What is your favourite food in the winter months? Gajak and rewari? A bowl of steaming soup? Undiyo, if you are in Gujarat? Mine, incredibly enough, is an unhealthy plate of ?chowmein,? hot from the wok. And I suspect there are many more people than are willing to publicly own up who would like to polish off fried noodles with a sprinkling of garam masala and tadka of curry leaves.
But, of late, the only places perhaps where you can really find such noodles are aspiring-to-be-Haldiram chaat shops, the ?Bengali Sweets? of this world and so on. Unlike in the past, no self respecting mid-level Chinese or pan-Asian restaurant will put them on the menu any longer. Sure, you may find some bland ?hakka? noodles, but more than likely, it will be the Pad Thais, the Japanese ramen, the fiery thin strands of Singapore noodles, and lately hand-pulled noodles, (more on these later) that will be the highlights. One of the biggest culinary stories of the last decade has been Indian-Chinese. No, not its boom, but its death. If the current trend towards more authentic, pan-Asian flavours continues, Indian-Chinese may well become a ?heritage? cuisine of the future.
The middle of the last decade saw a sudden spurt in Indian-Chinese restaurant openings around the world?in Canada and Australia, all over the US and even in Germany. The world was recognising an important difference between the kind of Chinese food different countries ate (for instance, American-Chinese), ?real? Chinese and Indian-Chinese, the genre of food invented in India by enterprising immigrants to Calcutta and later sold as dunked-in-thick-Punjabised-gravies restaurant food. It was an important moment in the life of the reviled manchurian. On the other hand, within India, much around this time, we began to see a parallel trend: Indian-Chinese losing steam at least in the sophisticated metros.
Sitting at the new Side Wok in Delhi?s Connaught Place, I get reconfirmation of the manchurian?s last sigh. Basking in the afternoon sun on the lovely terrace is a bunch of kitty-partying women. Their behaviour makes for compulsive watching, and not because of solitaire rivalries that manifest themselves occasionally. Instead, what are they ordering? It?s a study in changing sociology. Instead of old staples like chilli chicken, sweet corn soup, and indeed vegetable manchurian?none of which are on the menu?this is a bunch of more sophisticated diners.
Dim sums and sushi are now the common denominators while ordering ?Chinese? (which is now becoming a generic term for many cuisines using different types of soy sauce and rice wine). Soups could be anything from Malaysaian soto ayam (a clear chicken soup, delightfully served with lemon to add to its freshness) to the Japanese miso (that should be had after a meal to aid digestion but never mind, order as you will), to pho, the Vietnamese soup that I sample another afternoon at Blanco, where it is a bestseller. The real pho uses beef bone in its stock. But in India, Sudha Kukreja, the restaurateur in charge of Blanco, has been able to replicate the flavour using pan-grilled spices, star anise being dominant. There are people who travel several miles, cutting through the city, to savour that bowl, she says. Eating out preferences have changed for sure, and nothing could exemplify it better than this drastic shift from sweet corn to pho.
So when did the staples of Indian-Chinese really breathe their last in our midst? It would have to be with the sushi revolution about five years ago. Beginning with expensive five-star coffee shops and then percolating down to bar menus even at affordable places like Kylin (the Vasant Vihar outlet is celebrating six years of its existence), sushi was a surprising successor to chilli chicken in the pop market. But then, two-three years ago, with China House in Mumbai and China Kitchen in Delhi, the game changed completely. Suddenly, ?authentic? was the buzzword. Cold spinach appetizers worked well, as did Peking duck grilled in a genuine wood-fired oven. India?s growing tribe of discerning eaters lapped it all up; who wanted the manchurian after this?
Today, while ponderous India-Chinese preparations have been replaced in even ?mass? restaurants (except perhaps for ?honey? chicken and fish, that restaurateurs say continue to do well), there is a new line-up of star dishes. Instead of the manchurian and chopsuey, we have other flavours (more authentic or inventive but the India love for ?crispy? and deep fried continues as you can see below) that are ruling menus in metros like Delhi and Mumbai. Here is the new line-up:
* Wasabi Prawns: What started out as a Morimoto special has become the darling of the eating-out masses. Scarcely a restaurant (or cocktail do) passes without batter-fried prawns smeared in wasabi-flavoured mayonnaise. American-Jap for Indians.
* Thai crispy fish: The actual Thai recipe uses fresh red tamarind (that also accounts for the colour), palm sugar, loads of garlic and bird?s eye chillies and a bunch of fresh herbs boiled together and reduced for the sauce, poured over fried fish. While the authentic sauce is available only in select restaurants, many others will simply give a sweet and sour effect using vinegar, sugar and chillies.
* Vietnamese basa: This is growing to be the most popular fish on Asian menus. And though it is versatile (not too ?fishy? for Indian palates) and able to absorb subtle flavours, the fish is a favourite with restaurateurs not merely for its taste profile. It is also one of the cheapest varieties going around. A fillet of basa got from Vietnam would cost about Rs 200 to a restaurant; its equivalent, the sole from Indian waters, costs almost double.
* Green tea ice cream/green tea cocktails: In a milky chai loving nation, it is surprising how quickly these have caught on.
* Khao Suey: The Burmese dish is a winter favourite?enough ?curry? to satisfy Indian souls.
* Dim sums: From the translucent har gau to chicken kothe and Japanese pot stickers, their tribe has grown, merrily.
* Tempura/salt and pepper/Vietnamese crispy rolls: Deep fried snacks continue to be popular, but without the thick maida batter. These are more sophisticated offerings suited to the Indian palate and chefs are pepping them up with genuine Sichuan pepper, five spice powder, et al. Never mind if you think tempura are ?Chinese?!
* Hand-pulled/hand-cut noodles: If home-made, fresh pasta can be gourmet, so can hand-pulled or hand-cut noodles. Sophisticated restaurants are now moving away from dried noodles. Instead, expat chefs from China will show you how to pull those long strands of noodles from fresh dough?or cut them with a razor. It?s a specialised skill, ideal for show kitchen displays.
?The writer is a food critic