lSteeped in history, Ndo-Chinese cuisine was created by those who immigrated with their rich gastronomic culture from Canton and Guangdong in China and settled in Kolkata and Mumbai where they began incorporating Indian spices into their Chinese dishes.
Here are four recipes from Soho’s Fatt Pundit, who just launched a new site in Covent Garden, honoring this unique diaspora cuisine.
Manchow soup
ingredients†
100 g egg noodles, cooked
Oil for frying
50 g minced chicken (vegetarians can substitute tofu)
50 g carrot, finely chopped
50 g cabbage, finely chopped
20 g green bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
20 g red bell pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
½ tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 green chili pepper, finely chopped
5-6 cups chicken stock OR vegetable stock
Salt, to taste
½white pepper powder
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
1 spring onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
Method†
1. Boil the noodles in sufficient water until al dente, drain and pat dry. Heat oil in a deep pan, fry the noodles once hot enough until crispy and drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
2. Prepare the chicken or vegetable stock and keep it aside.
3. Finely chop all vegetables and keep aside.
4. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a deep pan.
5. Add garlic, ginger and green chillies, fry for a minute until fragrant, add chicken and mix for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add carrot, cabbage, red and green peppers, stir for 1 minute, then add chicken stock or vegetable stock.
7. Stir and add salt and let the soup come to a boil.
8. Add white pepper powder, dark soy sauce and let the soup simmer for 2-3 minutes.
9. Mix cornflour in a little stock and add to the soup, stirring constantly. Cook until the soup thickens.
10. Finally add the beaten eggs while stirring constantly so that it does not clump.
11. Add the spring onion. Serve hot, topped with ground fried noodles.
Beef momo recipe
All meals in Tangra start with momos
(Joe Howard)
All meals in Tangra start with these hearty, flavorful steamed dumplings straight from the steel steamers, served with a spicy chutney, with influences from Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and other parts of India.
ingredients†
For the dough†
250 g all-purpose flour
125ml water
½ tsp salt
For the filling†
500 g minced beef
2 tsp red chili powder
2½ tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp leek finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Method†
1. Mix all purpose flour with water and knead into a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Combine all filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll in dry flour and roll into small 5cm circles, keeping edges thin and center thick. For well done momos it is essential that the center portion of the wrapper is slightly thicker than the edges to ensure the structural integrity of dumplings during packing and steaming
4. To wrap, hold the wrapper on one palm, put a tablespoon of filling mixture and with the other hand bring all the edges together to the center, making the pleats. Pinch and twist the pleats to ensure absolute closure of the stuffed dumpling. This is the key to great tasting, juicy dumplings.
5. Heat a steamer, oil the steamer rack well. This is critical as it prevents dumplings from sticking. Arrange uncooked dumplings in the steamer. Close the lid and let it steam until the dumplings are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the steamer and serve immediately.
OR if you don’t have a steamer, heat water in a deep, non-stick pan. Line a bamboo basket with cabbage leaves. apply a little oil to the momos and place them over the cabbage leaves.
6. Cover the basket and place over the hot water, cover the pan and steam for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through.
7. Remove the lid from the pan, take out the basket and open it. Serve the momos warm.
Hakka chili paneer lettuce cups
ingredients†
Paneer (cottage cheese) diced 200g
Oil, for frying
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
50 g white onion, finely chopped
3-4 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Salt, to taste
½ tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp white pepper powder
2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
1 tbsp refined flour
2 baby gem lettuce
Method†
1. Separate the leaves from the baby gem lettuce and soak them in cold water.
2. Place breadcrumbs in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of refined flour, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, salt and a little cold water, add the paneer to the batter and mix well, making sure the cubes are lightly coated.
3. Heat enough oil in a wok, carefully add the paneer cubes to the frying oil and separate them with a spoon or tongs if they start to stick together. Bake for 2-3 minutes until slightly crispy and drain on kitchen paper.
4. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Fry the chopped ginger and garlic, green chillies when lightly fragrant, add the chopped white onions and fry for a further 2 minutes.
5. Add the paneer and cook for another minute, being careful not to break it, add some water (50-100 ml) so that the paneer does not stick to the pan.
6. Add the soy sauce mix, sprinkle over the white and black pepper powder and toss everything over a high heat
7. Add ½ tablespoon of cornstarch, once mixed, remove from heat.
8. Pat the lettuce leaves dry and arrange on a plate, fill the leaves with hot chilli bread and they are ready to serve.
Sticky sesame vegetables
Crispy, savory, sweet and generously spiced
(Joe Howard)
ingredients†
100 g carrots cut into thin strips
200 g cabbage cut into thin strips
100 g green beans
100 g onions in thin rings
Oil for frying
For the batter†
5 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
5 tbsp refined flour
Salt, to taste
For the sauce†
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
5-6 whole dry red peppers
50 g spring onions, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp acacia honey (or agave nectar for vegans)
Salt, to taste
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Method†
1. Mix cornstarch, refined flour, salt in a bowl with enough water to form a thick batter. Add the vegetables and mix so that all vegetables are well coated. Make palm-sized flat cakes from the breaded vegetables.
2. Bake in two stages. Heat enough oil in a wok and fry the vegetable cakes for 1-2 minutes; until they start to change color. Drain on absorbent paper and set aside.
3. When the cakes are baked, cut them into bite-sized pieces and put them back in again. Fry them until they are golden brown and crispy.
4. For the sauce, heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan until it is piping hot, add the dry red pepper to get the smoky flavor in the pan/wok; add garlic, green pepper, fry until brown in color.
5. Add the ketchup, dark soy sauce, honey, spring onion and salt and fry for half a minute. Add all the sautéed vegetables and mix well until the vegetables are coated with the sauce. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm.
