What is Indo-Chinese Cuisine?
We Indians love food. After all, our country is a potpourri of many cultures and cuisines. The diversity of food you experience and taste throughout the length and breadth of the country is surreal. Each region has its own speciality dish. Amongst the host of Indian dishes, there is one cuisine that has caught the nation's fancy and become an obsession, it is Indo-Chinese food. But have you ever wondered why it is known as Indo-Chinese dish, Mr Hong of Hong's Kitchen is here to answer your curiousness.
As the name suggests, Indo-Chinese cuisine is a delectable fusion of Indian and Chinese dishes. With oddball names like Chilli Chicken, Hakka Noodles, and Paneer Manchurian, these dishes are hot, spicy and have an irresistible X factor about them.
What is Indo-Chinese food?
Indo-Chinese food is an Indian interpretation of Chinese that combines the spicy flavours of India with Chinese ingredients like soy sauce, Sichuan, and vinegar. It combines the goodness of both Indian and Chinese foods to create unique, supremely tasty and mouth- watering dishes.
Where does Indo-Chinese food come from?
During the colonial era, India was one of the best producers of agricultural products in the world and attracted travellers and immigrants from all over the world. In the 18th Century, many groups of Chinese travellers from the southern region of China, like Hakka and Cantonese, came to Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) and settled there for many years before moving to other cities.
These Chinese settlers built a small community in the region, and soon, Cantonese and Hakka food started to appear on the menus across the street-side food stalls. The migrants started serving homely food to the local people to earn an income, and soon their dishes became very popular. The locals then adopted these foods and gave them their own twist to suit their palate, leading to the emergence of Indo-Chinese food.
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Difference between Indo-Chinese and authentic Chinese food?
One of the striking differences between Indian-Chinese and authentic Chinese food is the flavour itself. While the traditional Chinese dishes tend to be bland, the Indo-Chinese version is spicy and greasy due to the addition of Indian spices and ingredients like green chillies.
Expert Chinese chefs suggest that the use of Indian ingredients like coriander, mint, onions, etc., in Indian-Chinese dishes has nothing or little to do with traditional Chinese cuisine. As per experts, Indian-Chinese food is the evolved version of traditional Chinese food that the local residents and chefs created to suit the Indian palate better.
Another significant difference between traditional Chinese and Indian-Chinese food is the use of proteins. Chinese dishes are typically made using proteins like pork, duck, beef or tofu. On the other hand, the Indian-Chinese version is made of proteins like chicken, prawns, paneer or mutton (goat meat).
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Enjoy having Indo-Chinese Food from Hong's Kitchen
If you love having Indian-Chinese food, you can order your favourite dish online from Hong's Kitchen, one of India's best Chinese QSRs. Mr. Hong is here to serve you the best of street-style Chinese from the extensive menu, from starters like Chilli Chicken, Chicken Manchurian dry, and Paneer Chilli, to soups and main courses like Hakka Noodles, Chicken Fried Rice and many more scrumptious dishes
Happy Feasting!