A break from the mundane

Published January 19, 2015
Sizzling fried tofu served on an iron plate.
Sizzling fried tofu served on an iron plate.

When Pakistanis think of Chinese cuisine, dishes like Chicken Manchurian come to mind which combine Chinese and South Asian cooking techniques. This cuisine is also known as Hakka Chinese as it is thought to have originated in the Chinese quarters of Calcutta, home to Hakka people.

In Islamabad, however, where a number of Chinese families have lived since the early eighties, some restaurants also serve authentic Chinese cuisine. Most of these restaurants operate from houses in residential areas and often do not have boards outside and are recognisable by the red Chinese lanterns hanging from awnings.

These restaurants often feature two sets of menus, one in Chinese catering to those who have a taste for authentic Chinese and a second menu in English offering Hakka Chinese catering to the local palate. Having either of these cuisines at one of the Capital’s authentic Chinese restaurants offers a break from the more mundane offerings at Pakistani Chinese restaurants.

Dumpling Zhang Hot Pot in F-8 is one such restaurant owned and operated by the Zhang family. The menu at this restaurant is vast with a number of options from both authentic and fusion Chinese cuisines.

Authentic Chinese dishes such as cucumber and egg soup, seaweed and egg soup, jelly fish with Chinese cabbage or black fungus in sauce may appear too strange to try. But, a number of other dishes from this menu may not require the same spirit of adventure but still offer a different taste.

The restaurant’s best-selling item are the dumplings, popular among both Chinese and local guests. The Jiaozi, one of the most common types of dumpling is a pouch of dough with a finely chopped filling of meat or vegetables.

The dumplings at this restaurant are available steamed, lightly fried or deep fried.

The crisp outer exterior of shell of the fried dumpling reveals the softer inside which absorbs the flavour of the peppery filling. The shell of the steamed dumpling absorbs both the flavour of the dipping sauce and the filling inside.

Sauteed spinach with garlic.
Sauteed spinach with garlic.

Dumpling Zhang serves dumplings with two types of sauce-a simple soy sauce and an oil-based garlic sauce. Most regulars love combining the two types of sauce in a bowl and dunking these scrumptious morsels before popping them into their mouths.

In the main dishes, a true winner is the Spicy Barbecued Beef. Small pieces of beef covered in a peppery batter are threaded through toothpicks and barbequed until crisp. The crispy and spicy outer exterior reveals the inside of the beef which remains tender and juicy.

The beef is served on a bed of fried potato shavings. The crisp potatoes are delicious on their own and their saltiness makes them the perfect accompaniment to the spicy beef.

Dumpling Zhang’s stir fried dishes using chicken, beef or fish are always cooked to perfection. The meat is adequately tenderised and flavourful, while the vegetables are cooked lightly enough to retain their freshness and crunch.

Dumpling Zhang also offers flavourful vegetarian dishes such as the Sautéed Spinach with Garlic. The spinach has been blanched to perfection and so is a vibrant shade of green when served. Some of the leaves retain their crunch and others are tender and have absorbed the delicious runny garlic sauce that the spinach has been cooked in.

Not many other restaurants in the city offer tofu dishes and Dumpling Zhang’s Stir Fried Tofu served on an iron plate is also a play in texture with the tofu being cooked till it has a crispy exterior and the pores have absorbed the flavour of the sizzling sauce.

Lightly fried chicken dumplings. — Photos by the writer
Lightly fried chicken dumplings. — Photos by the writer

Another authentic Chinese restaurant-Red Roof on main Margalla Road may be new but is fast building a reputation as a place which serves excellent crabs.

Crabs are best eaten with hands and when these crispy fried crabs are taken apart, a tangy sauce is squirted out. The spiciness of this sauce combines well with the soft and salty texture of the meat and many guests are left licking the sauce off their fingers.

The soups at Red Roof are an obvious choice in the winter and the restaurant offers both clear and thick soups. The chicken-based soups retain the salty flavour of the chicken stock combining with other flavours like chilly and pepper. The restaurant uses some unique Chinese ingredients including aromatic herbs that give a unique flavour to favourites such as Hot and Sour and Chicken Corn soup.

Another favourite among local guests is the Chowmein which features handmade noodles served in both crispy and soft varieties. The noodles are fried in the same sauce that the meat has been tenderised in and so every bite is flavourful. A meal here can be rounded off with a cup of aromatic jasmine tea which has been made from real jasmine flowers.

Golden Dragon is one of the city’s oldest Chinese restaurants which has been operating from the Gol Market in F-7/3 for over twenty years. During the 1990’s Golden Dragon was an obvious choice for a family night out. Since the number of choices available for eating out in the city has multiplied, this family run restaurant has lost some of its popularity.

However, it remains a favourite among some loyalists and over the years the restaurant has maintained its affordable prices with a lavish meal still costing no more than Rs500 per head.

One of most popular items from the Hakka Chinese menu at Golden Dragon is the sweet and sour prawns.

The prawns are batter fried in a corn flour based mixture and served on a smooth tomato sauce. The dish comes with a side of sautéed green vegetables and is usually eaten with rice.

From the authentic Chinese menu, a favourite is the Handmade Noodle Soup. The noodles are made fresh and served in a clear soup made using ingredients like cinnamon stick, orange peel, anise, green onions, white pepper and red chillies. The meat is braised shank meat tender and flavourful. The soup which is very filling and nutritious costs only Rs150.

Published in Dawn January 19th , 2015

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