Tastes from the Far East

Chinese restaurants have sprung up in every corner of the country, some claiming to be authentic. However times and tastes keep changing, and, with the ordinary Indian turning more experimental, food from the Far East is slowly but surely invading our palates. By Gayatri Vijaykumar

For centuries India has maintained strong maritime relations with the islands that constitute the South East Asian region. The centuries of trade and cultural exchanges between India and the islands of South East Asia have also paved the way for maintaining a strong culinary relationship between the regions. However, for many years South East Asian cuisine in India has been erroneously associated with Chinese cuisine. A fact not many in India are aware of is that South East Asian cuisine, which includes Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Filipino cuisine, to name a few, as well as the more popular Chinese cuisine use different ingredients and follow completely different methods of preparation.

Most restaurants that claim to serve South East Asian cuisine, in reality just serve Chinese dishes, altered to suit the Indian palate. However with the increase in travel to South East Asia, Indian customers have learnt to differentiate between the regular Chinese cuisine and South East Asian cuisine. Explaining this changing mindset among Indians, Chef Madhu Menon, owner of Shiok Far-Eastern Cuisine says, "South East Asian cuisine has taken a long time to assert itself in India, possibly because businessmen preferred to start with the far less risky 'Chinese' food restaurants. Thankfully, this is now changing and as people travel more to far-eastern countries for holiday and business purposes, they are getting familiar with the food in those regions." Speaking about the shift from requests for Chinese dishes to the increasing interest shown for South East Asian cuisine, John Tony, general manager, Saigon restaurant adds that about 70 percent of the customers prefer to experiment with Thai, Malay, Vietnamese and Singaporean cuisine which is served at Saigon. "Though a large portion of our customers are expatriates and corporate clients, many traditional Indians are also willing to experiment with different cuisines," he remarks.

The ingredients

Records speak about the strong ties that India enjoyed with its South East Asian neighbours for centuries - this cultural exchange has also left an impact on the region's cuisine. The proximity of the southern part of India to the countries of South East Asia has ensured a greater intermingling of tastes. Hence it is not surprising that many dishes in this region use coconut milk as the base for cooking, an ingredient most commonly used in the southern and coastal parts of India as well. Among the cuisines which make up the South East Asian culinary experience, Thai food is the most preferred. However, according to Chef Menon, the similarity in the ingredients and cooking methods in the region mean that there is no clear dividing line between the cuisines. Most customers, therefore prefer to mix and match dishes according to their taste.

In order to cater to the Indian customer, dishes have to sometimes be altered slightly. Jimmy Palkhivala, partner - Asian, a South East Asian restaurant which serves mostly Indonesian cuisine, explains, "Sometimes an ingredient such as shrimp paste has a strong flavour which is not preferred by our Indian customers. In such cases we have to alter the dish to suit the Indian palate." Chef Menon adds that most North Indian customers are still not fond of coconut that is used in many South East Asian dishes. "But I am optimistic about this changing in the next five years. It's only a matter of education and awareness about the cuisines in the region. I can spot a noticeable difference in people's willingness to experiment since the past four years," he explains. However, he adds that as a rule he prepares the food as close to the original as possible. "Unless it is an issue with availability of a certain exotic ingredient, we don't alter the food to suit the Indian palate," Menon affirms.

Money matters

Pricing in South East Asian restaurants have to be kept attractive enough to wean the customer away from the regular Chinese joints. However, difficulties in procuring exotic ingredients used in preparing some of the dishes have an adverse effect on price to some extent. "We have intentionally tried to make the food affordable to our customers, and our prices are about 20 percent lower than high-end Chinese restaurants in town. However, our important ingredients are all imported and of the highest quality. Different restaurants follow different pricing policies. Asian restaurants in five-star hotels often charge four to five times higher than what we charge," explains Chef Menon. According to Tony, Saigon has also structured its pricing to attract the mid-market crowd who cannot afford five star hotels or a travel to a South East Asian country to try the local fare.

Setting the stage

The décor, and subsequently the ambience it creates is an essential factor for an 'exotic restaurant' to attract customers. "When you name a restaurant Saigon, you have to ensure that your décor justifies the name. We have used a lot of bamboo to recreate the Thai and Far Eastern look. We have also added a few Vietnamese straw hats to add to the whole South East Asian feel," explains Tony. Most restaurants hence use a lot of bamboo, which is an important building material in most countries in the South East Asian region. However, Chef Menon cautions that ambience alone is not enough to pull in the crowds. "Customers are smart and they will not go back to restaurants where the ambience is not backed by high quality food and service. Good service and ambience go a long way in influencing a customer's perception of 'value' in a restaurant," explains Chef Menon.