It may seem an unusual pairing, but Pete Chan of popular Perth takeaway China China has been using Stornoway black pudding in his dishes for more than a decade.
After experimenting with different ways of using the ingredient to accompany Chinese cuisine, he has come up with regular menu features such as chicken and black pudding fried rice and chicken and black pudding foo yung.
Pete uses MacLeod and MacLeod “Original” Stornoway black pudding in his dishes, saying it works the best.
He says: “I’ve tried a few other brands, but this is the one I support.
“There’s something about it – it’s very moist. Some others can be dry. Our customers say it’s almost creamy.
“When added to the rice with right oils it just brings out a great taste.
“This is a fixture now, so MacLeod and MacLeod know there’s this mad takeaway in Perth who puts their black pudding in Chinese food. They’re quite proud of it and they appreciate it.
“We now have people coming from all over to try it. It’s quite funny.”
We sample some dishes
We paid Pete a visit to try out some dishes for ourselves. He made us chicken and black pudding fried rice with garlic and chilli, chicken and black pudding noodles with fermented chilli and salt and chilli pepper black pudding.
And, unsurprisingly – given its popularity among Pete’s customers – the flavours really do work. The black pudding is indeed moist and flavoursome. And they’re perfect dishes for this autumn weather.
Black pudding is full of aromatic spices, and so is Chinese cuisine. Pete has worked hard to get the balance just right, using his own combination of oils and spices.
In particular, the salt and chilli pepper black pudding is really unusual. It’s coated in a lightly salted batter and Pete’s “secret” spice blend really moves it up a notch.
Each of the fusion dishes costs £9.80 and the generous portion size means two people can comfortably share.
Pete says the whole idea of these dishes is for them to be shared as opposed to being a complete meal on their own.
So how did it all begin?
It was all thanks to the father-in-law of one of Pete’s friends, who ran a black pudding wholesale unit in Perth, that he was able to first try cooking with the traditionally Scottish product.
“He gave me two sticks and told me to come up with something,” Pete recalls. “The first efforts were absolutely disgusting. I tried it in a Chinese chicken and mushroom dish but it just wasn’t working.
“I ended up sitting down with another local chef – Graeme Pallister of 63 Tay Street – and he told me to keep it dry and try baking it first. That just got me going and I started playing around with it.
“So I put it in noodles, rice and the fashion now is for salt and pepper, so I’ve done a black pudding version of that for years. It’s very popular.”
Novelty dishes
Not one to shy away from experimenting with different foods, Pete also uses black pudding to create some of his novelty dishes.
“I’ve done Stornoway spring rolls and every few months I do one called a Braemar ball,” he says. “What we do is put black pudding and chicken inside a battered ball. It’s like chicken balls but with a twist.”
“It’s something a little bit different. The fact it’s been supported for almost a decade is testament to the taste of the dishes.
“It’s Scottish/Chinese fusion so people can get a little bit of something they’re used to and at the same time, you’re getting your takeaway, too.
“It’s not too adventurous. When you sit down and try it you realise it actually works.”