Pakistani Chinese cuisine ( ur, چینی پکوان) comprises the styles and variations of

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...

that are cooked and consumed in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Chinese migrants to Pakistan have developed a distinct Pakistani-style Chinese cuisine.

History

Chinese cuisine in areas which today make up Pakistan has a history going back to restaurants established in the 1930s. One of these, the ABC Chinese Restaurant in Karachi, was once patronised by

Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 January 1976. Zhou served under Chairman M ...

, and continued operating until 1988. Chinese restaurants are very popular amongst families as opposed to fast food and continental cuisine which is more favoured by the youth. Pakistani Chinese food resembles Cantonese cuisine with its liberal use of chicken stock-based sauces seasoned with soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, monosodium glutamate and oyster sauce, but very rarely any fresh herbs. It is also a common practice in restaurants to serve Chinese dishes in sizzling platters. Vegetables used in Chinese cuisine are mostly cabbage, capsicum and onion, since broccoli or bok choy are not native vegetables. The extent of the popularity of Chinese food can be estimated from the fact that Chinese variations of local dishes have become quite popular like Chinese samosa, Chinese broast, and Chinese pulao. Some newly opened restaurants like Ginsoy have been prospering in the city of Karachi. The food offered at Chinese restaurants in Karachi is a blend of Chinese cooking with Pakistani style influences. More recently in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

, the Phoenix restaurant has become well-known. Their clientele includes ex-president

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

and ex-prime minister

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz ( ur, ; born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani former banker and financier who served as 17th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, as well as the finance minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 to 15 ...

; Musharraf is said to enjoy their prawns,

Peking duck Peking duck is a dish from Beijing (Peking) that has been prepared since the Imperial era. The meat is characterized by its thin, crispy skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the di ...

, stir-fried beef, and garlic lamb chops.

Chicken Manchurian Manchurian is a class of Indian Chinese dishes made by roughly chopping and deep-frying ingredients such as chicken, cauliflower (''gobi''), prawns, fish, mutton, and paneer, and then sautéeing it in a sauce flavored with soy sauce. Manchurian ...

, one of the most popular Pakistani Chinese dishes, is an Indo-Chinese dish that normally consists of chicken with occasional vegetables in a spicy sauce. It is entirely a creation of Chinese restaurants in India, being consumed in India and Pakistan in general, and bears little resemblance to traditional

Dishes

Amongst some of the most popular Pakistani-Chinese dishes are: *

- the most popular dish with pieces of stir fried chicken served in a red ketchup based sauce. It is normally served with egg or chicken fried rice. * Chicken with Lime - stir fried chicken served in a sizzling lemon and/or lime sauce. * Sweet and Sour Chicken or Prawns - meat, capsicum, onions and pineapple chunks with a red sweet and sour sauce. * Chinese rice -

Basmati Basmati, , is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which is traditionally grown in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

is the most common form of rice used. The most famous rice recipes are egg and chicken fried rice. * Chicken Honey Wings -

Chicken wing Chicken wing(s) or chickenwing may refer to: * Chicken wings * Chicken wings as food ** Buffalo wing, a popular way of preparing chicken wings Other *Chicken wing, a defensive shot in pickleball Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/pa ...

s dipped in a coating of sweet honey paste. * Chinese soup - Chicken corn soup and

hot and sour soup Hot and sour soup is a popular example of Sichuan cuisine. Similar versions are found in Henan province, near Beijing, and in Henan cuisine itself, where it may also be known as ''hulatang'' or "pepper hot soup" (胡辣汤). North America Uni ...

are ubiquitous in restaurants, homes, and on TV. These are served with staples such as vinegar (''sirka'') and

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

. * Noodles - Chicken chowmein and chopsuey are popular. Their method of cooking employs hearty use of soy sauce, ajinomoto, vinegar and chili sauce with vegetables, boneless chicken and/or Keema (minced meat). Oil concentrations are higher than normal Chinese noodles.

References

External links

*{{cite news, url=http://images.dawn.com/news/1174289/why-do-pakistanis-love-chinese-food-so-much, title=Why do Pakistanis love Chinese food so much?, work=Dawn, first=Aamir, last=Yasin, date=23 November 2015 Pakistani fusion cuisine Chinese cuisine Chinese diaspora in Pakistan

History

Dishes

See also

References

External links