Dehradun, Nov. 15 -- Culinary Chronicles

Sauces are vital in Indian-Oriental cooking for the taste and appearance. When the Hakka Chinese immigrants in Tangra area of "Calcutta" started vending their cuisine commercially in the mid-nineteenth century, they attempted to make it spicier to appeal to the Indian palate.

The first Sichuan restaurant was set up at Taj Mahal Hotel in "Bombay" in 1974 that offered a hot and spicy Chinese menu to lure the Indian clientele.

Procurement of ingredients like the Sichuan Peppers was an issue. Hence the cuisine was improvised by adding more sauces and thickening agents.

Little did Chef Nelson Wang know, what he was curating with the sauces from Manchu for his guests at the Cricket Club of India in B...