One thing great about having a companion who doesn't mind trying new foods is that I get to suggest places I want to go, foods I want to try, and he'll be more than happy to go along.
We had come to the Old Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant at Chinatown's Pagoda Street a couple of weeks back, and besides the dishes which we had had, the other dish that had in fact caught my eye and which I had considered was Suan Cai Yu, or Sauerkraut Fish.
It's not because I'm a particular fan of sour foods, but I'd heard of Suan Cai Yu for a very long time yet never had had the chance to try.
I didn't want to miss this opportunity.
So, yes, we made the order.
Having a meal here at Old Chengdu really does grant you new experiences at different points in time.
Where the last time we had had our meals downstairs, this time the staff brought us up to the second floor where, to my surprise, there were even more tables, and some of them large seaters too.
I had thought there might be just one or two, but in the main hall there was a table of at least 10, in the room where we were, behind our table there was a table of at least 6, and after we arrived, the table next to us seated 4.
Our food didn't take very long to arrive.
A good thing, I had been a little worried the preparation might take too long.
But no, fifteen minutes tops, and it was at our table.
Suan Cai Yu, or Sauerkraut Fish- as it's known in English- is a dish belonging to the Shui Zhu Water Boiled category. The best way to name it is Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens, or, as they call it here, Boiled Fish with Sichuan Pickles, and the loveliest thing about this dish is the broth.
Hot and sour, the broth is made from stock flavored by ginger, garlic, peppers and pickles.
The most special part about this dish has to be the pickled mustard greens which are a signature and cannot be switched. Salted and fermented, this vegetable throws the whole dish into a flavor festival of tangy, savory, even a hint of umami (somehow).
The other part of this dish that makes it so unique are probably the pickled chili peppers.
But to my surprise I actually fancied the black peppercorns.
What other vegetables they had tossed inside, I'm not sure- there seemed to be lettuce, enoki mushrooms (heaps of them) and what I think is vermicelli.
Maybe there was black fungus underneath it all.
Maybe there wasn't.
I can't remember.
I loved the gentle, clean taste of the perfectly poached fish.
Didn't matter to me whether they used tilapia, sea bass or the regular dory catfish.
The meat was firm, the taste was clean, and I loved how the flavors of sour draped themselves so comfortably over the fish that every bite was at once spicy, and sour, with that distinctive hint of oil that makes all them Shui Zhu dishes so special.
If there's something about these dishes that charms me over and over again, it is the technique of Ming Yu where you heat up some oil, pour it over the aromatics (ginger, garlic, peppers, pickles) and let it sizzle a little before pouring it over the broth with the fish and other ingredients inside.
Others might question the purpose of it, but what this does is to layer the fish, or the vegetables, or the broth itself, with a distinctive layer of oil that, once swallowed, won't leave a greasy layer on the lips, nor on the palate.
Yes, you feel the oil.
Yes, you taste the oil.
But no, you won't be overwhelmed by it.
I wonder if this dish had any wine.
Some recipes call for Shaoxing wine.
But this evening I didn't taste any.
There might have been a hint, maybe, but I was caught up by the other two dishes that my friend had ordered.
They were a surprise.
I had thought we would limit our meal to just the Boiled Fish with Sichuan Pickles.
But there they were, a pretty looking plate of skewers, and another bowl of dumplings in an ocean of chili oil.
Of course, I wasn't going to complain.
Beef and lamb are our usual meats when it comes to BBQ grilled skewers like these, and great they were, tender, well marinated, perfectly grilled, with just the right balance of spice, right balance of oil, and that sense of comforting warmth as you bit into each piece and chewed.
What I appreciate about them are just how tender their meats are.
Never has it been that their meats are overcooked, hard or dry.
There's a perfection when it comes to their cooking.
Even the dumplings, which were called Red Chili Oil Wantons, not dumplings.
But no different from the dumplings they were, whether in terms of size, quantity of filling, quality of filling, silkiness of skin, and the nice, smooth way each wanton slipped inside your mouth with the spice of chili oil embracing it.
It was a very wholesome meal.
A meal that left me feeling full.
A meal that left me feeling comforted.
Definitely satisfied.
Perhaps one day I might go for familiar dishes that I used to eat whilst growing up- not so much for the lazy comfort, but more to see if these dishes might be different when cooked by chefs from the Mainland.
I'd love to try the Sweet and Sour Pork.
I'd also love to try the Chinese Spinach with Salted Egg, the Scrambled Tomatoes and Egg and the Mapo Tofu.
Yes, scrambled tomatoes and egg are easy to prepare, but oy, no problem giving it a try.