Pakistani Chinese cuisine

Pakistani Chinese cuisine (Urdu: چینی پکوان‎) comprises the styles and variations of Chinese cuisine that are cooked and consumed in Pakistan. Chinese migrants to Pakistan have developed a distinct Pakistani-style Chinese cuisine.

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, 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, the Phoenix restaurant has become well-known. Their clientele includes ex-president Pervez Musharraf and ex-prime minister Shaukat Aziz; Musharraf is said to enjoy their prawns, Peking duck, stir-fried beef, and garlic lamb chops.Chicken Manchurian, one of the most popular Pakistani Chinese dishes, is a South Asian-developed Chinese dish that normally consists of chicken with occasional vegetables in a spicy sauce. It is entirely a creation of Chinese restaurants in South Asia, being consumed in India and Pakistan in general, and bears little resemblance to traditional Chinese cuisine.

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