ID :
382507
Mon, 10/05/2015 - 11:54
Auther :

Malaysian Chef Riding High In Indian Capital

Delhi Diary By M.Santhiran M.Santhiran, Bernama's correspondent in New Delhi shares his take on the Indian capital city and its unique social narrative. NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- I have been in New Delhi for almost nine months now. If you ask me what I miss most other than family, my immediate reply will be Malaysian food. I had shared in my earlier articles that New Delhi is a haven for vegetarians and a tough place for non-vegetarians since only a handful of restaurants serve meat based dishes. Even one could hardly find fish in the non-veg restaurants. No thanks to the fact that most North Indians are vegetarians. Only option left for me was, once a month I visit one of the biggest wholesale market to buy fish and simply fry it. However, now I have come to learn that there is a Malaysian cook dishing out mouthwatering non-vege dishes right in New Delhi. MEET CHEF CHUA FROM MACHANG MELAKA By coincidence I made my way to a leading restaurant here and was delighted to meet its expert chef Chua Kong Ngiap, who happened to be a Malaysian. Chua, 45, who hails from Machang, Melaka is the main man in charge of the kitchen in Yauatcha Restaurant at Ambience Mall. Initially, he worked in Mumbai at the same group of restaurant for nearly one and half years before being assisgned to head the kitchen department here in the Indian capital city. BOLLYWOOD CELEBRITIES AND POLITICIANS WERE AMONG CUSTOMERS Chua started his early career at few leading hotels in Melaka and one of his close friend pointed out that there was an opening in Mumbai. At the financial hub of India, his customers ranged from leading businessman to top bollywood stars. Chua though could not recall their names off hand, was aware many had personally thanked him. While in Delhi, he used to cater for different group of dinners, mostly top politicians and government officials. He said even though his restaurant strictly offered standard menu like the one could be found in all Yauatcha restaurant outlets, sometimes he rolls out a few popular popular dishes of Malaysians, like fried kuey teow and Singapore beehoon. The expert chef said Indians generally love spicy food and he usually makes some adjustment into his recipes to cater their taste. So you would have guessed how the fried kuey teow and beehoon would taste. On his experience cooking for VIP customers, Chua said he would just follow the standard cooking procedures but only that he would ensure his staff deliver the orders on time. On the other hand, to ensure Szechuan-style of cooking, most of the spices and sauces in his cookings are imported as far as from Thailand or even Malaysia. Even vegetables and fishes are also being imported from these countries. HOMEMADE FRIED KUEY TEOW Chua invited me into the kitchen to demonstrate how he prepared homemade fried kuey teow to his customers. Believe it or not the entire process (preparing the raw kuey teow and cooking) ended within less than 15 minutes. It was awesome fried kuey teow I had for many years and I strongly recommend anyone who happen to be in New Delhi to try Chua's cooking if anyone. Only a gentle reminder to customers, be prepared to pay slightly more than what we used to pay in Malaysia. Mainly due to the restaurant concept itself that caters for customers of niche market and those looking to dine at beyond ordinary restaurants. NEARLY 20 MALAYSIAN CHEFS WORKING IN NEW DELHI According to Chua nearly 15 to 20 Malaysians are working at various leading restaurants and hotels in the capital and neighbouring city of Gurgoun, Haryana. He said with a booming economy, more and more Indians prefer the comfort of dinning outside. They also prefer continental and oriental (Chinese food) especially for special occasions. He pointed out Malaysian chefs are much sought after mainly due their ability to communicate in English and have been familiar with the Indians back home. Even though he admitted that Malaysian chefs prefer to work in Europe and United States, Chua noted that they should not forget that India offers a different kind of experience. In term of pay and other perks, Chua said its not much different from what being offered in other countries. Chua's only complain was that he missed his family and major festivals back home in Malaysia. -- BERNAMA

X