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Lisa Cam

Samaira Kavatkar is the head chef of new Hong Kong modern Indian restaurant Nine One, and she is here to set the record straight on Indian food.
“To be honest, I didn’t eat curry growing up,” says the Mumbai native, who left the country of her birth in 2003.
“The curry word is a British English term. The most similar sounding thing would be a kadhi,” she says, referring to a yogurt-based dish with roots in Rajasthan, northwest India.
“It wasn’t until I was living abroad that I realised many Indian dishes were just summarised into white curry, red curry, orange curry and green curry,” she says.

Kavatkar is a former paralegal who decided to become a full-time chef in 2019.
After starting with private events and pop-ups, Kavatkar’s first major event was a collaboration with Test Kitchen, in Hong Kong’s Sai Ying Pun neighbourhood, in 2021.
Indian food need not be greasy or heavy or difficult to digest. It is very flavourful and I want to present that
Samaira Kavatkar
Following that, she did a residency at a pop-up restaurant space with Perrier Jouet, where her menu was paired with champagne.
“That’s my style,” she says. “Tasting menus featuring regional Indian cuisine with wine pairings. No curries, no tandoor.
“I want to introduce the culture and heritage of East Indian food to Hong Kong.”
Raised by a Catholic father and a Hindi mother, Kavatkar is from a unique ethno-religious Indian Christian community who identify as Bombay East Indians.
“Despite the name, it doesn’t refer to a particular geographical location in India, but rather pockets who are Catholics, whose ancestors were converted by the Portuguese,” she says.
Mumbai was part of Portuguese India from 1535, during which time it was called Bom Bahia. In 1661, it was handed over to the British as part of Portuguese royal Catherine de Braganza’s dowry for her marriage to King Charles II. The city became known as Bombay under the British.
Bombay East Indians, or simply East Indians as they were officially termed in the early 19th century to distinguish them from other Catholic communities in India, make up a sizeable community in Mumbai. They were among the first inhabitants of the islands that make up the city.
It makes me sad when somebody looks at me and asks, ‘Can you cook me a curry?’
Samaira Kavatkar
The East Indians lived in hamlets known as gaothan. Agriculture, fishing and salt making were their primary occupations before the rapid urbanisation of the city transformed their way of life.
Despite the city’s expansion and modernisation, the East Indians have managed to preserve their heritage and traditions.
“The purpose of bringing my culture, heritage and East Indian food into Hong Kong is [to give] people a taste of my home. This is the food that I grew up eating and love,” Kavatkar says.
“I also want to let everyone taste Indian food beyond the curry and tandoor fare more commonly featured here in Hong Kong,” she adds.
One of the most distinctive aspects of East Indian culture is its food – a blend of Indian and Portuguese influences characterised by its use of coconut, rice and fresh seafood.
Signature dishes include vindaloo, a spicy meat dish originally from Goa but adopted and modified by the East Indians, and sorpotel, a tangy pork dish.
Bottle masala is a unique East Indian spice blend that consists of more than 20 ingredients. Every family has its own recipe for the spice mix, more often than not the result of generations of fine-tuning.

The making of bottle masala is something of a community event; it is usually done in summer, when most of its ingredients, such as cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and chillies, are harvested fresh before being sun-dried, roasted and ground.
One of the signature dishes at Nine One is roasted bottle masala three yellow chicken, which is accompanied by arroz fugath, or wedding rice – basmati rice cooked with onions, dried fruit and nuts. The chicken has a hint of complexity from the spices rubbed into the skin, its flavour aromatic but not overpowering.
“In my chicken dish, you can actually taste the chicken, the butter and masala spice,” Kavatkar says. “Indian food need not be greasy or heavy or difficult to digest. It is very flavourful and I want to present that at Nine One.”
Kavatkar makes her own bottle masala spice blend. “Everyone is familiar with Madras curry powder or garam masala, while I use a blend of wet and fried spices. It’s kind of different and it’s really a taste of slow food made from scratch,” she says.
There is a traditional East Indian dish on Nine One’s menu called Not Curry, which defies expectations. It is an aromatic lamb stew, the meat slow-cooked in broth with vegetables and served with deep-fried dough balls.

“I’ve had a guest come in who told me this is exactly like a French stew from his hometown, where it’s served with a Béarnaise sauce. Many people thought I took inspiration from French cuisine, but actually it’s a traditional East Indian stew,” Kavatkar says.
An Indian restaurant that doesn’t serve curry certainly defies expectations, but it is not hard to imagine Nine One becoming popular with discerning Hong Kong diners looking for some next-level Indian fare.
Kavatkar hopes people will come to the restaurant with an open mind.
“We have a very rich heritage both in terms of people and food and culture and it makes me sad when somebody looks at me and asks, ‘Can you cook me a curry?’”
Nine One, G80-85, Tsim Sha Tsui Centre, 66 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Tel: 3741 2990


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An Indian restaurant in Hong Kong that doesn’t serve curry? Nine One head chef shares why

Samaira Kavatkar, head chef of Nine One. Photo: Nine One

Dishes at Hong Kong Indian restaurant Nine One. Its head chef, Mumbai native Samaira Kavatkar, tells the Post about introducing East Indian food to Hong Kong with her menu that doesn’t feature curry. Photo: Nine One

Samaira Kavatkar, head chef of Nine One Indian restaurant. Photo: Nine One 

Roasted bottle masala three yellow chicken at Nine One. Photo: Nine One

Nine One’s Not Curry dish is an East Indian-style lamb stew with vegetables and deep-fried dough balls. Photo: Nine One

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Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Samaira Kavatkar talks about bringing Portuguese-influenced East Indian food to Hong Kong at Nine One, a restaurant that defies expectations


Samaira Kavatkar, chef of new Hong Kong Indian restaurant Nine One, talks about introducing East Indian food, with its Portuguese influences, to Hong Kong, with her menu that doesn’t feature curry.


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Profile | An Indian restaurant in Hong Kong that doesn’t serve curry? Nine One head chef shares why

Samaira Kavatkar talks about bringing Portuguese-influenced East Indian food to Hong Kong at Nine One, a restaurant that defies expectations