The Lotus Café first introduced prairie-dwellers' palates to exotic new flavours over 50 years ago. (Kevin O'Connor/CBC)
Janice Wong samples some familiar fare in this 2006 photo. Wong's parents first opened the Lotus Café in 1956, but later sold it to another Chinese family.
The Lotus Café in Prince Albert, Sask., was opened in 1956 by Vancouver artist Janice Wong's parents, Dennis and Mary, and her uncle Cecil. Art Gee, their cook, served up tasty versions of Canadian classic Chinese fare, including egg foo yong, chow mein and tomato beef stir fries.
It was something new for many Prairie folk of the era. It was at the Lotus where the Wongs introduced initially hesitant locals to such exotic fare as pineapple chicken, sweet and sour ribs, and deep fried prawns.
The Wongs operated the Lotus for almost a quarter of a century before turning over the keys to another Chinese family.
Janice Wong, Dennis and Mary's daughter, is the author of Chow: From China to Canada: Memories of Food + Family, a mix of family history, restaurant menus, family photographs and life in a Chinese restaurant in Prince Albert.
Even after a half-century, old-timers entering the Lotus will find a familiar décor — lots of knotty pine panelling, silo-shaped sugar containers and the red-vinyl stools. It's still bringing in the crowds as it dishes out favourites like chicken fried rice, chow mein and wonton soup.
- CBC Feature story: Lotusland, Saskatchewan
Prawns with dow see (black bean sauce)
Serves 4
- 1 pound of tiger prawns
- Sauce
- 1 tablespoon dow see (fermented black beans)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1-2 cloves crushed/minced garlic
- 2 whole slices ginger root (peeling the skin is optional)
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons ho yu (oyster sauce)
- dash of rice wine or cooking sherry
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixed with ¼-½ cup water or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil for stir-frying
Method
Clean and devein the prawns. (Dad always left the shells on, which meant that the sauce permeated the shells and the prawns seemed even more tender. Mom also leaves the shells on, but she prefers "zipper" prawns — prawns with the back edge of the shell sliced open and the vein removed. I create my own "zippers" with a pair of kitchen scissors, cutting the shell along the outside curve of the prawn and removing the vein.)
To make the sauce, rinse the dow see in water to remove some of the salt. Add the sugar and crush with a mortar and pestle. If you don't own a mortar and pestle, put the dow see on a cutting board and crush with the bowl of a wooden spoon. Combine the dow see with all the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and water or broth.
Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the prawns and stir-fry over medium heat for about two minutes, until the prawns turn pink. Add the black bean sauce and cornstarch mixture. Cook for a minute or two until thickened.
Recipe from Chow: From China to Canada: Memories of Food + Family courtesy of Janice Chow and Whitecap Books.
Lotus Café, Central Ave. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
MENU
- Main page
- Chinese food at New Year's
- Hon's Wun-Tun House
- Vancouver
- Silver Inn
- Calgary
- Lotus Café
- Prince Albert, Sask.
- Tidbit Restaurant
- Carman, Man.
- Danforth Dragon
- Toronto
- Shanghai Restaurant
- Ottawa
- Manchuria Dumpling King
- Montreal
- Interlude Café
- Charlottetown