Indochinese Food
Updated: Sep 2, 2023
If you live in North America, you are probably familiar with American Chinese classics like General Tao that are served up at most Chinese takeout spots. Perhaps something that many have not given much thought to though is how Chinese food varies around the world!
I personally have experience with another regional Chinese cuisine, which I love so much more than American Chinese food, and that is Indochinese food. This makes sense considering Indochinese food is catered towards people in South Asia but there are Indian restaurants that have Indochinese food in Canada, and I would say it is something that far too few people know about considering how amazing it is. Continue reading to discover a little history of Indochinese food as well as some famous dishes.
WHAT IS INDOCHINESE FOOD?
India and China are neighbours and as such there has naturally been immigration between the two countries. Indochinese food arose as Chinese immigrants came to India and wanted to tailor Chinese food towards the Indian palette, as they have around the world. It is thought that Indochinese food was properly established under British rule in Kolkata (referred to at that time as Calcutta) because Kolkata was the capital of India at the time and the increase in business in response to British rule attracted immigrants from the surrounding region. Kolkata was also one of the most easily accessible major cities in India to major Chinese cities of the time. To this day Kolkata contains the biggest Chinatown in India.
When these Chinese immigrants came over, they combined Chinese ingredients with the classic base for most Indian dishes, ginger, garlic, and chilies. This tends to occur with most cuisines that find their way to South Asia, and I actually remember making lasagna for my friends when I immigrated to Canada only to find that they couldn’t eat it because I naturally added these key South Asian ingredients because I would put it in all my cooking and my friends found it too spicy!
In terms of the Chinese addition to these dishes it largely consists of the addition of soy sauce and vinegar. This is often referred to as Hakka Chinese food in South Asia and I have also seen it referred to that here in Canada so if you see that at an Indian restaurant it indicates it is Indochinese food. This name comes from Hakka Chinese immigrants but is not at all like authentic Hakka Chinese food which is a subset of Cantonese/Guangdong cuisine.
This Indian-Chinese fusion is has since spread around the world, with both Indian and Chinese-Indian immigrants cooking up these dishes although I have only seen Indian run restaurants serve this cuisine here in Canada. Another feature of Indochinese food is that you usually see dishes serves as either “dry” or “gravy” depending on whether you want the dish to be saucy or not. I personally usually opt for the gravy versions because then I can have some extra sauce with my rice or bread. Now I’ve got to tell you guys my absolute favourite Indochinese dishes!
DISHES YOU NEED TO TRY
CHILLI CHICKEN / PANEER
First up on the list this is probably my absolute favourite and that is chilli chicken. This dish consists of marinating chicken in a mixture of spices, soy sauce, and chili sauce and then adding cornstarch and egg for frying. It is then added to a similar gravy, making for an outstanding burst of spiciness, savouriness, and sweetness.
The great thing about Indian cuisine is that many dishes also have a vegetarian version including this dish which is also commonly served as chilli paneer and is equally as delicious. I distinctly remember having chilli chicken at a restaurant in Kelowna called Bunk House Desi Junction and thinking wow I need to get this more often (and get Indochinese food in general more often).
MANCHURIAN
Next up we have Manchurian, which is a favourite amongst Indochinese food lovers. This dish again involves the use of garlic, ginger, and chilies as a base but then involves the addition of soy sauce and cornstarch to make a thick dark sauce. The meat or veggies are also generally fried which is a common theme in Indochinese cuisine. MSG, or Ajinomoto as I knew it as before I came to Canada, is also often used in Indochinese dishes including Manchurian.
Perhaps I need to make a separate post on this but do NOT be afraid of MSG… the craze around the supposed dangers of MSG is not at all well founded and in the quantities found in these dishes it should not at all be a concern for adults.
Continuing after that little mini rant, this dish is named after Manchu Chinese cuisine but again bears essentially no resemblance. You can generally find chicken Manchurian on Indochinese menus but for me gobi (cauliflower) Manchurian is what I consider the classic version of Manchurian and is my personal favourite.
HAKKA NOODLES
With these dishes being quite different from classic Indian cuisine, it makes sense that there are also other starches aside from the commonly consumed South Asian breads. One of the main accompaniments to eat with these Indochinese dishes is Hakka noodles. These are stir-fried noodles with ginger, garlic, chilies, soy sauce, vinegar, and vegetables. They are also available in instant noodle form at South Asian grocery stores, I have even found these at Walmart! You can then eat these noodles on their own or topped with any other Indochinese dish of your choice! This dish is very similar to Indochinese chowmein which is a very common dish.
J
ust another funny anecdote, I actually thought that all these dishes were authentic Chinese food so I was so confused when I had American Chinese food for the first time and it was really different. Now I know that both are very different from all of the main culinary traditions in China, but are still super tasty nonetheless!
HOT AND SOUR SOUP
This is a dish that is also common in American Chinese cuisine but I had to mention it because it is such a staple for me when eating Indochinese food. Hot and sour soup is pretty much exactly how it sounds, a simple soup that is mildly spicy due to the addition of some sort of chilies and is sour from the addition of vinegar. This is a great way to start up your Indochinese meal and prepare your palette for the food to come!
I hope you guys have a better understanding of Indochinese food now and are excited to try it! I can’t recommend it more because it is so tasty and so different from American Chinese food. To learn more about authentic Chinese food checkout my blog post on Chinese cuisines and for more Indian food content checkout my other blog posts! Also, checkout my social media for more foodie content, subscribe to my mailing list to get notified of future blog posts and don’t forget to reach out if there are any recipes or other posts you want to see!
References:
https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-indian-chinese-food-became-indias-favorite-cuisine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Chinese_cuisine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiretta_Bazaar
https://myfoodstory.com/easy-chinese-chilli-chicken-dry/
https://notacurry.com/restaurant-style-chili-chicken-gravy/
https://sixhungryfeet.com/cauliflower-manchurian/
https://someindiangirl.com/veg-hakka-noodles/
https://masalachilli.com/hot-and-sour-soup-vegetarian/
https://kohinoor-joy.com/the-history-of-indo-chinese-food/
