Spice Without Borders: When Sichuan Mala Meets Indian Masala in Hong Kong

Chef Palash and Chef Theign

This July, two of Hong Kong’s most visually arresting dining rooms will set the stage for a culinary dialogue that has been centuries in the making. Grand Majestic Sichuan and Prince and the Peacock, both Black Sheep Restaurants properties, are coming together for a pair of collaborative dinners that explore the natural kinship between Sichuan and Indian cuisines—two traditions that, while geographically distant, speak a common language of heat, depth, fermentation, and unabashedly bold seasoning.

The collaboration unfolds over two evenings, each hosted at a different venue, with each chef interpreting the cross-cultural exchange through his own lens. On 15 July at the glamorous, chandelier-lit Grand Majestic Sichuan, Chef Theign Phan presents “Mala Meets Masala,” a menu that leans into sauce-driven complexity and layered flavours.

Here, Sichuan techniques intertwine gracefully with Indian spices, pickles, chutneys, and slow-cooked curries.

The evening begins with a procession of appetisers—cucumber flowers dressed in hot and sour sauce, chilled red amaranth with spicy sesame, fenugreek fritters paired with fermented orange chilli, and house-made tofu with Indian green mango chutney. Among the mains, steamed razor clams arrive with crispy rice and Pollichathu, a slow-cooked sauce of shallots, coconut, and curry leaves. Kung Pao Bombay duck chilli fry introduces sunflower seeds and dry chilli aromatics to an intensely savoury Indian fish preparation, while Pu-er tea smoked chicken is paired with Yakhni Pulao, a fragrant basmati rice cooked with chicken fat and morel mushrooms. A chilled soup of chaas and tangerine peel—salted buttermilk with cumin, chilli, and Sichuan green peppercorn—offers a refreshingly numbing interlude before dessert concludes with fresh mango slices dusted with Sichuan chilli salt.

On 30 July at Prince and the Peacock, housed within the heritage walls of Tai Kwun’s Central Magistracy, Chef Palash Mitra shifts the focus toward smoke, char, and open-flame cooking with “Indian and Sichuan Crossfire.” This menu takes a more primal, fire-led direction, beginning with a thali-style tasting platter that includes hara salad with Sichuan garlic sauce, achari bamboo shoot and green mango pickle, tea-smoked duck samosa, and chilli paneer skewers.

A crab and corn soup scented with Sichuan red peppercorn leads into a progression of grilled mains. Kuruma prawns are enriched with Sichuan chilli bean paste and brown butter, while Eastern star grouper is coated in a numbing spice rub and paired with tomato and samphire chutney. Clove-smoked three yellow chicken kebab arrives with scorched Sichuan chillies, and firecracker mutton chaap incorporates heaven-facing chillies and Sichuan peppercorns for a deeper, smokier heat. Tandoori pork ribs are glazed with Sichuan-style mouthwatering chilli oil, and Hakka noodles seasoned with spicy green chillies, sweet aromatic soy, and Xacuti spice bring the savoury courses to a close, before dessert transitions back to India with custard apple rabdi and jalebi pearls.

Both menus span 11 dishes and reflect a genuine exchange between chefs who share a deep respect for their respective culinary heritages. Chef Theign, born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore, draws on a broad Asian palate shaped by family travels and the influential writings of Sichuan food scholar Fuchsia Dunlop. Chef Palash, known for his Michelin-starred work at New Punjab Club, brings royal Indian palace influences to the table, having drawn inspiration from the decadent banquets of India’s majestic past.

The dinners are more than a novelty—they are a thoughtful exploration of how two cuisines, each with its own complex spice vocabulary, can converse, challenge, and complement one another. For diners, it is an invitation to experience the shared soul of mala and masala, served beneath crystal chandeliers and within heritage walls, in a city that has always understood the power of a good culinary collision.