When immigrants from the Hakka region of China settled in Calcutta in the 1700s, back when it was the capital of the British empire, they perhaps knew that their cuisine would undergo many modifications. Masalas and spices would be added; crunchy capsicums and onions would be tossed in the wok along with julienned carrots and cabbages; soy sauce and vinegar would commingle with ginger and garlic. All of the above did end up happening, but instead of diluting Chinese cuisine, it birthed an entirely new love child known as Indo-Chinese food. Today, this hybrid invention is one of India’s most beloved cuisines.
But can we, as Indians, learn to appreciate authentic Chinese food when we’ve managed to carve out our own version for centuries? This is the question that niggles at me when I sit down for chef Lin Lin Yang’s pop-up at the Far & East restaurant in the Four Seasons, Bengaluru. What really distinguishes ‘Chindian’ from its true-blue progenitor?
.jpg)
“The Chinese style of cooking relies on culinary techniques like blanching and stir-frying. When food is stir-fried, it can absorb flavours better,” Chef Lin explains. “On the contrary, Indo-Chinese cooking styles use techniques like boiling and sautéing, which does not allow the food to absorb flavours. The sauces are thickened and food is just coated with the sauces in Indo-Chinese style.” He adds that each region of China, much like India, has a unique flavour and ingredient. So while all Chinese dishes practically taste the same in India, that’s not the case with China. For instance, Sichuan peppercorn from the Sichuan region has a more pronounced flavour on the palate. Chinese toban chilli, from the same region, has a more pungent flavour profile compared to the ones widely available in the market.
%2520(2).jpg)
Chef Lin’s pop-up at Far & East fronts all the authentic Chinese dishes cooked in, as he describes, the Chinese way. From the 21st floor of the hotel, one can look at Bengaluru stretching into the distance. Inside the restaurant, small lamps cast chiaroscuro-like shadows on the black walls and my Shazam auto-detects the best of Amy MacDonald, Rob Thomas and Pachinko. The Chongqing chicken, batter fried to perfection, is somehow both Indian and Chinese at the same time—tossed in hot peppers and shreds of garlic. The Sichuan influence on the menu is also evident in the vegetarian dishes. The Yu Xiang eggplant fry, a typical dish from the Sichuan region, is a skilful tightrope between smoky flavours and the subtler ones.
In all these dishes, the spice profiles constantly change. It’s not surprising that one of the most distinguishing factors between desi Chinese and authentic Chinese food is the way the chilli paste is used and mixed. Chef Lin clarifies that authentic Chinese cuisine doesn’t comprise coriander, spices or black pepper. For the Beijing-born chef, the mastery of almost three decades over Sichuan cuisine comes from this very variety that the Sichuan region offers. Perhaps it’s why pop-ups like these are important. They create scope for the Chindian palate, which has rightfully survived centuries, to accommodate the more authentic culinary wonders from the Sichuan and Canton provinces.
