Daily Times

Mongolian Grill or Mongolian Barbeque derives its roots from ancient Mongolian food tradition where meats and vegetables were stir-fried on a large heated surface.

In early 1950s, it was the name of a Taiwanese dish that was cooked on iron girdles at high temperature!

It developed as a cooking method which became increasingly popular in the West. Despite being called Mongolian, it is neither Mongolian, nor barbeque!

Legend goes that Mongolian empire sepoys gathered large quantities of meat, prepared them with their swords and cooked them on their overturned shields over a large fire. Or they heated locally available stones in dearth of utensils in the battle field and cooked on top of them.

Infused with sauces, the meats and veggies cooked like this get a unique earthly flavour which lingers in the mouth for a long time and in the memory, longer.

The diners are made to choose vegetables and meats and the sauces they want them to be cooked in. The meats and veggies are then cut in thin strips and cooked on high temperature on a round, flat plate. High temperatures help sealing in the juices, thus maintaining the taste of the food and the thin slices contribute in even cooking.

“Mongolian Grill is a flat, round grill that the Chef rotates to cook several ingredients simultaneously whereas Teppanyaki Grill, which is a combination of teppan and yaki, is a heated table-top grill widely used to grill, broil or pan-fry ingredients. At Sampan, The Suryaa, Mongolian Grill is customer choice oriented as the customers can pick-up their choice of ingredients – vegetables, meat and spices whereas Teppanyaki Grill is based on the chef’s choice of ingredients for the preparation of a meal.

Another major difference lies in the origin of the two. Mongolian Grill originates from Taiwanese cuisine and the spice palate majorly includes soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil among others whereas Teppanyaki Grill has origins in Japan and uses more of sesame seeds, wasabi, etc. Japanese prefer mild spices whereas Taiwanese cuisine is all about the use of sauces that impart flavours,” says Chef Pankaj Jha, Senior Executive Sous Chef, The Suryaa New Delhi who held a Mongolian Grill lunch at this dainty roof-top Pan Asian restaurant.

Served in small portions and cooked in minimum oil it is healthier than regular restaurant food.

If you are eating out and want to avoid greasy food, you can always instruct the chef. The cooking process locks food juices and hence the food is rich in nutrients.

You can test the freshness of the ingredients as you are allowed to choose them when raw.