What makes you say that? The menu description sounds very similar: “Stir fried Chinese style noodles with fresh vegetables, ginger, garlic and Himalayan spices.”
Again, what makes you say that? I’ve actually tried this at Tara’s. And while it’s not the best preparation I’ve ever had, it’s recognizably Chilli Chicken.
I’m not familiar enough with Nepali/Tibetan food to comment on that. But FWIW, people who claim to be say the food tastes more like Indian-Chinese fusion than it does authentic Nepali or Himalayan food.
Sure but take a look at that list of ingredients again.
Veggies? Check.
Garlic? Check.
Ginger? Check.
I have no idea what “Himalayan spices” are but it could easily mean some combination of chilli sauce/paste and soy sauce. Maybe it’s filtered through some Tibetan lens but it’s still sounds like basically the same chow-mein-inspired dish.
Just guessing, though. I haven’t actually tried it.
Well, what can I say, it’s just that chow chow is generally a different dish; it’s of Nepali origin and can be found in India in places like Darjeeling as well where there’s a strong Nepali cultural influence. Just because it involves noodles doesn’t mean it’s Indian Chinese. And is the chicken in their chilli chicken cubed, battered and crispy/deep fried–the menu says sliced and sauteed? Chilli chicken should also not usually be a tomato sauce with bell peppers in it either.
Frankly, most Indian Chinese offerings on Indian restaurant menus in the US are even further away from classic Indian Chinese than your average curry house fare here is from similar stuff in North India. The restaurants know there’s some nostalgic draw for this stuff among the diaspora and they slap recognizable names on dishes that are rough approximations of those dishes; in some cases only the name seems to be shared.
Not the best photo, but there are medium to small chunks of breaded and fried cauliflower, red and green sweet peppers, onions, and a sweet-spicy chili sauce. No garlic and no cornstarch thickener, not greasy or oily at all, it is surprisingly light for a fried dish.
I didn’t check and see how late Annapurna stays open, but I hope it’s late. This is delicious, and I know I’m going to be craving it next time I stumble out of a bar or club.
Annapurna Cuisine
10200 Venice Blvd. #101, Culver City, 90232
(strip-mall w/ parking lot at corner of Sam Goldwyn Terrace, 1 block east of Motor Ave.)
Well, classic Indian Chinese Gobi (or anything else) Manchurian involves a lot of gravy (Indian English for what Americans call sauce). The dry version has become popular in recent years but I can’t say I’ve ever had one that looked like that. It’s a corn/flour batter usually, fried to a crisp and coated in a sticky sauce (sort of like gobi pakoras tossed in spicy-sweet sauce)–none of which seems to have happened above. See my earlier comment about familiar names being slapped on rough approximations of dishes.
Well, yeah, I said it’s not a very good photo. That is my leftovers at home, so it doesn’t look nearly as pretty as it did at the restaurant. And it had a light crust, so I’m sure there was cornstarch used there, but the sauce didn’t have the cornstarch-thickened texture that Chinese food has.
[quote=“MyAnnoyingOpinions, post:24, topic:4475”]
Well, what can I say, it’s just that chow chow is generally a different dish; it’s of Nepali origin and can be found in India in places like Darjeeling as well where there’s a strong Nepali cultural influence. [/quote]
Looks like I have to eat some crow crow over the Chow Chow.
A little research confirms what you and @boogiebaby have been saying. It also reveals there is a Tibetan dish called Chicken Chili.
Apologies for my confusion and misinformation.
Fair enough. My experience with the cuisine comes from places like Tangra Masala in Queens and NJ, where there’s a pretty large concentration of South Asians. As I said before, however, that’s admittedly not the same thing as growing up on the stuff in India.
I have noticed some of what you mean, though. The Indian-Chinese food I’ve had here in LA tastes almost like Indian-American-Chinese food. Sweeter, less spicy.
