Garlic Chili Prawns at Nanking's

Once upon a time, the author loved seafood. She would litter the table with broken shells and claws all clean of meat and rejoice at the extensive sacrifice. Then the days descended when she hated the very sight of them. Even to this day, the smell of fish - raw, cooked or otherwise - makes her nauseous. But, then one day, she awoke to a new awareness. Perhaps its her exposure to all the cooking shows that she watches [Top chef, Hell's Kitchen, Masterchef Australia, My Kitchen Rules-you name it] which have made her more open - minded. So she went ahead and became bold. Prawns was the first on the menu.

Nanking is an institution in Hyderabad. Even on a Monday, there will people lined up in front of its doors waiting for a table to clear. This particular day was no different. The author made a deliberate attempt to arrive early so as to find a table easily. The order was huge. Its Chinese food, you can never order too much and if you do, the takeaway tastes even better next day. And Nanking serves out generous proportions. So among the order placed was a dish of prawns swathed in a nice chilli and garlic sauce. The marinade had given the prawns an almost meatiness. When it came to the table, the fragrance was unbelievable. The author almost jumped onto the plate with her fork and started cutting out chunks to satisfy her new found tastes. The spicyness of the chilli, garlic coupled with the soy and coriander root was deliciously coupled with the blank canvas of the prawns. Almost near perfect. But that is the specialty of the restaurant. Its Chinese food is familiar with none of the Indo-Chinese flavors that masquerade as the original. And, the quality is comforting. So, go ahead and give it a try

Location: Nanking, Park Lane Secunderabad
What to try: Garlic chili prawns, Fried chicken, Egg rolls, and most of the main course[non-veg]
Rating: 4/5

Spicyness

There are some dishes - that no matter how cliche or redundant - never lose their delicious tastes. I mean look at Gobi manchurian - humble, unassuming and yet still serving strong in food establishments all over India. And not surprising, this dish is tasty and forms the appropriate appetizer for any form of Indian meal. In terms of home cooking, this forms the ideal appetizer, party nibbles, side-dish to any Chinese meal or just a bowl full of it to eat while you watch The Big Bang Theory.
The procedure to making this dish is simple with a little bit of chopping involved. But, it is quick once the steps are fulfilled in their order. And, in no time, this will become your signature recipe. The trick to making the cauliflower nice and juicy is to do what my grandmother does - boil the cauliflower for a few minutes. This gets rid of the raw, crunchiness of the vegetable and soften it later deliciousness.So, go get the ingredients and prepare yourself for some Monday night spicy-ness.

Ingredients:
2 cauliflowers
2tsp soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
2tsp vinegar
1tbsp red chili sauce
4tbsp cornflour
1inch ginger
4 cloves garlic
5 spring onions
1 capsicum
3 chillies
salt
pepper
1/4 cup water
Oil for frying

Method:
Chop the cauliflower into small florets. Boil the cauliflower for 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove. Add soy, oyster, vinegar, red chili sauce, salt and pepper. Marinade for a few minutes.
Heat oil. Toss the cauliflower with 3 tbsp of cornflour. Fry in batches.

Remove most of the oil and reserve. Add the ginger, garlic, spring onion, chillies, capsicum. Cook for five minutes. Add soy, red chili sauce and vinegar.
This is the tricky part. You need to adjust the seasonings so that the hot, sweet, salty and sour are correctly balanced. Usually the soy and vinegar should be put in equal quantities. But, the taste is subjective. Whatever suits your palate, go with it.

Sprinkle salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower and fold everything in. Do a final check on seasoning and serve hot. 

Of Spice and Jasmine

There have been plans and a few fantasies run around the place. And when we finally alighted at Mainland China, there was a slight buzz of anticipation. It did not disappoint. A golden lion welcomed us as we walked out the elevator. The music was a pleasant surprise. Unlike the usual cloying sound that gets on your nerves a minute after you take your seats, this music is a welcome compliment. And that is all the description I can justify myself spending on the ambience because once the first drink hits the table, it is all about the food.
We went for the buffet this particular afternoon. The server comes over and your water glass is filled and plates are placed in front of you. The drink menu is served along with the glasses. We ordered an Iced Alaska and a Mojito. Also, along with that, the option was given for jasmine tea. The drinks, all good, but the prize of the show is the jasmine tea. Light, fragrant and refreshing, it forms the perfect backdrop for the meal to come.

Too many adjectives.
The phrase from Becoming Jane  comes to mind, especially for the soup and platter of appetizers that followed the drinks. The soup option was veg and chicken hot and sour soup. The broth is delicately spiced with threads of chicken or vegetables running through it. While the soup is served, the waiter brings over the pickled cucumbers and black bean sauce for the appetizers. As the soup levels are slowly lowered, the appetizers are brought to the table. Spicy sticky chicken, Crispy chilli vegetables, Schezwan potatoes, vegetables dimsum and chicken dimsum. The appetizers are actually the highlight of the meal. Whatever comes later and before, you will remember these little delicious bites.

As your plate clears, you are immediately flooded with requests for refill. Go for the crispy vegetables. They are the best of the lot. Then, of course you realize that the main course deserves your attention as well and start saying no to the next request. But, the tea is fine. You can keep drinking that all the time.

The main course is not as good as the appetizers. The fried rice is nice and so is the shredded chicken in chilli sauce. The chilli eggplant is good as well. But, the rest of main course though with cool names like lobster and shrimp, is all right. Especially, after the high of the appetizers. But still as far as Chinese food goes, it beats most of the places by a mile.

The desserts are different from the usual Chinese cuisine - no fried ice-cream or tapioca pudding. There was fried wantons though with chocolate sauce along with bread pudding, creme caramel and abundance of tropical fruits. The desserts are cut into nice bite-size pieces for convenience and a very light end to the meal.
The word light has been used very liberally in this post. And, rightly so. There are a lot of options for the buffet and plenty of refills. Even with the additions, you do not feel stuffed at the end of the meal. In fact, you feel nicely full and come away with a smile of satisfaction that involves having good food. This place is ideal for nice brunches on sunny afternoons and the conversation that it inspires.

Location: Near SPAR building, Somajiguda
What to try: Go for the buffet lunch and definitely the jasmine tea
Rating: 3.8/5

Weekday Egg Chowmein

Weekdays are the perfect settings for killing of culinary inspiration. Chores, classes all come together to give procrastination the upper hand. Maybe next day, you think, hunting up for the take out menu. Trust me that first day I will go for the menu and gorge myself on chicken biryani and succulent malai kebabs. But the next weekday in a bid for healthy lifestyle[and a pretense of jogging] I will do a supermarket run to hunt up veggies from the supermarket and make myself Chowmein.
Rumor has it that the Chinese came over to India through Calcutta and adapted the Chinese cuisine to suit the Indian needs. It filtered down from the restaurants and into the local street hawkers who combined have changed the tastes and menus of what their food is supposed to be. I mean manchurian anyone. Deep fried balls of minced vegetables smothered in cornflour,soy and vinegar thickened gravy they are probably an insult to the sweet and sours and mu shus but oh so incredibly tasty.
The chowmein comprises of the barest of ingredients and best to have on nights when work is breathing down your neck and you need to have something to inspire you.

The egg noodles recipe is the easiest recipe that you can make it record time. Use a mandoline to make slicing the veggies easier. Even without it it takes maximum ten minutes to make through it. I like it just with scrambled eggs and lots of vegetables. But you can marinate some chicken in soy and red chili sauce and some chinese seasonings and fry it before the rest.
Ingredients:
1 packet egg noodles
1 medium onion
1 inch ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 capsicum
2 medium carrots
3 strands french beans
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp red chili sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 ltrs water
4 tbsp oil
The recipe proceeds in five easy steps
First slice all the vegetables into long slices. Mince garlic and ginger. Then dunk the noodles into water with a tbsp of salt and oil. Cook for five minutes. Drain and run through cold water. Toss with 2 tbsp oil to avoid clumping. This step is important. Trust me you wont like the result.

Heat oil. Saute ginger and garlic. As they release their aromas add onions. Cook till onions are golden brown. Add all the veggies. As they start to wilt around ten minutes later add the sauces and seasonings.

 Make a hole at the center of the veggies. Whisk eggs and add. Scramble and then fold in with the veggies.

Add the noodles and fold in. If necessary adjust soy and vinegar. Fold in till noodles are completely coated.

 Have a large helping of it while hunched over the laptop and researching stats. It does make a huge difference. Enjoy!