Chinatown in Kolkata is very famous for its lively atmosphere and Chinese cuisine. The place is very well known for Chinese cuisine, Chinese festivals, and Chinese decoration. Here you can not only get the chance to experience Chinese cuisine but can also experience Chinese culture its customers and traditions.
Chinatown is also known as the center of all the well-known Chinese restaurants, you can find tea houses here and street food stalls and different kinds of varieties of food from which you can choose your favorite dish and cuisine and can get the chance to taste the most authentic Chinese Meals.
Chinatown is mostly famous for its lively and happy atmosphere, you can see different traditional Chinese colorful decorations here, and you can smell the aroma of delicious Chinese foods when entering the street which left you feeling like you are in China. From decoration to chef costumes everything in Chinatown left you feeling that you are traveling outside India.
Travelers who have Chinese taste buds and are fond of Chinese Meals and want to try some great authentic Chinese dishes can visit these lively markets and experience a combination of Chinese and Indian culture. Here are the top 20 Chinatown dishes that you don’t want to miss out on while you travel Chinatown In Kolkata.
1.Dim Sum
First is Dim Sum, Dim Sum a well-known traditional Chinese dumpling and a worldwide famous dish, Dim Sum is usually filled with a variety of ingredients including pork, Chicken, Shrimp, and vegetables. Dim Sum is traditionally served in a small bamboo steamer. Dim Sum’s dish comes from the southern side of China and is a very well-known Cantonese cuisine. Dim Sum in Cantonese means “touch the heart” which is reflecting the idea that these small flavorful dishes are meant to delight and fulfill one’s need.
2.Roast Duck
Roast Duck is a very popular Chinese cuisine that involves roasting the duck until it becomes crispy while maintaining its flavor and keeping the meat juicy. It is very popular for its tender and rich taste. The Chinese traditional way of preparing the roasted duck is very complex first the duck is marinated in a seasoning that includes soy sauce, Chinese five spice powder, garlic, honey, ginger, and hoisin sauce. The marination process helps the flavors to soak into the meat. After marinating the duck is air-dried by hanging for a few hours overnight. In the next step, the duck is either roasted in an oven or a special kind of rotisserie-style roasting oven. After the dish is completed, it is traditionally served with sauce or Mandarin steamed buns.
3.Peking Chicken
The 3rd top famous dish in Chinatown that you don’t want to miss out on is Peking chicken. Peking chicken is a well-known Chinese cuisine which is originally found and bought in Beijing. To prepare Peking chicken one must marinate the chicken in different seasonings like ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. The process of making this dish is very lengthy and complex, so make sure you have a lot of time in hand. The second step to prepare Peking Chicken is to air dry it overnight or for 3 to 4 hours approx if you don’t want to wait longer. The last step to prepare the Peking Chicken is to roast it in an oven or you can simply just hang it if you want it to cook completely. For that, you might need a special kind of oven, roast it on a high flame until it gets a golden brown color and becomes crispy. You can serve this with pancakes, sauce, and any side dish that you like. The topping is up to you.
4.Ma Po Tofu
The 4th top most famous Chinese cuisine that you can try in Chinatown, Kolkata is Ma Po Tofu. It is a very simple yet very delicious Chinese dish that you don’t want to miss out on. Ma Po Tofu is a very well-known classic Chinese dish originally found and bought in the Sichuan province of China. Mo Po Tofu is a very flavourful and spicy dish, best for spicy lovers, the dish includes soft tofu which is cooked in Spicy sauce, chili paste along with thinly sliced meat.
5.Sichuan Hot Pot
The 5th most famous Chinese cuisine that you can find in Chinatown is Sichuan Hot Pot. If you ever watched C-dramas then you have noticed that Chinese people are very fond of Hot Pot and whenever they have the craving to eat something spicy or they have some happy occasion they prefer a hot pot party. Sichuan hot pot is a very well-known and famous traditional Chinese dish which is also known as “Chuan Chuan Xiang” It is a very popular Chinese cuisine originally found and bought in Sichuan province in China.
Hot Pot means only in which everything is mixed and cooked together. Here the eater can use their liking raw ingredients and can put it in a hot pot and after it becomes tender they can enjoy it with different types of dipping sauces. They have a wide range of ingredients from which you can choose from vegetables to meat. You can cook everything in a hot pot. Mostly hot pot is for spicy eaters but if you are a non-spicy eater then don’t worry you can still enjoy it with your spicy lover friends because the simmering pot is divided into two sections one for spicy eaters and the other half for non-spicy eaters.
6.Ma La Xiang Guo
The 6th most famous Chinese cuisine that you don’t want to miss out on while you are still in Chinatown is Ma La Xiang Guo. Ma La Xiang Guo is a very well-known Chinese dish that is originally found and bought in Sichuan and is a very famous Sichuan cuisine, it has other names also as Mala Stir-fry, which is a spicy, stir-fry dish.
Ma La Xiang Guo has a wide variety of ingredients from which you can choose your favorite one from vegetables to meat, they have everything. The dish is served with a variety of dipping sauces from which the customer can choose their favorite. The translation of Ma La Xiang Guo in English is the combination of spiciness and tingling sensation, the Sichuan peppercorns provide a tingling and numbing sensation while the chili pepper adds spiciness and heat to the meal.
7.Shrimp Dumplings
Shrimp Dumplings are a traditional Chinese steamed dish and are very popular in Cantonese cuisine also known as Gow or Xia Jiao. They are usually small in size and filled with Shrimp and different seasonings.
Shrimp Dumplings are wrapped in a thin dough which is made from wheat starch with a combination of wheat or tapioca starch usually filled with fresh shrimp. The preparation of the filling is done by chopping shrimp and mixing it with different seasonings like ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce, and scallions. And finish it by giving it a shape. The traditional Chinese way to cook dumplings is by steaming them in a bamboo steamer until it is cooked evenly. The Shrimp Dumplings are then served with different types of dumping sauces to enhance their flavor.
8.Dan Dan Noodles
Dan Dan Noodles is a very famous Sichuan cuisine and is widely enjoyed throughout China. Things that make it unique and so flavoring is its process. First, Dan Dan Noodles are made with wheat noodles, the noodles can be thick or thin depending on one preference, then the noodles are boiled until they become tender.
The key point of this noodle is its sauce. The sauce is everything, if the sauce is not good then the whole is considered bad, the sauce is usually prepared with a combination of various kinds of ingredients like chili oil, minced pork, Sichuan peppercorns, vinegar, garlic, sesame paste, and fermented soybean paste. The dish can be only considered completed after it is garnished with different types of toppings like crushed peanuts and preserved Vegetables.
9.Sweet And Sour Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork is again a well-known Chinese dish and is enjoyed widely in Chinese cuisine. Sweet and Sour Pork includes bite-sized pork which is coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. The preparation of the Sweet and Sour Pork dish includes cutting the pork into bite-sized portions and then this diced pork is marinated in different seasonings whencencesance its flavor even more. Every process adds flavor to the dish and makes it even more unique and tasty. If you skip one step of it then the whole dish is ruined.
The marinated pork is then dipped in a batter made from cornstarch, flour, and egg. The coated pork is then deep-fried until it becomes crispy and gets a deep brown color. After deep frying the pork is then cooked in a prepared sweet and sour sauce and is considered done after it is plated with toppings like green onions and sesame seeds. Sweet and Sour Pork is often served as a main dish with steamed rice.
10.Kung Pao Chicken
The 10th most famous Chinese cuisine that you can find in Chinatown, Kolkata is Kung pao chicken. Kung Pao Chicken is a very famous Chinese dish originally found and bought in Sichuan. The dish is spicy and savory, it is a combination of stir-fried chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers.
The first step to preparing Kung Pao Chicken includes marinating chicken in soy sauce, and red wine, then stir-frying it in crushed peanuts, and chili pepper. The dish is mainly known for its tangy and spicy flavor. The dish is always served with steamed rice.
11.Chow Mein
The 11th well-known dish of Chinatown, Kolkata is chow mein. You have probably eaten chow mein but the chowmein in Chinatown tastes different. The Chinatown Chow Mein is made from a combination of Indian and Chinese spices which makes it even more delicious and yummy that you can’t even resist its temptation.
12.General Tso Chicken
General Tso chicken is a combination of American and Chinese-style flavors. The preparation of General Tso chicken includes stir-frying dish. The chicken is stir-fried in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, and chili peppers which give it a very flavourful and spicy taste.
13.Mongolian Beef
Mongolian Beef is another American and Chinese-style dish. The dish usually consists of thin pieces of beef which are stir-fried in vegetables and soy sauce. The preparation of this dish includes marinating the beef in a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. After marinating for some hours the beef is then cooked on high flame until it gets tender. After it’s done then the dish is served with sauce and steamed rice. A fun fact about Mongolian beef is that it only has Mongolian beef name but in reality, it has nothing to do with Mongolian.
14.Beef And Broccoli
Another flavourful dish that you can find when you visit Chinatown In Kolkata is Beef and Broccoli. It is also an American-Chinese-style dish. The preparation of this dish includes broccoli and beef. The beef is diced into thin slices and the broccoli is cut into small pieces then both things get stir-fried in some savory brown sauce.
15.Gong Bao Shrimp
Gong Bao Shrimp is again a very popular dish which is commonly made in a sauce mix of soy sauce, peanuts, and vegetables. The Gong Bao shrimp is usually served with steamed rice.
16.Crab Rangoon
Crab Rangoon is again a very popular American-Chinese dish. The dish is usually prepared in a mixture of cream cheese, crab meat, and different types of seasonings.
17.Wonton Soup
Wonton Soup is a traditional Chinese dish, it is a small dumpling that is usually filled with different kinds of meat and vegetables. You can choose what filling you want in your dumplings, and it is always served with different types of sauces to enrich its flavor.
18.Lemon Chicken
Lemon Chicken is again a very well-known Chinese cuisine that you can easily find in Chinatown, Kolkata. The dish is usually prepared by cooking the chicken in tangy and savory lemon juice, which is where it got its name “Lemon Chicken”. The Lemon Chicken is then coated in a flour batter and deep-fried until it gets a golden brown color.
19.Fish-Fragrant Eggplant
Fish-Fragrant eggplant is a very popular Sichuan dish that you can easily find in Chinatown, Kolkata. The preparation of Fish Fragrant Eggplant included appreciation size pieces and cooked until it becomes tender then the eggplant is mixed in a prepared sauce and then -fried together until the dish absorbs the flavors.
20.Spring Rolls
You have probably eaten Spring Rolls in your local stalls but the taste of Chinatown Spring Rolls leaves you feeling that you’re tasting authentic Chinese spring Rolls for the first time. The Spring Rolls in Chinatown, Kolkata is commonly prepared by Chinese chefs so it has the unique and original flavor of China.
