New Delhi, March 13 -- When Giles Knapton, the founder and director of Coco Shambhala, a luxury boutique property in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, discovered the diversity of seaweed along the Konkan coast, it felt both nostalgic and full of culinary possibilities.

"I grew up eating dulse, a dark-red seaweed, in Ireland, first as a snack and later paired with drinks. Seaweed here reminded me of home, yet presented a new terroir of waters, textures and flavour profiles," he says.

The team at Coco Shambhala, which opened in 2017, is running trials of risottos, salads, stir-fries and fritters that highlight the natural umami of local seaweed. They're even trying out a seaweed-infused varan (dal). Some of these kitchen experiments will eventuall...