Kathmandu:

My friend of 20 years Dorjee Sherpa who is helming The Annapurna Hotel is in the process of turning it into a property with great restaurants. For The Arniko Room, Dorjee got Chef Sun Sufang from China, Dorjee’s last posting. Along with Chef Jitendra Basnet, Sun Sufang is creating wonders in traditional and contemporary Chinese cuisine.

Like the enticingly spiced, tingling crunchy, munchy Black Fungus and Carrots drenched in sesame oil with seaweed, garlic and chilli oil, that is as unusual and authentic as the pagodas that Arniko took from here and built in China.

The great Chinese sage Confucius in 540BC had to live in poverty on a diet of rice with a little pork and bean broth. By 501BC Confucius was governor of a small town but was unhappy with his food which was not cut perfectly enough or the color wasn’t right. Confucius would have loved The Arniko Room’s Green Long Beans which looked perfect and tasted even better with their mix of sesame, garlic and salt. They are spongy and fit for fastidious sages and for the Bankers and Travel Agents and Indians who are regulars at The Arniko Room according to Shiva Thapa the maitre de.

The ever pleasant Rudra Rimmal who looks after all the restaurants had ordered a banquet that included Diced Chicken With Sesame Seeds and Dried Chillies. It was the most original chilli chicken around with sesame seeds lending an added flavor. “We marinade it in egg”, said Chef Jitendra Basnet who was our guide through the tricky Chinese trails. It is recorded that in 300BC the Chinese were dining on rich stews of meat and fish and avoiding cereals. Rudra Rimmal, Chef Sun Sufang and Chef Jitendra Basnet brought a whole fish with garlic sauce, a touch of tomato ketchup (which was, invented in China) and green onions. The tastes hearken back to the early Chinese recipes. The Silver Carp had the rich sauce adding another dimension to an ancient dish.

Captain Shiva Thapa and Suresh Sakya who did the heavy lifting for the evening served us fried potatoes which were a kind of Chinese Fry, they were basted in a tomato puree and chilli paste and would outdo the French Fry once they got known. Hot, spicy and you don’t need sauce with it.

In 1295 Marco Polo observed that in Cathay people eat food steeped in garlic juice while some prefer their dishes preserved in spices The Stir Fried Lamb was a perfect example of a combination of the two different ways of cooking because according to Chef Jitendra there was soya sauce, sesame sauce and a touch of coriander and garlic, and as you chewed flavours filled your mouth.

Rudra Rimmal and Shiva Thapa and Suresh Sayka in a triumphant procession served Chef Sun Sufang’s and Chef Jitendra Basnet’s special Mushroom and Ba-by Corn which had an unusual mix of star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, lemon juice and chilli powder. “The Koreans like it as well”, said Jitendra Basnet.

But my favourite dish came just before the dessert. It was vegetable Manchurian which mixed veggies made into dumplings, served crisp with chilli, honey, garlic and sesame. It was hot and sweet at the same time and a comeback delight. Instead of cloves to sweeten our breath which was common practice in 250BC China, we were served a Date Pancake with the finest crepe covering, encasing a rich sweet date mixture that tasted like Marzipan. As we left, The Arinako Room filled with visiting Chinese, a sure sign that Dorjee Sherpa has got a winner. Call 4221711 for Rudra Rimmal.