Just stir it up

“It’s a very emotional moment in the journey… that started from Only Fish in Mumbai to today… we never thought that we could have 70 restaurants…” said an emotional Anjan Chatterjee, moments before he officially unveiled his “labour of love” — The Mainland China Cookbook.

Joining the restaurateur-author for the launch at the Mainland China (Gurusaday Road) banquets were Tollywood heartthrob Dev and music director (3 Idiots, Antaheen) Shantanu Moitra.

The first book from the Speciality Group of Restaurants stable offers recipes of Mainland China signature dishes and detailed knowledge of different aspects of Chinese cooking. Published by Random House India, the book is priced at Rs 499.

“In New York we have Chinese restaurants at every road corner. After I came to India from New York, Chiki Sarkar (the editor-in-chief of Random House India) took me to Mainland China in Delhi once for my birthday. That was one of the most authentic Chinese I have ever tasted. I became a fan of Mainland China,” shared Rachel Tanzer, director of publicity at Random House India.

Moitra, who flew down from Mumbai for the launch, remembered his visits to Only Fish during his initial days in Mumbai. “I love cooking and I am excited about this book,” he added. Dev’s dream of meeting “the man behind all the good restaurants like Mainland China, Oh! Calcutta and Machan” came true. “My favourite restaurant in Kolkata is Mainland China in South City,” he smiled, looking his usual cool self in a pink tee and black denims.

The launch over, chef Rajesh Dubey — “the chief architect of Mainland China” in Chatterjee’s words — rustled up a recipe from the book. As he stir-fried the Diced Chicken with Assorted Peppers, he stressed on the fact that all the recipes in the book were “simple” and “easy to cook”.

t2