Feast with a difference

Thailand
- Chef Ananda Solomon of Thai Pavilion fame from Vivanta by Taj- President
Just like in other parts of the world, there is Christian population in Thailand as well. But here, it's more about festive eating than Christmas fare per se. A typical celebratory Thai family meal
comprises dishes made out of fish, chicken and lamb, cooked in Thai style and laid together. The cuisine isn't driven by course-by-course servings. Instead, everything is brought out together and savoured as a family. For starters, they serve an appetiser called mee krob – crispy rice tartlets filled with sweet, sour and spicy vermicelli are popularly served. While roasted turkey rules the roost elsewhere, in Thailand, a duck-based Penang curry or a roasted chicken is more likely to be the main course dish. If you are around the central plains during Christmas, there will be chicken or lamb mains, while southern Thailand will serve lots of fish-based dishes. Most meats go through a marination of typical Thai ingredients such as birds eye chilli, nam pla (fish sauce), kha (Thai ginger juliennes). There will be an accompaniment of plum sauce as opposed to a cranberry sauce. A Thai meal is not high on sweets, but han tra is a must-have festive dessert. It's a moong dal and jaggery based dessert.

Lebanon
- Chef Hemant Oberoi of Souk fame from The Taj Mahal Palace
The Lebanese completely follow the French. So an area in Beirut will have a splitting image of a French colony. Therefore, a Lebanese Christmas goes the French way. As the main meal, they have their roasted turkey or a chicken, but the marinations will not be classic American style. The meat is gently herb-rubbed, with oregano, thyme and garlic. It is stuffed with pistachio, chestnuts and other nuts and baked in an oven. During this time of the year, restaurants tend to sell whole meats cooked in rotisserie style that many people buy and share with their families. As sides, the Lebanese do tossed potatoes or Brussels sprouts, buttered and tossed with almonds or hazelnuts. A must have on the family table is a salad made of lentils and sprouts that are soaked a week in advance. Accompanied with a helping of several mezzes, kibbeh pie and traditional Lebanese dips, the spread is complete.

Japanese
- Chef Hemant Oberoi of Wasabi by Morimoto fame from The Taj Mahal Palace
The Japanese are influenced by the west – from their love for soccer to baseball to the way they celebrate their Christmas. So in a way a traditional Japanese family meal will have turkey for main course, but it is cooked in teriyaki style. During this time of the year, the weather is cold and the choice of meat is limited to chicken or beef, with little use of lamb. As sides, there are vegetable stir fries made using winter's best produce such as pak choy, Brussels sprouts, baby turnip and a plethora of mushrooms (shemeji, trumpet, matsutake) that are available during this season. Teppanyaki (cooking on an iron griddle) and shabu shabu (stock-pot cooking) are two popular ways of cooking that the Japanese enjoy during celebratory times. They round up their Christmas meal with simple desserts that are mainly western like plum pudding or fresh cream cakes.

Spanish
- Chef Manuel Oliveira of Arola fame from J W Marriott, Mumbai
In Spain, Chistmas feasting begins from the 24th night onwards. A typical Spanish dinner table has charcuterie – a platter of cold cuts and a whole beef or turkey and fish. Even though there is a lot of
meat, everything is treated differently. Like the turkey is marinated with olive oil, garlic, bay leaf and thyme, whereas fish is basted in lemon and black pepper. As accompaniments, there are roasted potatoes and bell peppers that add colour and a different texture to the dish. Most of the starters are seafood driven and served with a sauce – like lobster with garlic dressing and grilled prawns with lemon-zested mayonnaise. A touch of the western world comes from the usage of apricot and cranberry sauces that are used as accompaniments. A dinner is completed with some turrón and polvorones – both almond, honey and sugar based desserts.

Chinese
- Chef Varun Gulati of Mekong fame from Palladium Hotel
A Chinese Christmas is a simple family affair. Like turkey in the west, the Peking duck takes centre stage on a Chinese dinner table. This one has a nice, glossy skin with a caramelised finish. A basket of mandarin pancakes are placed and the family fills these up with chopped pieces of the duck, some spring onion and cucumber and a good helping of plum sauce. Apart from duck, dimsums of various kinds fill up the table. These could be steamed or fried, filled with an assortment of meats and vegetables that the family enjoys together. Asan accompaniment, generous portions of fried rice and noodles are placed alongside. These are either eaten on their own, or with a side of meat-tossed gravy to enhance the flavour. The Chinese complete their meal with festive must-haves like moon cakes, red bean cake and custard-filled buns.