Indo Chinese Recipes | 16 Veg Indian Chinese Dishes

Indo Chinese recipes are considered to be an adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to appeal to Indian tastes. While there may not be much difference in cooking methods, the major differentiation is due to the use of vegetables native to India.

The use of Indian spices like garam masalas, besan (chickpea flour) or corn flour coating coupled with a generous use of chilli, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar and ginger also give a distinct tangy and spicy taste similar to Chinese dishes.

The list of Indo-Chinese food is quite long and there are many odd sounding names too. Dishes like chow mein, veg chinese sizzler, regular or schezwan fried rice, paneer fried rice, hakka noodles, vegetable manchurian, gobi manchurian, chilli paneer, american chopsuey, manchow soup, sesame honey chilli potatoes, darsaan, dimsums (momos), Chinese idli, Chinese dosa, Chinese bhel puri etc. are just a few of vegetarian dishes from this fusion of Indian & Chinese cuisines.

Main ingredients for Indo-Chinese dishes

Most of the Chinese sauces are available in stores and can be bought readymade. The most common & predominantly used Chinese sauces that you need to keep in your pantry are Soy Sauce, Chilli Vinegar, Red Chilli Sauce and Green Chilli Sauce.

Other famous cooking styles in Indo Chinese recipes include Schezwan which is a red hot and spicy sauce and Manchurian which is a sweet and salty brown sauce.

You can buy readymade Schezwan Sauce and Manchurian Sauce to be used as base for dishes, or you can make them at home.

History of Indo-Chinese food in India

Nelson Wang of China Garden is credited with introducing Manchurian to Mumbai in the year 1975 to suit to Indian taste buds. The Indo-Chinese cuisine owes its origin to a small community of Chinese who came to India about two centuries back from the Hakka region of China and settled in Kolkata.

The food which has its humble beginning on streets of Kolkata has expanded to the whole country and even globally as it is quite popular among Indian diaspora worldwide. Indo Chinese cuisine now forms integral part of most Indian restaurants and fast food centers. In addition it is available at dedicated Indo Chinese Restaurants and food chains.

From Chinese chow mein and bhel puri to momos on the streets or fried rice, from Chinese Idli and spring rolls in canteens to the more classy dishes in restaurants, Indo Chinese recipes are today quite popular in the country. Their popularity can be gauged from the fact that some items from Indo-Chinese cuisine like chowmein, manchurian, fried rice are many times even served in parties and marriage functions.

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