Chinese cuisine in India – a vibrant fusion of bold flavors

The Chinese have traveled to India for centuries, originally seeking Buddhist teachings. However, Yang Tai Chow was the first documented Chinese immigrant who moved to India in search of better opportunities. In 1778, he settled in Kolkata, then known as Calcutta, the capital of British India and the closest major city to China by land.

Over time, many more Chinese immigrants, primarily Hakkas, followed. By the early 1900s, Kolkata's Chinatown flourished, bustling with businesses. The Chinese community made their mark as dentists, tanners, sauce makers, beauticians, and shoemakers, but their greatest fame came through their thriving restaurant industry.

Like other immigrant groups, the Chinese embraced Indian customs and beliefs. They even adopted Kali, one of India’s prominent goddesses, as their own and included noodles, chop suey, rice, and vegetable dishes in religious offerings as a gesture of cultural unity.

Thus, it was through food that the fusion of Sino-Indian cultures truly began to take shape.

Around 85 years ago, a new culinary sensation made its way into India's food scene. Eau Chew, the first Indo-Chinese restaurant, opened in Kolkata, leaving a lasting impression. The new, spicy cuisine from abroad quickly captivated people, spreading excitement as those who tasted it shared their approval with others yet to experience this bold, foreign but flavorful fare.

Soon, new restaurants popped up across Kolkata, with iconic names like Fat Mama and Kim Fa serving up inventive dishes with creative names like August Moon Rolls and Fiery Dragon Chicken. Before long, 'Indian Chinese' had won over the taste buds of people in cities and towns across India. Quite a remarkable achievement for a foreign cuisine.

Indian Chinese food wasn't limited to formal restaurants. It found its way to handcarts, food stalls along highways, and mobile Chow Mein vans with quirky names like Hungry Eyes and Dancing Stomach. Even classic Mumbai street food began to feature Chinese-inspired twists, with dishes like 'Chinese bhel' and 'Sichuan dosa.'

What makes it so popular?

What is it about Chinese food that has earned it such widespread adoration in India? The answer, quite simply, lies in Indian cuisine itself.

Quick to grasp the Indian love for bold, spicy, and greasy foods, the Chinese simply added their own twist, transforming their cuisine into a rich, flavorful, and irresistible blend.

Indian paneer (cottage cheese) was transformed into Sichuan paneer with bold Chinese spices. Chicken curry was swapped for chili chicken. Aloo bhindi became Kung Pao potatoes with okra in a tangy and spicy tomato-based sauce that satisfied both the craving and curiosity. Pepper chicken even reminded many of South Indian-style fried chicken.

Non-vegetarian pakoras—crispy battered dumplings—came in variations like chicken, lamb, or prawn Manchurian, served dry or with gravy. Since most Indian families have at least one vegetarian, the same Manchurian sauce was poured over gobi (cauliflower). For some, Gobi Manchurian represents the ultimate fusion of Indian and Chinese flavors.

But hold on. Manchurian? Is that even a traditional dish?

Not in China, no. But in India, it’s practically the face of Chinese cuisine. The dish was born when a customer at China Garden, Mumbai's original Indian Chinese restaurant, requested something different from the menu. Owner Nelson Wang (who was also the caterer for Chinese food at the Cricket Club of India) took cubes of chicken, coated them in corn flour, and deep fried them. He then created a rich red sauce with onions, green chilies, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce, and the rest is history.

He tossed the fried chicken dumplings back into the sauce, gave it a quick stir to blend the flavors, and served it alongside steamed or fried rice. The customers loved it. As Nelson recalls, 'word of mouth' spread quickly, and today, this dish can be found on nearly every Chinese menu across the country.

This word-of-mouth success inspired Nelson Wang to open his own restaurant, China Garden, which has since become a beloved institution in Mumbai.

Expanding beyond Kolkata

Today, his son Eddie, a third-generation Chinese Indian, leads the expansion of the restaurant chain to cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, and Goa. Not bad for a man who started his career with odd jobs, including limbo dancing at Kolkata clubs—a talent he was quite good at, by the way.

The comforting nature of Indian Chinese food is enhanced by its garnishes. Most dishes are topped with fresh coriander leaves, and depending on the dish, also adorned with sliced onion rings.

What truly sets Indian Chinese food apart from authentic Chinese cuisine is its unique ingredients.

While the cooking techniques remain similar, the ingredients tell a different story. Along with locally sourced vegetables and meats, it’s the distinct use of spices like garam masala (a blend of ground or whole spices used in Indian meat dishes), corn flour for thickening and coating, monosodium glutamate for that ‘Chinese’ flavor boost, an abundance of chili, garlic, and ginger, and generous amounts of soy sauce that give Indian Chinese food its signature spicy, bold taste.

Who needs bland, original Chinese food when you can have a plate of fiery chili garlic prawns? Or a serving of Hakka noodles – tossed with garlic, chilies, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, ajinomoto, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and topped with spring onions. Or perhaps a crispy chicken lollipop? Chicken wings packed with extra meat, coated in a red batter, and deep-fried to perfection. Or shredded lamb, fried crispy, and served with red chilies so well hidden that every bite comes with a surprise kick.

Now firmly embedded in India’s culinary landscape, these dishes have come to define the Indian Chinese food experience. Today, restaurant menus also feature dishes from various regions of China – delicate and steamed like the original, but with the unmistakable Indian Chinese twist right alongside them.

As the second and third generations of Chinese Indians grew up, they began to migrate to different parts of the world. And they did what they knew best: cook Indian Chinese food. These days, even in Europe and the United States, if you crave that extra kick from your takeout box, chances are the recipe originated in Mumbai or Kolkata.

You can either thank Yang Tai Chow or blame him, depending on how much you love the fiery kick of chili garlic in your food.

Sanjiv Khamgaonkar’s top six recommendations for authentic Indian Chinese cuisine:

China Garden, Om Chambers, Kemps Corner, Mumbai

Ling’s Pavilion, Mahakavi Bhushan Road, Apollo Bunder, Behind Regal Cinema, Mumbai

Mainland China, Locations in Andheri, Powai, Bandra, and Haji Ali, Mumbai

Chopsticks, 90-A, Manik Mahal, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai

Kamling, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate, Mumbai

China Gate, 155, RK Patkar Marg, Khar (West), Mumbai

Sanjiv Khamgaonkar is a writer, filmmaker, culinary enthusiast, and digital artist.