Fiery flavors at Shang Palace
MILLIE: Shang Palace invited us to experience a sneak preview of chef Peng Yong’s specially curated menu of Sichuan dishes from Shangri-la Chengdu. Sichuan or Szechuan cuisine is considered one of China’s eight great cuisines. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, was named a Gastronomical City by UNESCO.
It was an evening of dishes cooked with Sichuan peppers creating bold and fiery flavors that leaves your tongue with a numbing sensation, lingering on with every bite.
KARLA: The evening started with the cold appetizers Chengdu Bo Bo Chicken and the Shrimp with garlic. For those not fond of spicy food, don’t be alarmed by the appearance of the Chengdu Bo Bo chicken. It looks like it’s swimming in chili sauce, and I’m not going to lie, it definitely is! Surprisingly, the dish was not as spicy as it looked. The chicken was very moist, probably poached or steamed and served in soy and vinegar sauce with hints of spice and nuttiness from the sesame seeds. I had additional servings of this but had to show some restraint as we had more dishes lined up for the evening.
The next cold appetizer was the shrimp with garlic. Sweet and plump shrimp added a refreshing bite to the chili garlic sauce. I couldn’t help but mix in the sauce into some rice and made a mini rice bowl out of it.
We were served chicken mousse consomme for our soup. The delicate chicken broth was made complex by the cloud-like chicken mousse floating in the broth, served with matsutake mushrooms. The first of the main dishes was the kung pao prawns, glazed in kung pao sauce and served with fluffy egg whites topped with salted egg yolks and peas.
Next was the stir-fried chicken with chili. We commented in jest that the dish should be called chili with chicken bits to be accurate. Haha! The platter was probably about 70 dried chilis, which you don’t need to eat, of course. But being curious, I nibbled on a piece of chili. It wasn’t as spicy as a fresh chili but still packed heat, which lingered for a bit. However, it was nothing a spoonful of rice couldn’t solve.
The multi-flavored beef was something new. It was tender, savory, and coated with bold spices, chilis, and sesame seeds. The mapo tofu was the dish I was looking forward to the most. We know mapo tofu to have ground meat in a soy-based sauce. Chef Peng’s version, which is the Sichuan version, had beef chunks, a bright red sauce from the chilis and a lingering, slightly numbing sensation on your tongue from the Sichuan peppers. We were encouraged to have this with a bowl of rice, and boy did I want a second and third bowl for myself.
To end the meal, we were served Chong Quing spicy noodles with a light sauce, a slight hint of heat and topped with fried peas.
MILLIE: My early introduction to Sichuan or Szechuan cuisine was in the ‘60s when my parents operated a Chinese restaurant specializing in Shanghai, Peking, and Szechuan dishes with a Chinese partne,r Mina Yu Khe Tai.
Sichuan peppercorns are actually citrus fruits or berries from the prickly ash bush. While it has great culinary value, it is believed that Sichuan peppers have medicinal benefits and can help improve blood circulation, lower blood pressure, aid in digestion, and relieve pain.
Sichuan peppers are also available as an infused oil, as peppercorns or ground and mixed with four other spices star anise, fennel, cloves and cassia or Chinese cinnamon, which is known as Chinese five spice.
KARLA: Overall, the spiciness was not what I was expecting; it was pleasantly tolerable. My mom, who is not very fond of spicy food, enjoyed every dish. Either her spice tolerance has increased from eating with me too much, or chef Peng showcased a very good balance of flavors and textures that let the chilis shine in hints instead of dulling the flavor. We thought we needed milk on standby, but it was absolutely unnecessary.
The featured a la carte menu will be available at the Shang Palace in Shangri-La Makati until July 14. For reservations and more information on a Sichuan experience at the Shang Palace, call +632 8813 8888.