Patak's Chinese New Year

Indo-Chinese food – or Desi cuisine, as it’s commonly known – isn’t some new, trendy fusion. It was brought to India in the late 1800s by a small Chinese community from the Hakka region that settled in Kolkata.

Simply put, this type of cooking is an adaptation of Chinese techniques and flavours – think soy, oyster, Szechuan, black bean, hoisin, sweet and sour sauces, intensified with Indian spices and oil.

This food does not bear too much of a resemblance to typical Chinese cuisine, but the big, bold flavours and delicate balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy is utterly delicious. It has become so popular that Indo-Chinese food can be found in restaurants and on street food stalls countrywide.

We will be enjoying our favourite of these dishes, Chilli Chicken and Chicken Manchurian, on Chinese New Year. Both are flavoured with our Madras Paste Pot with a Chinese twist, creating meals that are fiery, sweet, salty and tangy. Trust us, these dishes will hit the spot every time!

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is a definitely a celebration dish. It's vibrant, full of flavour and an all-time favourite of ours. The recipe mixes the big and bold chilli, ginger and mustard seed flavours of our Indian Madras Paste Pot with Chinese soy sauce, creating a rich, deeply layered marinade.

The result is a simple yet incredibly delicious meal that is just as perfect for a mid-week dinner as it is a celebration! We love to use chicken, but paneer, seafood and veggies work just as well.

Manchurian Chicken

Another popular dish, Chicken Manchurian originated in Mumbai in the 1970s. This recipe, created by Chinese emigrant, Nelson Wang mixes classic Indian ingredients with Chinese.

There’s nothing quite as tasty as this batter-fried chicken coated in a garlic, chilli and soy sauce, complete with a fiery kick from our Madras Paste Pot. Serve alongside some steamed rice and you have yourself a mouth-watering meal. Vegetarian alternatives are also very popular for this dish; in particular, Gobi (cauliflower) is a much-loved variation.

The merging of authentic Chinese ingredients with typical Indian spices helps to create dishes that are simple and familiar, but big on flavour. Try out these two popular recipes for yourself and celebrate the Chinese New Year with a hint of Indian spice!

We would love to know what you think of these dishes and can't wait to see what you create. Tag us in your dishes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.