Chicken Manchurian: the story of India’s Chinese-inspired iconic fusion dish and the rise of ‘Chindian’ cuisine
- The enduring popularity of chicken Manchurian spans decades – many believe it is the most popular ‘Chinese’ dish in India
- The original chicken Manchurian – which has nothing to do with the north-eastern Chinese region – was created by chef Nelson Wang in the 1970s
Succulent pieces of chicken are coated in a soy sauce mixture, pan-fried until crisp, and finished with a thick sauce of ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies.
The dish, known as chicken Manchurian, is omnipresent on the menus of Indian Chinese restaurants around India, and is an integral part of what is called “Chindian” cuisine, which is hugely popular across the country.
Typically, Chindian cuisine features spicy gravies, noodles and fried rice, as well as deep-fried spring rolls – which are spicier, filled with noodles, vegetables and sprouts, and are nothing like those eaten in China.
The word “Manchurian” now refers to a generic dish made by chopping and deep-frying ingredients such as chicken, cauliflower, prawns, fish or paneer, and then cooking them in a gravy flavoured with soy sauce.
There is a dry and a saucy version of chicken Manchurian – the dry fritters are popular among drinkers as a bar snack. In the saucier version, the fritters are coated with a spicy gravy thickened with cornflour, and topped with spring onions. It is served like a curry, with fried rice or noodles as a base.
