them in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, until they’ve softened and have browned at the edges. Set aside.

Braised Amaranth

2 tbsps clarified butter; 1 small onion, sliced; 1 tsp garlic paste; 1 bunch amaranth (laal mutt at your local bhajiwala); 200 ml red wine; salt.

In a pan, heat the clarified butter and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions have turned translucent. Make sure the onions don’t brown. Add the amaranth leaves and continue to cook for two minutes. Pour in the red wine. Cook down the mixture until the leaves have wilted and most of the wine has evaporated. It’s very important to cook off the wine otherwise the acidity in the wine will split the cream in the next steps.

Bringing It All Together

2 tbsps clarified butter; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 tsp garlic paste; roasted root vegetables (prepared above); 100 ml red wine; 1 tbsp chives, chopped; 1 tbsp oregano; 300 ml cream, plus more if required to keep the pasta moist; 3 tbsps parmesan cheese, grated and more for garnish; braised amaranth (prepared above); boiled pasta (prepared above); salt and pepper; 1 tbsp chopped parsley.

Preparation1. Heat the clarified butter in a pan and sauté the onions and garlic until very slightly golden.
2. Add the roasted root vegetables, and then the red wine, cooking it until the wine evaporates.
3. Add the chives, oregano and cream. Add the Parmesan once the cream has reduced slightly.
4. Stir in the braised amaranth.
5. Add a little more cream, if it looks too dry. Check for seasoning.
6. Mix in the boiled pasta, until it’s evenly coated with the sauce.
7. Sprinkle the chopped parsley into the pasta.
8. Plate it. Garnish with some parmesan cheese and a sprig of fresh oregano.