KOCHI: You can have them grilled, cooked, batter-fried or raw, seafood can only get better. A recurrent dish in our gastronomic vocabulary, fish is something many of us cannot live without and for those real fish lovers, here is a mouth-watering opportunity to dig into your favourite varieties. The Asian Kitchen at Tokyo Bay at Cochin Club, Fort Kochi, is running a seafood festival where you can taste your favourite dishes as per your choice.
The highlight of the fest is the grilled variety - kingfish, prawns, pearl spot, redsnapper and mahimahi. But, according to restaurant manager Sydney, the real magic is in its marination.
“What gives the grilled fish its unique taste is the ingredients used to marinate it. We use tomato-chilli paste for kingfish while pearl spot is marinated in a real tasty mix of grounded cashewnut and coconut. The marinade used in prawns is a peanut paste while redsnapper is marinated in a special mix of garlic and curd,” says Sydney.
Another starter that has caught the taste buds of many is Prawns Tempura, a Japanese prawns dish that is often used as a light snack. It is made using medium-sized prawns dipped in an iced-batter giving it a light crispness and a very good texture.
“The secret behind this fried prawn delicacy is that it does not get overcooked. Cook prawns only for a maximum of 2 minutes,” says Sydney.
And, which Asian sea food fest is complete without Sushi, the famous dish of the Japanese. “Sushi is popular all over the world due to its unique taste but unfortunately, it is yet to catch up here,” says Sydney.
Though there is a generous piece of raw fish - mostly tuna, salmon and prawns - Sushi is less fishy. The sticky rice is treated in vinegar and the sushi dipped once in Soy sauce is buttery and melts into your mouth.
But, don’t forget to go by the rules before you try sushi. First treat your mouth with a bite of preserved ginger. Then, add a bit of Wasabi paste (extremely tangy) to the soy sauce before you dip your sushi in it.
Besides, Tokyo Bay also offers dim sum with a variety of fillings, including prawns, chicken and vegetables.
The dough for dim sum is made using lotus flower powdered, potato starch and wheat. “The fillings can be chosen and it is an extremely delicious and healthy food,” says Sydney. However, the dim sum made here are pleasing to the eye as well. “We add spinach to the dough for vegetarian ones giving it a green colour while turmeric for the prawn variety,” he adds.
Besides the festival menu, the restaurant also offers its usual fare - Asian food that includes the Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian and Singaporean. “There is Kerala dishes too like the Meen Pollichathu. We add tomato paste while frying the fish wrapped in plantain leaf to give it a rich taste,” says Sydney. Another dishe that requires mention is Butabara or the skewered pork.
The barbeque dish is cooked with a special sauce. The festival will run this weekend.