The first Chinese restaurant serving cuisine from the Chongqing region opens in Milan: to discover dishes that go beyond the spicy and explore all the variations of a taste unknown to us, the "mala". For true connoisseurs
What does the fog taste like? It is spicy, but of a spicy never heard. The Taste of the Fog is that of the only Chinese restaurant specializing in Chongqing cuisine in Milan. Chongqing (read "cioncing"), also called the city of fog, is so called for over a hundred days a year in which the humidity of its semi-tropical climate condenses and plunges the entire city into a blanket of Scighera that recalls those of the past Milan. However, Chongqing is above all the largest metropolis in the world with 33 million inhabitants and a growing economy: we will hear about it, and not only for its cuisine. Now independent, Chongqing has been part of Sichuan and its cuisine is equally proverbially spicy. But not as we Italians think.
The spicy we don't know
For us, spiciness is that burning sensation that is felt in the mouth, not a taste. The chili is spicy, and for us the chili is only the red one. In reality there are hundreds of peppers, more or less spicy according to the Scoville scale which measures their power, but they have above all different flavors. And then there are the toasted ones, with a slightly smoky taste, fresh ones, in brine, dried, in oil … there is a universe of flavors that we steal with a single term and tendentially reducing everything to chilli alone. To cause the sensation of heat are, however, different substances, with different effects on our palate: capsaicin contained in chillies and piperine in pepper, which "take" from the mouth, or isosulfocyanate and wasabi, horseradish, mustard isothiocyanate or the alicin contained in garlic and onions, which "rise" in the nose. Then there are the Sichuan pepper, or Chongqing pepper, of which only the shells are used and not the berries, which in addition to the sensation of spiciness numb the mouth, leaving it literally anesthetized.
The "mala" cuisine of Chongqing
Chongqing cuisine is a regional derivation of Sichuan cuisine, which is one of eight codified Chinese cooking traditions. It is spicy, spicy and aromatic and is the perfect definition of "mala", which in Chinese literally means "numb and spicy". Rich in chilli, Sichuan pepper, ginger and garlic, Sichuan cuisine is anything but spicy. It has a complex, comforting taste, given the limited use of vinegar and sour tastes, and sweet at the same time. Fermented soy beans and sesame are used in dishes, adding a further nuance to dishes. Which in Italy is very difficult to taste (never to mention).
Il Gusto della Nebbia: the restaurant of chef Lampo
Wu Jun Xin arrived in Italy in 2014 and definitely not to be a cook. In life he photographs, paints and today cooks in his restaurant between Corso Como and Chinatown, the Taste of the Fog. The name has different values because in Chinese it would be written "Wu Wèi" and contains in its name three elements: the taste of Chongqing, the taste of Wu (the Chinese name of Lampo) and the pleasure of "feeling" the dish, perceiving it internally without be satisfied with the appearance, the first taste. He chose Lampo as his Italian name, he asked his mother for the family recipes and he organized himself to import some ingredients that cannot be found in Italy, such as the prized Chongqing pepper and the Ya cai, a pickled vegetable made from the upper stems of a variety of green mustard, with which the typical Yibinese sauce is prepared.
Menu and prices
The cuisine is true, with intense flavors, where the spiciness varies in intensity and flavor. If the Mapo Tofu is a typical Chongqing recipe, the Vulcano is the version of Lampo, served while still boiling and prepared with tofu, beef ragout, chilli pepper, ten types of pepper, meat broth and spices and a very typical sauce. but made in a new way, a dish that on the palate releases six different flavors: MA (numbness), LA (spicy), XIAN (fresh, tasty,), XIANG (fragrant), SU (crispy outside tender), TANG (hot ).
As an appetizer, it serves small plates of aperitifs such as a hard-boiled quail egg in chongqingese sauce, sautéed and chilled chicken fillet, chunks of fried pork, crow's feet that acquire a very soft consistency in pressure cooking. There is the rabbit (served cold, in various recipes) and the veal tripe that is boiled with sesame sauce, sesame oil, flavorings and Chongqing chilli. For vegetarians, the proposal of dry tofu, dried with agropiccant cubes and salad with lettuce leaves and celery, accompanied by sesame sauce. For lovers of Cantonese rice, the unforgettable recipe served at the table in a red-hot pot and whipped with chicken nuggets, very spicy, or according to a very personal interpretation of Lampo, with Australian beef sauce, onions, coriander. You spend a maximum of € 14 for a main course, € 5 for an appetizer.
They are not ramen, they are xiaomian
After a sequence of excellent tastings to share with the whole table, the main course: Chinese Chongqing noodles. They are called xiaomian and if they look like ramen it is only because the Japanese ramen come from the era of Chinese domination. The pasta is home-made from an artisan laboratory with wheat flour and without eggs, and are offered in many versions: cold or hot, in broth or dry. The most characteristic noodles are in broth – made with chicken, beef and sixteen spices – from Chongqing, served hot or cold. There are those in Ybinese sauce, without broth, or with the characteristic yellow peas and pork belly ragout, or with shrimp and pork, with a sweet and spicy sauce. Chongqing beef noodles are tasty and traditional, dipped in a broth made with a leg of beef cooked for four hours. The chicken is the protagonist both in the cold and frayed version with Shiraki sauce is dry and spicy, with scrambled eggs, and again with the Chinese sauerkraut and the particular taste agropiccante. Finally, two absolutely original recipes: in broth with beef tendon, where the morsels take on an elastic consistency, and with chicken liver in a soup for which peppers marinated in water and salt are used for a long time. It is the most spicy dish of worship, only for fans of true Chinese cuisine.
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