Throughout South-East Asia, the food cooked at home is different from that served in restaurants. Ayushi Sharma digs in at The Spice Route, The Imperial and comes back satisfied

It was while walking through the corridors of The Imperial hotel that I came across a small, dark and an almost secret entrance that teleported me to Chiang Mai with its Thai sculptures. For it was The Spice Route restaurant, designed to reflect the journey of spices from the Malabar Coast in Kerala through Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Indonesia to Thailand and Vietnam, where I was dining. The place is an overwhelming visual depiction of the art and culture that also travelled with the spices through these regions.

Coming to the reason that I was here, the restaurant was celebrating the first-ever Asian Market with the aim to explore the best of South-East Asian cuisine. This is essentially the food that is found not in the restaurants but in the houses of the locals. Chef de Cuisine Veena Arora has carefully crafted the menu to delve into the expanse of South-East Asian cuisine.

No sooner had I sat down that the very first dish was brought to the table. Khao Tang Naa Tang, a crispy rice cake, was served with a creamy and savoury dip, made with coconut milk and sprinkled with corns too. It reminded me of the good old sabudana papad (sago pappadum) as it was super crispy. The dried crackers are usually paired with shrimp sauce but here, the creamy dip was an exceptional alternative for vegetarians like me. The dish was accompanied by their signature drink — Green Velvet. I took a sip, smacked my lips and uttered, “Sprite,” for that was the taste that seeped through. Though it seemed to be awash in the colour of the bottle that the drink is packaged in. It was dark green. I could easily make out the ingredients — mint, khus syrup, lemonade and Sprite, of course.

Local food culture not only inspires us in our daily lives but helps us stay connected with our roots, believes the chef who was born and brought up in Thailand. Her biggest dream has always been to expose the Indian palate to the traditions of her place of birth. With Asian Market, she is delighted to bring forth the local exotic dishes which have not been explored earlier or been a part of the restaurant’s menu, ever.

Chef Veena elaborated, “People in South-East Asia, just like Indians, do not segregate their meals into appetisers or a main course. Everything is eaten together. Because Thai food is spicy, we need a soup along with it to balance the flavours as well as snacks to go with the meal.”

Next up was Malaysian assorted vegetables with curry where the gravy had a hint of sweetness and was filled with corns, mushrooms and broccoli. It was served with jasmine rice and Phak Bunk Man-Korn, which is wok fried morning glory with garlic and chillies flavoured with Thai soya bean paste. The stem of morning glory is thick but hollow inside. This combined a crunchy texture and juiciness at the same time. And flavouring it with Thai soya bean paste elevated the taste to the next level while making it super convenient for anyone to cook them.

Chef Veena apprised us, “Morning glory is something that is found in India as well but people are not really aware of it. You can cook it in Thai or Indian style. And it hides a secret, that it is full of iron. People in India think that only some leafy veggies such as spinach, lettuce and fenugreek contain it. Morning glory can be cooked in the exact same manner just like all of the above. One can make pakoras with it too.”

Amidst the endlessly appetising fare, laughter and conversations, chef Veena also did a live cookout for her special — the noodle soup, where she added a range of spices — fennel, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and ginger — in the boiling water which made it seem just right for the approaching winter. Noodles, roasted garlic, brown shallot, coriander, bean sprouts, soy sauce, crushed peanuts and chilli flakes sprinkled on the top further enhanced the taste and made it look appetising.

The expanse of flavours and textures that different regions in South-East Asia have to offer are immense and this is what the Asian Market attempted to showcase — the diversity in indigenous cuisine.