The song of chilli chicken and Hakka noodles

Kolkata chilli chicken & Hakka noodles

‘I have just called for chilli chicken and Hakka noodles,’ I messaged K as I returned home for lunch after a most relaxing pedicure at Dessange.

Yes, I know I have told you that I try to eat simple, home-cooked meals to balance my eating out, but sometimes, the mind gives in to what the heart wants.

My love for both can be traced back to when we had moved into Kolkata, or Calcutta, as it was then called. I was 8 years old, had lived in the UK and Iran before, and was not used to Indian flavours. My mum used to cook separately for me. Noodles and chilli chicken featured prominently in this special menu. My dad passed away a year later, and my special privileges went out of the window as life became more disciplined. I was told that I had to eat what was cooked for all. My mum would occasionally make noodles chilli chicken for my brother and me as a treat. My school friends loved it when she would send this for tiffing. It was the 80s, and ‘Chinese’ food, as we knew it, was not cooked in most houses, apart from the occasional noodles made with fat alu bhaaja (fried potatoes) and tomato sauce. No one called it ketchup.
Things changed in the late 1980s when streetside roll sellers in Kolkata introduced ‘chow’ to their menu. Veg was for 5 Rs. Onion, carrots, capsicum, cucumber (!), chilli, soya and tomato sauces and a fistful of ajino moto went into it. Chicken and mutton noodle options also featured kosha (slow cooked, sand gravy) chicken and mutton meant for rolls. This drove the penetration of noodles in non-posh localities such as ours, and it soon featured in the humblest of kitchens.

Going out to eat meant going to Chinese restaurants. The menu on those occasions was fixed: chilli chicken, chicken Hakka noodles and mixed fried rice. Chicken would sometimes be substituted with chilli fish or prawns. There used to be two options for chicken: boneless and on the bone. We would go for the latter as it was cheaper. Boneless seemed like an elusive dream then. With age, one realised that chicken tastes better on the bone. Wherever it is practical, of course. You cannot use chicken on the bone in fried rice or pasta. Or in pizzas.

I was shocked when I first came across what was passed off as chilli chicken and fried rice or noodles in Mumbai. The rice in the fried was long-grained basmati and not short-grained as it was in Kolkata. The rice and noodles were rather ‘white’ with no prominent flavours in them.
Two could share a plate of fried rice or noodles when on a budget in Kolkata as these would be complete in terms of taste. This was not possible in Mumbai and you would need a side to make it palatable, but then this is the city of commerce. People know how to make money. This also why one does not get half portions here, unlike in Kolkata.

And the chilli chicken of Bombay? Don’t get me started on that! It features boneless chicken floated listlessly in a lurid red gravy. This differs from the chilli chicken in Kolkata, which is stir-fried and served dry.

I decided to take matters in my own hands once we got married and we had our kitchen. I began to cook these dishes in the best traditions of my parents. I make them rather well as those who have eaten them would testify. As does K.
Chilli chicken and Hakka noodles are more Indian than ‘Chinese.’ My cooking techniques have evolved with time, and I have absorbed some of what I have experienced while travelling abroad. I would like to think that what I make is not really ‘Indian’ in the sense being rather masaledar. You could laugh this claim off and term it as hubris and not Hunan!

I rarely order Chinese food these days, nor do I go out to Chinese restaurants. The food in most places leaves me feeling heavy and bloated. The only exception is Yi Jing at ITC Maratha, where I am besotted with Chef Liang’s double-cooked black bean chilli pork and am a fan of whatever else he cooks. Yi Jing is super posh, and we go there only when we stay in the hotel.

I recently ordered the Kolkata chilli chicken from Mr Chow’s, the cloud kitchen run by Rahul Velkar. I have become a fan of it since the, and order it from either Swiggy or Zomato, depending on offers.

This is a recommendation and not a plug. I have not been paid to say this. Don’t order Mr Chow’s chilli chicken non Kolkata version. That’s chicken swimming in a saucy swamp.

Is Mr Chow’s authentic Kolkata chilli chicken? Is the version I make authentic? Who knows? My last few attempts at eating in traditional Chinese-run eateries in Kolkata (don’t ask me for names) left me with severe heartburn, and I have not gone to any since then. So I don’t have a point of comparison to go by. Just nostalgia.
My version of chilli chicken is different from Mr Chow’s which consists of deep fried batter coated boneless thigh pieces tossed in a spicy base and lot’s of chillies.

I use chicken on the bone I do not batter coat it. You will find the recipe on the blog. This is how it broadly goes, heat oil, add finely chopped ginger and garlic, cubed onion, and chopped chicken leg pieces on the bone, stir on high heat, add, soy sauce, crushed black pepper and slit green chillies at the end, and you are done.

My order from Mr Chow left me feeling bloated but I did overeat.

ps: I had khichuri from the Calcutta Club last night as I felt too bloated to have anything else!