Chinese food is the only real pan-Indian cuisine. Ever since the first Chinese traders settled in Kolkata in the 18th century, the subcontinent has displayed an abiding passion for dishes containing noodles, soy sauce, garlic and that fiery condiment known as schezwan sauce.  Of course, few of the dishes available on food carts around India claiming to serve Chinese food would actually be familiar to people on the other side of the border.

Since he's here on an official visit, we urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to demand that these Indo-Chinese favourites be included on the menu at his state banquets.

Spring dosa


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This Mumbai roadside specialty consists of crisp dosas stuffed with a vegetable filling cooked in soy and schezwan sauce, and topped with a bunch of noodles. This dosa is eaten with green chilli chutney or a pungent garlic chutney.

Gobi Manchurian


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Batter-coated cauliflower florets stir fired with vegetables in soya sauce, dunked in a garlickly brown sauce. Heaven!

Chinese bhel


Source: Sanjeev Kapoor


To make this popular roadside snack, freshly fried noodles are combined with vegetables and sautéed on high flame with a dollop of schezwan sauce, which gives the fried noodles a golden orange glaze.

Chopsuey samosa


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A work of genius, this snack is a variation of the traditional samosa. But instead of the boring filling of potato, onion and peas, it is stuffed with noodles fried in soya sauce.

Schezwan wada pao


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The much-loved Mumbai snack is given a hint of Chinese flavour with the addition of schezwan sauce instead of the regular garlic or green chilly chutney.

Triple schezwan rice


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Indian Chinese food lovers swear by this dish. Chinese fried rice is doused in schezwan sauce to give it a fiery orange colour and sour-spicy taste. A chicken option is available.

Chili chicken


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Bite-sized boneless pieces of chicken are stir-fired with chillies and onions with a healthy dollop of schezwan and chilli sauce. This is a snack best relished with a cool drink at hand.

Crispy honey noodles with vanilla ice-cream


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For dessert: warm, fried noodles in honey,  served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.