There is something about pepper. When the temperature dips, the use of pepper in our kitchen rises as if on cue. It helps us deal with the cold through an array of heat-inducing dishes — from soups and sautéed veggies to fried egg and Chettinad chicken.
Not surprisingly, the words peppered lamb jumped out and touched my heart when I went through the menu of a new delivery outfit called Asian Nomad. This is a platform for pan-Asian food. Many of the dishes have been given an interesting tweak, while some have been suitably enriched with spices and herbs. The peppered lamb (₹626), wok tossed and served in pita-like pockets with lettuce leaves on the side, for instance, was delightfully hot and tasty. The lamb had been spiced just right, and the soft pita bread complemented its spiciness, while the lettuce gave it a splendid crunch.
But before I write more about the food, let me tell you about Asian Nomad. Co-founded by two food enthusiasts — Shruti Jain and Sanchit Gupta — this serves Asian-fusion food, and delivers in Gurugram and south Delhi. You can order from www.asiannomad.in.
Hot and sweet
Some of its dishes are hot, which is how most of us like our Chinese, and some have a hot-and-sweet taste, which is a flavour that I thoroughly enjoy. Asian Nomad’s chicken satay was delicious, with its chilli hot and chilli sweet flavours melding harmoniously.
The pork nomad dumplings (₹435) had been flavoured with chilli bean paste, home-made chilli paste and pepper and cooked with spring onions and a spice mix. Golden-yellow in colour with red specks, it was superb — and good to look at too. The jewel dumplings (₹365) had the crunchy texture of asparagus and chives.
Tofu has its legion of fans; sadly I am not among them. However, I must say that the golden tofu (₹465) was quite invigorating. It had a light coating, and the sauce had been flavoured with lemongrass and paprika.
I enjoyed the nasi goreng (₹625). The Indonesian rice dish, an old favourite of mine, had a burst of flavours — from the mildly sweet to the hot and the tart.
The fried rice was full of plump and juicy shrimps and topped with a fried egg. The grilled chicken sriracha (₹625) consisted of a chicken breast that had been grilled and sliced and came with the sweet-and-hot sriracha sauce. It had a garlicky flavour that was most appetising. The chicken, I was told, had been marinated with garlic juice, chopped garlic, olive oil, chilli oil, chilli paste and annatto oil.
I had the dishes with some fragrant jasmine rice, and thought I could now deal with a dip in the temperature. As long as there was pepper — and some chilli paste.