These days, you may find Indo-Chinese cuisine—a zesty, spicy combination of Chinese and Indian cuisine—on the menus of numerous US restaurants. But why is this Indian immigrant comfort meal so popular?
Christina O’Neill can still vividly recall her first taste of gobi manchurian, or cauliflower manchurian. It happened in 2017 at a friend’s house in a wealthy neighborhood of California.
The crunchy, deep-fried cauliflower pieces dipped in a spicy red chili sauce “melted in her face” and became her new favorite dish immediately.
According to Ms. O’Neill, “it’s an amazing medley of gentle spicy and sweet.”
She’s not alone, either; the cauliflower manchurian food and its various forms have become a staple at posh events and downtown eateries all throughout the United States.
The meal is a component of the unique Indo-Chinese cuisine, that has been served and well enjoyed for many years in India.
The dish has a strong flavor profile that includes soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and a good dose of chilli.
“It’s a clever fusion of Chinese flavors with Indian ingredients,” remarks Abhilash, manager of Inchin’s Bamboo Landscape an Indo-Chinese specialty restaurant with 25 locations across North America, of the Georgia location.
With a sizable Indian-American community, restaurants all across the US now provide Indo-Chinese cuisine. Some restaurants have added the specialty foods to their menus, whereas others just serve Indian and Nepali cuisine.
Owner of Broadway Masala and Aurum in the Francisco Bay Area Anupam Bhatia says, “People who moved form India demand this from us.”
“The tasteful fusion combines perfectly with white wine and means that Americans desire it too.”
The Tampa, Florida eatery Pastries, Biryanis are & Chaat (PBK) claims to have added the dish at the request of its patrons.
According to Prasad Dasari, executive chef and management at PBK, “we get a lot of individuals from Asia as well as the Caribbean being near a university.”
However, what was initially introduced to sate the appetites of Indian immigrants quickly became a mainstay of American cuisine.
For example, the cauliflower manchurian has become a menu mainstay. It’s hard to write it off because of how popular it is. And it sells just as well as butter chicken,” Mr. Bhatia remarks, making reference to the well-liked roast chicken dish that is both sweet and spicy.
