It's the cuisine that will take over the world, people. So you might as well start practising now =)
There are only a handful of recipes here, but these are the signature dishes of that strange cuisine, Calcutta-Chinese. Calcutta Chinese restaurant, more like, really, because if ever was a typical 'tourist special' dish, chilli chicken would have to be it. Also, flying in the face of political correctness, this list also includes the few Tibetan dishes I make, because frankly, I can't make enough of Chinese OR Tibetan to warrant separate list. Still, if you're visiting Calcutta and drop in at a standard Chinese or Tibetan restaurant, I think I've got the basic menu pretty well covered:
Chowmein, Indian-Chinese style -- 'nuff said.
Pork fried rice -- the best thing to happen to rice since biryani (and not even a fraction as difficult).
Pork and dried shrimp dumplings -- Tutorial from a lovely Cantonese lady.
Chilli Chicken -- marinated and batter-fried chicken pieces in a thick spicy gravy, a vital accompaniment to your fried rice.
Clear-fridge chowmein -- throwing it all in.
Vegetarian momos -- Tibetan dumplings, with cabbage, soya beans, and shredded carrots.
Pork and cabbage momos --Tibetan dumplings with, wait for it... cabbage and pork!
Dragon chicken -- it breathes fire. Inspiration: Denzong's Tibetan place near Jadavpur.
Chicken shapta -- savoury Tibetan curry chock-full of chicken and vegetables, perfect for the winter and monsoons. Inspiration: the shapta at Blue Poppy, at Middleton Street.
Thukpa -- thick, spicy Tibetan noodle soup that makes vegetables fun! This recipe was featured in the Jerusalem Post.
