Chilli Chicken with Soy Sauce

India has always been the centre of numerous cross-cultural amalgamations which has not only given us new languages, art forms and architecture but has left an indelible mark on its fusion foods. The so-called Chinese cuisine revered throughout the country, in reality, is more of an Indian fusion than an authentic Chinese version. Every city in India has eateries and food joints to fine dining that offer this more Indianised version, be it Fried Rice, Chicken Manchurian or the more popular Chilli Chicken.

There are no strict recipes for Chilli Chicken as it depends on the person preparing it. Generally, boneless chicken pieces are dunked in a corn-starch batter and fried till crisp brown and then sauteed in a thick gravy made with onions, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, soy sauce and a handful of chopped chillies, which lends the dish its name. Depending on the course of the meal it can be kept dry for starters or runny if accompanied by steaming hot fried rice or chowmein as a main dish.

The genesis of the Indo-Chinese food concept can be traced to 18th-century Calcutta under British colonial rule. Calcutta was the capital of then-colonial India and was at the junction of the trade route through which items like tea and silk were exported to Britain from China. This brought in a number of workers from China in the hope of new opportunities who settled in colonies that became popular as the second Chinatown. With an influx of Chinese workers arrived their sombre cuisine which with time was notched up by incorporating various spices and chillies to suit the Indian palate.

This new cuisine deviated a lot from traditional Chinese food but in turn, has received immense admiration from the people of India. What is popular today is this Indian-style Chinese food. It was in 1924 when Nanking, Calcutta’s first Chinese restaurant began serving Desi Chinese attracted even superstars like Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar. Soon, hundreds of Chinese restaurants popped up not only in Calcutta but in Mumbai and later in different parts of the country.