JOIN USThe ongoing pop up experience at Szechwan Court at The Oberoi is an event that should not be missed. The menu, that has been especially curated by Master Chef Mark Cheng from India Jones, Trident Nariman Point, Mumbai, has every conceivable
Chinese dish.
The chef has made sure that one doesn’t fall short of variety. To start with, the a la carte menu has some interesting appetizers. The ‘Crisp corn kernels’ is batter fried corn kernels tossed in salt and pepper style or with butter and chili.
The crisp texture of the dish is what makes it irresistible. Then there is ‘Jiao yanluobogao’, which is crisp turnip cake, stir fried with chilli and spring onion. One could also try ‘La zikai’, which is crisp fried chicken flavoured with soy and dry chilli.
Talking about the starters, Chef Mark Cheng explains, “When we make the starters, we make it in such a way that we retain the natura flavour of the dishes. The starters are always accompanied with a special sauce that has homemade ingredients. We don’t use any artificial flavouring to enhance the taste of the dish.”
The soups have a flavour and texture of their own. ‘Suan la tang’ is hot and sour soup with chicken and coriander. Here, the shredded chicken pieces mixed in a tangy soup leave behind a good taste.
One is spoilt for choice when it comes to the main course. One could start the main course with ‘Ma la tofu’, which is braised silken tofu in Szechwan sauce served with ‘shitake’ and asparagus. The ‘Sambal udang’ which is stir fried prawns in spicy sambal chilli sauce with tomato and onion and steamed sea bass with soy and ginger broth, definitely leaves you wanting for more.
Mark explains, “The chilli paste is what strengthens the dish. It isn’t too spicy but you can still feel the flavour and easily differentiate between the ingredients that have been used to make the dish. This is a perfect accompaniment to the prawn.”
Another dish worth a try is ‘Guo bao yang rou’ which is a Sichuan speciality where the lamb is sauteed with onion, dried red chilli, coriander and beans sprout.
When it comes to rice, one could opt for ‘Jiang rongchao fan’, a mix of ginger smoked fried rice with
vegetables, egg and chicken.
“This rice dish goes well with ‘Guo bao yang rou’ where the chilli sauce perfectly blends with the rice,” adds Mark. And for noodles, one can dig into ‘Cantonese noodles he fen’ which is stir fried flat noodles sauteed in vegetables, prawn and chicken.
Mark says that the dishes have been made with home grown and ground ingredients “The Chinese way of cooking is different because the cooking method retains the vitamins and flavour of the dishes. We don’t use any taste enhancers and effort is taken to preserve the original texture of the dishes,” adds Mark.