The Hindu Business Line : Of shrimps and squids...

The shrimps in the Vegetable and Shrimp Fried Rice were so soft that but for the distinct taste and crunchiness, one would have wondered if one were chewing on tofu or paneer.

Chef Wang Hui

When you say by way of an opening line that Chinese food is globally popular, he promptly returns the compliment: "Indian food is great... I like Indian food very much, biryani and tandoori food... "

Chef Wang Hui has been brought in all the way from Beijing to add authentic Chinese flavour to the cuisine dished out at the Shanghai Club in Chennai's Chola Sheraton. This is his first visit to India and he is bowled over by "the beautiful city of Chennai and its very helpful people."

Two months in Chennai as a resident expat chef, and the results are already evident. At the seafood festival on at the restaurant recently, the aroma was heavenly, the food delectable, the spices gentle and fragrant... and the hall packed. The shrimps in the Vegetable and Shrimp Fried Rice were so soft that but for the distinct taste and crunchiness, one would have wondered if one were chewing on tofu or paneer.

Trained at the famous Beijing School of Hotel Management, and with 12 years of experience at some of the most well-known kitchens in China — the Jing Jiang hotel in Shanghai, The Great Wall, the Sheraton Beijing and The Catic Hotel — his interest in cooking was born more out of necessity. "As a youngster in Beijing with both my parents working, I learnt to cook my food myself," he says.

Chef Wang wields the ladle with equal ease at different kinds of cuisine... Schezwan, Guangdon and Huai Yang. As his colleague Rajeev Kumar, Executive Chef, Chola Sheraton, points out, while Schezwan cuisine has been more popular in India, mainly because it is more spicy, "gone are the days when five-star hotel diners thought Chinese food was nothing more than noodles, fried rice and Chilli chicken."

As more people travel around the world and get exposed to international cuisine "they've become more knowledgeable about food and are happy that we have an expat Chinese chef who can give them authentic and exclusive Chinese food. Oh yes, they know the difference between Guangdon and Schezwan!"

Chef Wang points out that in China Schezwan food is based more on pork and beef "but as I found that these are not popular in India, I've changed to chicken, lamb and vegetables." And of course seafood, which is essential to Chinese cuisine.

But he had a cultural shock when he visited Chennai's seafood market in Chintadripet. "He was surprised to find it was so small and did not have the variety that Chinese markets have... octopus, mussels, shell fish, etc. Compared to the seafood markets in Beijing, our market is very small and lacks the mind-boggling variety there," says Kumar.

On how common it is for the chief chefs to go to the market, Rifaquat Mirza, F&O Manager, says, "This is very common. I go for such market surveys myself to ensure that the meats, vegetables, etc we get are fresh. It is easier for us to check the price, availability and quality of vegetables, meats and fruits through such visits and we can demand a similar quality from our regular suppliers."

Though frozen stuff can't be totally avoided, Chef Wang prefers fresh meats and vegetables; "he always fights with me on that aspect," says Kumar.

"The fresher the ingredients, the better the taste," says Chef Wang, and this is evident enough in the Chongquing Chili ChikenJia Xiang yu Taio Yummmm (Deep Fried Fish with Bay Leaf and Chillies) and Crispy Lotus Root in Chili and Honey Sauce, that are served as starters. While the shrimp fried rice is recommended for the softness of shrimps, the Chili Garlic Noodles simply have to be sampled. When you say so to its creator, he says with a smile, "Oh yes, Indian garlic very good".

For the fish items on the menu, the chef prefers to use red sniper, groper bekti, pomfret and seer fish. Apart from shrimps, mud lobsters and crabs, he makes the famous Peking duck too, and it no longer has to be brought in all the way from China, as was the case a few years ago, because a farm near Dehradun can supply quality Peking ducks!

When you comment on the subtle and delicate flavour of some of Chef Wang's signature dishes (made of chicken and pomfret), Chef Kumar adds, "What I like best about him is that he is both authentic and subtle, and he doesn't make everything laal-peela by adding spices."

But it is from Kumar that his Chinese colleague is taking lessons these days... to make tandoori food. "One day, I might open an Indian restaurant in China as Indian food is very popular there," says the "fast learner".

But for now, he is very much here, and loves to interact with his customers on how and what they like about the delicacies he whips up.

For seafood veterans and those willing to experiment, he also had on offer Steamed Mussels with Black Bean, the Hong Kong Egg Fried Crab with Lettuce, to be preceded by a bowl of Squid Shredded and Vegetable Pepper Soup.

Picture by S.R.Raghunathan