Written by: Mahnoor Fatima
Posted on: July 24, 2020 | 
| 中文
Chicken Manchurian from Yuan Tung, Karachi
It is well established that a majority of urban Pakistanis love their Chinese food. But unbeknownst to many, this circumstance has been the culmination of a long relationship that the Chinese have had with the Subcontinent. Most Chinese food found here belongs to a variant called Indo-Chinese Food and more specifically, Pakistani-Chinese food. It is often a collection of tangy, sticky and spicy sauces that cling to different succulent meats served with a fresh plate of fried vegetable rice or chow mein noodles. These delicious dishes are part of a long history of migration and hybrid cuisines, which have characterized the food of the Chinese living in South Asia since colonial times.
Chinese immigrants have been in the Subcontinent since the 18th Century, mostly centered around Calcutta during the British Raj. Migrants came from the provinces of Hubei, Guangdong and Shandong. Many of the immigrants were Hakka, a distinct ethnic and linguist group that speaks their dialect instead of Mandarin Chinese. They spread to all parts of India as traders, artisans, shop keepers, and of course, restaurant owners.
Chicken Chow Mein
Chinese immigrants entered and dispersed around areas of Pakistan in waves, following the country’s creation in 1947, the Sino-Indian War of 1962, and the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. A majority moved to Pakistan to escape Indian persecution and internment camps after 1962, while others were Chinese Muslims who chose to settle in Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan. They often settled in major cities like Karachi and Lahore, as well as smaller towns like Rawalpindi and Abbottabad. Chinese families had also set up restaurants in Dhaka and Chittagong in East Pakistan; they had to move to West Pakistan to escape political turmoil and begin their life anew.
While there have been studies on Chinese immigrant culture in India, rarely have there been academic works on Chinese immigration to Pakistan. According to anthropologist Alice Ping-hsiu Lin, the Chinese community in Pakistan is not a monolith, but a diverse group with nuanced identities, who regard themselves to be just as much South Asian as they are Chinese.
A.B.C. Restaurant in Saddar Market, Karachi in the 1950s
Some of the first Chinese restaurants in Pakistan opened in Karachi. The first known record of a Chinese restaurant in what is now Pakistan, was A.B.C Restaurant in the Saddar area of Karachi, which was allegedly opened in the 1930s by a teacher named Li Dianxian. It was said to have been visited by Premier Zhou Enlai in 1964, who patronized the restaurant at some point before the restaurant closed down in 1988. Other restaurants include Hong Kong, or Four Seasons at the Hotel Metropole in Karachi, and the Golden Dragon in Islamabad. Mei Kong, which started in Karachi but now has branches in the major cities of Pakistan, is one of the more prominent, still-existing establishments which serves Pakistani-Chinese cuisine. According to the owner, the current chefs have been trained in Chinese cuisine by the previous chefs to continue the tradition of wholesome Pak-Chinese food.
Golden Dragon in Islamabad, open since 1975
As Chinese food began to take over the culinary scene in major cities of Pakistan in the 1970s and 1980s, it also became popular in Pakistani households. Women wanted to learn the strange yet exciting new flavors of thick soups and sauces with cornflour. It was seen as a weekend family treat, a welcomed departure from traditional Pakistani food. But it had the same comfort which came with familiar tastes and spices. Lack of ingredients or taste palette was not an issue: they simply adapted the dishes to the local taste buds.
Chicken Corn Soup and Condiments
At this point, it is worth talking about what is perhaps the most famous of Indo-Chinese dishes: The Chicken Manchurian. Made in a rich and spicy tomato sauce with fried, diced chicken and vegetables, the Chicken Manchurian is a thoroughly Sub-continental dish. The Manchurian has been credited to Nelson Wang, a third-generation Indian-Chinese, who made the dish as an improvisation in 1975.
While the harsh winter climate of Manchuria province does not support poultry cuisine, Chicken Manchurian’s name is most likely derived from the soup ‘Manchow’, which is an approximate transliteration of ‘Manchurian’. It is not known how the Chicken Manchurian reached Pakistan, but it is most likely that a contemporary of Wang brought it to Karachi when a new wave of Chinese immigrants arrived in the 1980s. It did not take long for the dish to become amongst Pakistani diners.
Homemade Chicken Manchurian Bowl
Nowadays, Chinese restaurants are experimenting with signature Pakistani-Chinese flavors but also trying out more traditional Chinese recipes. And the concept of the “Pan-Asian” restaurant, which incorporates Chinese and other Asian palettes like Thai and Indonesian, has been steadily gaining popularity in more high-end restaurants.
Meanwhile, although older Chinese communities in Pakistan have been dwindling for some time, the Belt and Road Initiative has created much greater visibility of both Chinese people and Chinese culture. With greater prominence, the diverse Chinese community in Pakistan would have more chances to share and record their histories. And as cultural exchanges between the two countries become stronger and more frequent, it would also be more interesting to see regional Chinese dishes bring more variety to the Pakistani culinary scene.
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