Indian Fire Meets Tasmanian Wild
When fire is the language and flavour of the medium, few stages are as visceral—or as venerated—as Tasmania’s Dark Mofo. This winter, Mumbai’s chef Niyati Rao became the first Indian invited to join its primal feast.
By SOH TEAM
When chef Niyati Rao was invited to represent India at Tasmania’s renowned Dark Mofo 2025 festival as the only Indian chosen, she embraced it as a rare opportunity to showcase Indian culinary artistry on a stage that resonates far beyond food. “It was an absolute honour,” Rao reflects. “Dark Mofo isn’t just a festival—it’s where art, music, culture, and food converge in a primal celebration of winter’s dark rituals. The cooking is elemental, open-fire, and raw, hearkening back to humanity’s earliest culinary expressions.”
The collaboration with Stillwater, one of Tasmania’s premier restaurants, was orchestrated with an understanding that this fusion of local terroir and Indian boldness would be a perfect match. “Chef Craig and Stillwater are ideal partners. Their deep respect for Tasmanian ingredients aligns beautifully with our ingredient-centric ethos at my fine dining restaurant Ekaa, in Mumbai.”
Chef Niyati Rao is known for her ingredient-driven, no-rules approach to cooking.
From Mumbai’s urban pulse to Lutruwita’s wild larder
Tasmania, or Lutruwita in the language of its indigenous people, offered a fresh and untamed canvas for Rao’s culinary exploration. “Coming from Mumbai, where sourcing diverse ingredients is a passion and necessity, Tasmania was a new and exciting playground,” she says. “What fascinated me most were the native bush foods—pepperberry, wattleseed, quandongs—ingredients with stories and flavours waiting to be discovered.”
Rao’s excitement is palpable as she speaks of Palawa Kipli’s traditional food walks, where native ingredients and ancestral cooking techniques are celebrated. “I’m especially eager to work with yula (also called) the mutton bird. It’s a bold ingredient that perfectly suits the festival’s primal spirit.”
Dark Mofo is an annual mid-winter arts and culture festival held in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Menu as myth: The poetry of fire and flavour
The winter feast menu reads like an incantation—wallaby wings, sea urchin broth, whisky-pandan pudding—each dish a narrative woven from the threads of tradition, terroir, and innovation. Rao elaborates, “Dark Mofo is about invoking the primal: death, rebirth, instinct, and desire. Our cooking method had to reflect that. Open fire is the most primal technique. It connects us viscerally with nature, with history.”
Her dishes embody this philosophy: “The sea urchin bisque, inspired by my mother’s rainy season crab curry, marries delicacy and power. It’s spiced with a secret blend, paired with bread roasted over embers—a homage to both my heritage and the wild Tasmanian landscape.”
Craig Will, Executive Chef and Co-owner, Stillwater, Tasmania's well-known restaurant, which collaborated with Niyati Rao.
Harmonising Indian boldness with Tasmanian terroir
Blending India’s intense flavours with Tasmania’s unique produce was both a challenge and an opportunity for Rao. “We spent months researching, trialling, and pairing. Tasmanian ingredients such as pepperberry share surprising affinities with Indian counterparts such as Nagaland’s mountain pepper,” she explains. “Thanks to Chef Craig’s expertise, we navigated unfamiliar ingredients with precision. It was a rare moment when everything clicked early in the process, which, as a chef, is nothing short of a miracle.”
This synergy, Rao notes, springs from shared boldness. “Both Indian and Tasmanian ingredients have strong characters, which made the fusion natural rather than forced.”
Urchin, served in a spiced broth, alongside pickled beet and potato.
Thanks to Chef Craig’s expertise, we navigated unfamiliar ingredients with precision. It was a rare moment when everything clicked early in the process, which, as a chef, is nothing short of a miracle.
Chef Niyati Rao
The fire within: mastery born of world-class kitchens
Rao’s extensive experience at global culinary institutions like Noma and Wasabi by Morimoto informs her approach to this elemental feast. “Open-fire cooking demands an almost mystical intuition—you have to ‘talk’ to the fire,” she says. “At Wasabi and Noma, I developed a deep respect for this primal craft. Fire imparts a flavour and texture no modern appliance can replicate.”
For Rao, the festival’s communal fires evoke a deeper human connection. “It’s about gathering around warmth and sustenance in winter’s chill — a timeless ritual that feeds body and soul.”
Bianca and Jimmy Welsh, Co-Owners of Stillwater.
Championing Indian culinary heritage on a global stage
Beyond the culinary innovation, Rao sees her participation as a vital act of cultural representation. “To be the voice of India at Dark Mofo is profoundly humbling. Indian cuisine is vast and varied, yet its micro-cuisines and indigenous ingredients remain largely undiscovered globally. This festival is a platform to showcase India’s culinary depth and to highlight how Indian flavours can harmonise with other terroirs in vibrant, unexpected ways.”
A feast of joy and connection
Asked what she hopes guests will carry away from the Winter Feast, Rao smiles, “Pure, unadulterated joy. Food is the ultimate connector—transcending language, culture, and distance. When Indian boldness meets Tasmanian wildness over an open flame, the experience becomes more than a meal. It’s a celebration of life’s elemental pleasures.”