Before my visit to India, I did some digging into Chinese food in the sub-continent.
Apparently, in the late 18th century, a community of Hakka Chinese migrated to Kolkata. The cuisine they brought with them changed over time, as all diasporic cuisines do—and the result became known variously as “Chindian" fusion, Sino-Indian, and Desi-Chinese. Designed to appeal to Indian tastes, these Chinese dishes were modified by the addition of indigenous oils and sauces, and spices like coriander, ginger, garlic, and chili powder.
On my last night in Mumbai, I dined at a 80-year-old restaurant run by a 2nd-generation Chinese man. The food was recognisably Chinese; yet almost every dish was laced with a hint of earthy or pungent spiciness, and even citrusy notes. These were Chinese flavours I knew—yet not the same. And because of this sense of “familiar strangeness”, it was a food experience I won’t soon forget.
