Chinese with a Difference

While Punjabi Chinese may still be the centre of Delhi’s Oriental universe,authentic Chinese cuisine is enjoying a culinary renaissance of sorts. The latest entrant to this game of Chinese Checkers is Ahoy!Asia. Essentially a pan-Asian restaurant,Ahoy!Asia is among the first proponents of Uyghur cuisine in the Capital — Uyghur being the cuisine of the Xinjiang region,one of the nine distinct culinary geographies of China. The Uyghur people are of Turkic (Central Asian) descent and the only practitioners of Islam among the Chinese. Quite a few of their ingredients and spices are common to Turkish,Persian and Indian cuisine.

For starters,we try out the pan-Asian portions of the menu,deciding to stick to Uyghur for our mains. Accordingly,we order a salad,Smoked Salmon with Wasabi Dressing,some Dynamite Shrimp and,avoiding the satay that always calls out to us from every oriental menu,go with a Malaysian Fish Kebab. The salad appears first,looking fresher than the vegetable counter at a (good) Subway. Comprising large,thick slices of cucumber embellished with greens,salmon and a generous dash of wasabi dressing,each piece makes for a choice mouthful. The salmon’s brackishness is complemented by the dressing which,while retaining the punch of the Japanese horseradish,isn’t as acrid as wasabi in its pure form. Meanwhile,the shrimp,though a Nobel effort,isn’t as explosive as one would expect,especially after the powerful salad.

The kebabs come skewered shaslik-style,the coconut,lemon grass and Thai red chili-laced fish punctuated with peppers and onions. The fish is cooked to that cherished degree of melt-in-the-mouth tenderness to which the crunchiness of the vegetables provides an engaging contrast.

For our mains,we sample the mysteries of the Uyghur menu,with Chuanr (charcoal-grilled lamb skewers marinated with fennel,cumin and Sichuan peppers) and Dan Pan Ji,a chicken and vegetable stew,which turns out to be quite akin to curry. The skewered lamb are succulent,going well with their yoghurt dip. The stew is the burnished reddish gold shade of the pit of a dragon’s belly,its flavour correspondingly hot. More than being spicy,it has the clear,peppery notes of fennel,nigh indistinguishable from an Indian curry. The accompanying rice is rich in nuts and dried fruits,again seeming at least a cousin,if not half-sibling,to a pulao. Hindi chini bhai bhai,indeed.

Filled to our seams,we decide,as usual,there’s always room for dessert. Are we glad we persevered. The Banana Spring Rolls,consisting of crisp,fried sweet spring rolls stuffed with bananas and served with vanilla ice cream and drizzled,nay drenched,with caramel sauce,is like a deconstructed banoffee pie,though just as delicious Meal for two: Rs 1,800 (including taxes,excluding alcohol

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