COIMBATORE: The flavours are different, the vegetables look exotic and there is an overdose of peanuts. The galangal (Thai ginger) adds a sharp taste to the noodles. The lemongrass in the soup makes my eyes water. But, slurp, so homely! The pan-Asian menu at Vivanta by Taj Surya, Race Course, tastes familiar because the Thailand, Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines share a lot of features with our kind of food.
My lunch companions voted the Thai Green Curry as the favourite. “It is simple, unfussy and wholesome,” said the vegetarian one. It was served with simple steamed rice andthe broccoli pieces adding a nice crunch to the meal.
The waft of aromatic rice fills the air, as the waiter serves the quintessential Malaysian dish, the Nasi Goreng, a variety of fried rice. Made with Thai ginger and lemongrass, this is spicy, filling and tastes good with the soya peanut sauce dip.
Peanuts, lemon grass and galangal…these three are intrinsic to Thailand, Indonesian and Malaysian food, says chef Harik Khasu from Nepal, a man with a warm smile. He tells us that he started cooking Chinese and pan-Asian cuisine after his friends told him he looked like a Chinese! “I think since then I have been only cooking this,” he laughs. He says the three ingredients are as essential as chilly, cumin and turmeric in Indian cooking. He has worked with the JW Mariott group. He and a few other special chefs, who are specially trained in this cuisine, have been roped in to rejig the menu at Red Pearl.
However, my favourite in the menu is the crispy water chestnut with plum sauce. The crunchy pieces coated in the sweet sauce are an ideal way to start and are so addictive that we keep going back for more.
For the non-vegetarians, there are chicken satays, Vietnamese yellow curry with chicken, spicy sea food fried rice and Vietnamese rice paper roll with chicken. We round off the meal with baked yoghurt, chocolate cigars and cut fruits including kiwi and melons. To balance that meal, the menu also offers raw papaya salad, peppered with peanuts. You can always wash all that down with a refreshing cup of jasmine tea.
The menu is available at Red Pearl at Vivanta by Taj Surya. For details, call 0422-668 1000.
