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Lisa Cam

Chinese-Indian cuisine, also known as Chindian cuisine, is much less known around the world than other types of Chinese cuisine.
In Mumbai, there are two schools of thought about how the cuisine can be developed; one is by integrating Chindian flavours in contemporary Indian fare, and the other is by infusing it with Southeast Asian flavours to add another facet to the cuisine.
The fusion of Chinese and Indian styles of cooking originated on the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Kolkata, where a significant Chinese community settled in the early 20th century.
Most of these immigrants were members of the Hakka community and settled in Kolkata (then Calcutta) to form what is known as Tangra, one of Kolkata’s Chinatowns.

Over time, these Chinese settlers began to adapt their traditional recipes to suit the local palate, which favoured spicier and more robust flavours.
“The Hakka Chinese community in India, which is based around Calcutta, [is] where it all began,” says Hussain Shahzad, executive chef of Hunger Inc. Hospitality, a Mumbai-based restaurant group behind venues such as The Bombay Canteen and O Pedro.

Chinese-Indian cuisine, much like American-Chinese cuisine in the United States, eventually developed distinctive characteristics and became a sought-after comfort food.
“The cuisine that came from that community is so, so, so good that it just crept into different parts of India,” Shahzad says. “By the 1980s and 90s it [had become] the most sought after late-night, easy takeout food of the country.”
Key to the development of Chindian cuisine was the integration of Indian spices and cooking methods in the preparation of traditional Chinese dishes.
This fusion led to the creation of now-popular dishes such as Hakka noodles, chilli chicken and Manchurian chicken.
The Indian palate actually has a lot in common with Southeast Asian tastes. We both enjoy dishes with more textures and spice
Raymond Wong, master chef of Asian cuisine at the St. Regis Mumbai
These dishes are typically made using Chinese cooking techniques like stir-frying, and feature ingredients such as soy sauce and vinegar combined with Indian ingredients like garam masala, green chillies and ginger-garlic paste.
One of Shahzad’s favourite things to do after work is to dig into a dish called triple Szechuan fried rice, a mix of rice and noodles – both crispy and non-crispy – stir-fried together in a spicy, chutney-like sauce.
“There is no reference point to that in Chinese cuisine whatsoever,” Shahzad says. “And it’s delicious.”
Chindian cuisine has become ingrained in Indian culture, and Shahzad has taken inspiration from it for his menu at Papa’s, a fine-dining restaurant in Mumbai.
One of the dishes on the menu at Papa’s is char siu modak. Modak is a dessert in which fillings like coconut are wrapped in a rice flour casing. It is typically given as a sacred offering during the Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi.

At Papa’s, Shahzad has transformed the treat into a savoury dish with a filling of pulled char siu. “It’s a very Chinese-Indian interpretation of char siu. We roast the pork shoulder in fermented black bean and instead of chopping it, we pull the pork shoulder to fit it into the modak,” he says.
On the surface, the rice flour dumpling looks almost like a har gao – a shrimp dumpling – but the rice flour casing has a texture like Japanese mochi and the char siu inside has more of a herbaceous flavour.
“That’s because we add coriander leaves to the filling,” Shahzad says. “We also have an innate need to use excessive amounts of ginger and garlic.”
By the Mekong is one of the best known Chinese-Indian restaurants in Mumbai. On the 37th floor of the St. Regis Mumbai hotel, the restaurant offers views of the city’s skyline on one side and of the coast along Marine Drive on the other.

Raymond Wong was appointed master chef of Asian cuisine at the St. Regis Mumbai in 2022. With over 30 years of experience in the kitchen, Wong arrived to find a very different definition of Chinese cuisine at By the Mekong.
“The sweet and savoury were very mixed. There would be dim sum with ingredients like strawberries in it. I couldn’t accept that,” recalls the chef.
However, Wong understands that very traditional Cantonese cuisine would not work in India. “Chinese people love very simple flavours like a steamed grouper with ginger and scallions or stir-fried choi sum with garlic – classic Cantonese cuisine – that would never work here,” he says. “Indians enjoy more textures and, of course, more spice.”
Wong, who is from Malaysia, saw an opportunity to steer the menu at By the Mekong towards Southeast Asian flavours. “There are more similarities with the herbs and spices,” he says.

In the past year Wong has been changing the menu at By the Mekong to incorporate a hybrid Chindian cuisine with Southeast Asian influences.
One of the most popular dishes he has introduced to the menu is Krabi pomfret fish with pickled garlic and kam heong sauce.
This dish has come somewhat full circle. Kam heong, meaning “golden fragrance” in Chinese, is a sauce made with dried shrimp, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce that is mixed with Malay and Indian elements such as curry powder and curry leaves.
Many Indian labourers found employment in British Malaya around the turn of the 20th century clearing land and building basic infrastructure, and the community they formed influenced local cuisine.
“The Indian palate actually has a lot in common with Southeast Asian tastes,” Wong says. “We both enjoy dishes with more textures and spice. It could be because we share the same weather.”


Wong says that despite this, he still has to cater to the local palate, which he does through a line-up of colourful dim sum with punchy flavours.
The Ho Chi Minh purple cabbage and corn kernel dumpling has a vibrant purple hue, and the chicken dumpling resembles a shrimp dumpling but with custard powder mixed in the wrapping. Both are dim sum rarely seen in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia.
“ I’m happy to mix things up and keep it interesting,” he says.


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Food and Drinks

Beyond Manchurian chicken: the Mumbai fine-dining chefs adapting Chinese-Indian food

Assorted dishes at Mumbai Chinese-Indian restaurant By the Mekong, where the cuisine has evolved by incorporating Southeast Asian flavours. Photo: By the Mekong  

Dishes at By the Mekong, a Chinese-Indian restaurant with Southeast Asian influences at the St. Regis Mumbai. Photo: Lisa Cam

A selection of modak – an Indian dessert – with international, savoury twists, at Mumbai Chinese-Indian restaurant Papa’s. Photo: Papa’s

Char siu modak at Papa’s. Photo: Lisa Cam

Inside By the Mekong, from where diners can enjoy views of Mumbai’s skyline. Photo: By the Mekong

Raymond Wong, master chef of Asian cuisine at the St. Regis Mumbai. Photo: Lisa Cam

Ho Chi Minh purple cabbage and corn kernel dumplings served at By the Mekong. Photo: Lisa Cam

Custard flavoured dumplings at By the Mekong. Photo: Lisa Cam

As Masaaki Miyakawa opens Macau sushi restaurant, master chef reflects on his journey

Chef Masaaki Miyakawa raised the bar for Hong Kong sushi a decade ago at Sushi Shikon, then earned three Michelin stars for his eponymous restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan. Now he is back in the Greater Bay Area with Sushi Kissho, his own place at Macau’s Raffles hotel. Photo: Sushi Kissho

A pristine piece of fatty tuna belly nigiri at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa specialises in Edomae sushi, a style that places emphasis on aged, marinated or cured fish. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa aims to visit his Macau sushi restaurant at least two to three times a year. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa says his French culinary experiences taught him about sauces, which he now tries to incorporate into his cooking. Photo: Sushi Kissho

A selection of Edomae-style sushi at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

The spacious sushi counter at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa’s journey to culinary distinction began in the rural Japanese town of Asahikawa. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Black abalone with liver sauce, one of Miyakawa’s most memorable dishes at Sushi Shikon, makes an appearance at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Baijiu for Western palates? Distillers refine China’s No 1 spirit to widen its appeal

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A Berry Me NYC cocktail made with the Chinese spirit baijiu is displayed at the Manhatta restaurant in New York. Photo: Reuters

On MasterChef Australia, Hong Kong’s Mimi Wong is ‘very proud’ to celebrate Asian cuisine

Wong during week eight of MasterChef Australia series 16. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

MasterChef Australia series 16 contest Mimi Wong spent her teenage years in Hong Kong, where she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner 

A young Mimi Wong with her mother and grandmother. Photo: courtesy of Mimi Wong

Wong first learned how to cook in her grandmother’s kitchen in Hong Kong. Photo: Mimi Wong

Wong, who is a full-time English teacher in Sydney, applied for MasterChef Australia after a casting producer reached out to her on Instagram. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong in the first episode of MasterChef Australia series 16. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong with her fellow MasterChef Australia competitors. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong narrowly escaped elimination with her recreation of judge Jean-Christophe Novelli’s sugar glass-encased Jack in The Box dessert. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong’s “Cold & Cornfused” dish consisted of honey butter crisps with corn ice cream and Parmesan cheese. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong’s tonkatsu-inspired oatmeal was born out of her frustration at mixing up oats with flour during a previous taste test. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong’s deep-fried turnip cake eggs benedict served with dried scallop hollandaise. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong served a trio of Cantonese dishes for chef Rick Stein’s seafood elimination challenge – garlic prawns, clams with black bean sauce, and dried scallop fried rice. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Wong preparing her immunity-winning “Bouche-kin” during week eight of the competition. Photo: Endemol Shine Australia, Kelly Gardner

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

In Mumbai, fine-dining chefs make Indian food more Chinese-Indian – think char siu in a sweet – and Chinese-Indian food more Southeast Asian


Chinese-Indian, or Chindian, cuisine is evolving in the hands of fine-dining chefs in Mumbai. One incorporates it in Indian dishes, another adds Southeast Asian elements to it.


Chinese cuisine

Asian diaspora

India