They brought with them the traditional styles of Cantonese and Hakka cooking - the result is a satisfying hybrid cuisine, created from two very different communities and food cultures! Because the Hakkas were forced to settle in less-than-ideal lands, their diet relied heavily on dried and preserved ingredients such as fermented bean curd and salty mustard greens. With its robust flavors and spices, Indian-Chinese cuisine is very different from the Chinese food served in Chinese restaurants in Singapore.
Beef and pork are absent in Indo-Chinese because of the population of Hindus and Muslims and therefore the popular meats include chicken, mutton, prawns and fish. Non-Chinese vegetables such as cauliflower and potato are very much part of the cuisine. One of the main styles of Indian-Chinese food is Manchurian, and a popular dish is Gobi Manchurian, cauliflower fritters in a thick sauce. This dish comes either in a dry version or a version dripping with sauce. The word Manchuria reminds me of ancient Chinese warriors with long beard and a head dress. Some say the dishes are called “Manchurian” as it is named after the region of Manchuria in northeast Asia. Chicken, prawns, fish and paneer Manchurian dishes are all cooked by coating the ingredients in a light batter, deep frying it and then tossing it in a lightly spiced sauce.
The staples are usually fried rice which is done with dried chillies or chilli paste and lots of tomato ketchup and the noodles, the most popular being Hakka Noodles and the Dragon Noodles. Noodle dishes are usually prepared with dried egg noodles, lots vegetables like cabbage, capsicum, carrot, chilli sauce and tomato ketchup.
0 comments:
Post a Comment