What is the history behind a few trending Indian-Chinese dishes?

To an Indian, Chinese food ideally includes hakka noodles, chicken or gobi manchurian, spring roll and probably honey chilli potato. However, none of these dishes is popular in China. The Chinese cuisine popular in India, known as Indian-Chinese cuisine, has roots in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Origin

The birth of Indian-Chinese cuisine can be attributed to Chinese migrants can be attributed to Chinese migrants who moved to Calcutta and Bombay in the late 1700s. One of the first recorded migrants who travelled to India for material prospects was Yang Tai Chow, a Chinese businessman, in 1778. With more number of Chinese migrants arriving, Chinatown was established in Calcutta.

Like most immigrant communities, the Chinese acquired and incorporated Indian sensibilities into their food and this eventually led to the birth of the famous Indian-Chinese cuisine. According to reports, the first Indian-Chinese restaurant, called Eau Chew, opened in Calcutta. The dishes on their menu were a blend of Chinese ingredients such as soy sauce and noodles, and Indian spices. The dishes impressed the locals, and, eventually, a number of such food joints sprung up in Calcutta.

The iconic chicken manchurian

Mumbai, which too had a substantial number of Chinese immigrants, also witnessed a similar trend. One of the most iconic moments was the invention of chicken manchurian, which today is synonymous with Chinese food in Indian. Invented by Nelson Wang, the then caterer of Chinese food at the Cricket Club of India, chicken manchurian was first prepared in Mumbai in 1975. Wang, who was born in Calcutta, moved to Bombay for work.

According to popular legend, he created the dish by tossing soy sauce, cornstarch and chicken together in a pan, when a customer demanded a new dish. Now, there are a few varieties of manchurian are available in our restaurants.

Comfort food

Though the Chinese community in India has dwindled significantly, the dishes are a fan-favourite. According to reports, there is a significant rise in the consumption of restaurant food among the millennials, and many choose Indian-Chinese food, as it is easily available across the country. The predominance of gravy and rice makes Indian-Chinese a comfort cuisine. Indian-Chinese dishes have become a quintessential part of Indian cuisine, that most of these items can hardly be found anywhere outside the country, even in China.

Rooted in India

Several Indian-Chinese dishes bear very little resemblance to the food actually eaten in China. Here are a few such dishes:

Chilli chicken or paneer: Stir frying paneer (cottage cheese) or chicken in soy sauce adds the Chinese element to this dish, which makes use of Indian spices as well. This dish, which comprises deep fried chicken or paneer is hardly found in China.

Spring rolls: This crispy fried appetizer filled with vegetables or meat, known as chun juan in China, is a Cantonese-style dumpling made during the Spring season. The Indian spring roll sometimes includes noodles as part of the filling, which is unlike the Chinese variant.

Chowmein and fried rice: The spicy, greasy, stir-fried chowmein and fried rice prepared in India are very different from the noodles and rice consumed in China. Often boiled and served with meat and vegetables, these dishes are not spicy or fried in China.

Date pancakes: This dessert, made with flour, dates and served with ice cream, can be found in almost every Chinese restaurant in our country. However, they are hardly served in China.

 

Picture Credit : Google