Devilled Chilean Sea Bass

Masterstrokes are what chefs at Chinoiserie, Taj Bengal, looked forward to when they heard that Chef David would be visiting their kitchen. The Chinese chef, who has been with the Taj group for all of 22 years, is in town for a masterchef exchange programme. The chef of Taj Lands End has laid out a spread, on till September 15, that draws heavily from the culinary memories of his hometown Dali in the Yunnan province of China.

t2 picks from David’s platter:

Soup

Schezwan Koko Soup: This pale yellow broth with shredded chicken and a host of green and colourful herbs is a must-try. Its flavourful aroma and taste packs in ginger, star anise, onion, garlic, sesame, soya, fresh green and red chillies, pepper and salt.

Starters

Crispy Garlic Prawn: Crunchy outside, tender within. The burnt garlic and fresh chilli seasoning leaves a hint of hot-and-sweet on the tongue.

Konjee Shiitake: A traditional Chinese dish made with julienne of the mushroom (shiitake) cooked to a crispy perfection. Spicy and filling.

Main Course

Barbecued Farm Lamb Chops: David has adopted the European technique of barbecuing for the Oriental spicy red lamb chops. “In Chinese cuisine, meat is had mostly shredded. But here we have the lamb cut European-style and then nicely barbecued,” he explained. The spicy, sweet-and-sour Oriental sauce on top calls for all the senses; we love!

Homemade XO Fried Rice with Prawns: Traces of the XO sauce, a spicy seafood sauce popular in Hong Kong, that makes all the difference to the fried rice. Tiny fresh water prawns simply add to the magic!

Devilled Chilean Sea Bass: A recipe from the Sichuan region, this is an example of fusion between Oriental technique and Western ingredients. The fish, primarily found in Canada and the US, has been poached in a honey-coloured spicy gravy. The fish is a perfect foil to the hot and tangy sauce.

Desserts

Crispy Fried Milk: Wait, fried milk? “Milk boiled to a semi-solid state with a bit of cornflour, cooled and cut into cubes, coated with a batter made of cornflour, maida, oil, sugar, little baking powder and water and then deep-fried in oil is how you do it,” explained the chef as we polished off the last remnants of the yummy dessert.

What: Chinese food promotion by chef David from Ming Yang restaurant, Taj Lands End, Mumbai

Where: Chinoiserie, Taj Bengal

On till: September 15 (lunch and dinner)

Meal for two: Rs 5,000 plus taxes

Sibendu Das

Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray