The city's craze for Indian food is being further stoked by the
Sofitel Hyland Shanghai's recent launch of "Pondicherry - Indian
and French Cuisine."
The hotel has invited visiting guest Indian Chef Kaliyaperumal
Shangmugam and Durairasu Paranitharan from Indian Kitchen to
present their unique cuisine through the end of this month.
Pondicherry, a city in southeastern India, experienced almost
three centuries of French administration. This has resulted in a
unique blending of Indian and French cuisine.
"Pondicherry's cuisine has had a strong influence of neighbor
states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,
and so has the French lifestyle," said Satish K Nair, head of
business of Indian Kitchen Management Co (Zhuhai) Ltd. "Featuring
spices such as cloves, cumin and cardamom, it's the chef's job to
try to ensure none of the spices lose their flavor and condition
while cooking."
Explaining Indian cuisine, Nair said that basically, it is
divided into two forms - North Indian cuisine and South Indian
cuisine.
"Chettinadu is a small township in Tamil Nadu, which is world
famous for its hot and spicy food," Nair said. "The famous
Chettinadu cuisine has had a strong impact on Pondicherry
cuisine."
The Indian buffet lunch and dinner at Sofitel Hyland costs 218
yuan (US$30) per person and it includes dishes such as Romali Roti,
Tandoori chicken and prawn masala. The French influence is present
in the French cari Madras and goose liver samosa.
Pondichery - Indian and French Cuisine Promotion
Venue: Mosaic Restaurant, Sofitel Hyland Shanghai, 2/F, 505
Nanjing Road E.
Date: through January 31
Tel: 6351-5888 ext 4281
(Shanghai Daily January 12, 2008)