The taste of China

It is said that Qu Yuan, a Chinese poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom, drowned himself by attaching a heavy stone to his chest and jumping into the Miluo River in 278 BCE at the age of 61.

Locals, in vain, tried to save him; they even searched for his body in their boats. When that didn’t work, they began throwing cooked rice into the river, hoping the fishes would eat the rice instead of his body.

A tradition that began a long time ago has now turned into one of China’s favourite festivals — the Dragon Boat Festival. A day of celebration, in honour of the locals who tried hard to save the poet, it showcases myriad colours and some delightful dishes.

The festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, is being celebrated with much enthusiasm at Vivanta by Taj M G Road at their Chinese restaurant, ‘Memories of China’ till June 14.

Executive Chinese master chef, Lai Hin Tong William, along with the culinary team of Taj have come up with a menu specially for the event, with a showcase of a 100 dishes.

Keeping with tradition, they are serving ‘Rice dumpling Zongzi with chicken and egg yolk’. The sticky rice when combined with authentic Chinese flavours, becomes a dish worth trying.

Chef Lai Hin says, “I have been cooking Chinese food for the last 43 years so I strive to get authentic flavours. There are many restaurants that serve local Chinese food but none of that is authentic.” He adds that it is a lack of knowledge about the cuisine that makes Indians relish the fusion flavours.

“Also, authentic Chinese food is served only at 5-star hotels, which isn’t affordable to everyone.” Because they insist on authenticity, ‘Memories of China’ whips up some of the best dishes the cuisine has to offer, without losing the traditional essence.

 Though the number of non-vegetarian dishes outnumber the vegetarian ones, it’s worth a visit. ‘Pokchoy and water chestnut dumplings’ and ‘Wok tossed lotus stem, water chestnut and honey bean’ are some light dishes to start with. One should also try their ‘Crispy roast sesame chicken’ and ‘Deep fry prawns with ginger spring onion and soy’.    

‘Sauteed lobster with egg white’, ‘Roast Peking duck’, ‘Fried lotus root’, ‘Alphonso tiramisu’ and ‘Coffee bean chocolate coins’ are other dishes.

According to Chef Lai Hin, the Dragon Boat Festival, along with ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’, the Chinese New Year, the ‘Lantern Festival’ and ‘Moon Festival’, are days when you can taste the best of Chinese cooking as they are celebrations.