Nelson Wang
Traditional Chinese黃玉堂
Simplified Chinese黃玉堂[1]

Nelson Wang (born 1950) is an Indian restaurateur of Chinese descent and the founder of China Garden, a restaurant, in Mumbai's Kemps Corner neighborhood.[2][3] Various sources credit him with the invention of the popular Indian/Chinese dish "Chicken Manchurian".[4]

Personal life

Wang was born in Kolkata.[5] He is the son of a Chinese immigrant.[3] However, within a few days of his birth, his father died, and he was sent to live with a foster family by his mother. His foster father was a chef, to whom Wang attributes his own love of cooking.[2]

Early career

Chicken Manchurian served at a restaurant in Hyderabad

Wang came to Mumbai in 1974, with just ₹27 in his pocket.[6] His first job there was in a small restaurant in Colaba.[5] He also worked a variety of other odd jobs, including being a limbo dancer, at which he claims to be skilled.[3] According to Wang himself, he was a cook at the Cricket Club of India, when in 1975, a customer asked him to create a new dish, different from what was available on the menu.[3] He started by taking the basic ingredients of an Indian dish, namely chopped garlic, ginger, and green chilis; but next, instead of adding garam masala, he put in soy sauce instead, followed by cornstarch and the chicken itself. The result was Chicken Manchurian.[7]

China Garden

Wang branched out from his job at the CCI in 1983 to start his own restaurant.[6] His restaurant gained popularity, and won various awards proclaiming it "India's best restaurant".[5] Wang and China Garden have also been credited with inventing or popularizing a number of other Indian Chinese dishes, including Creamy Corn Cream, Chicken Lollipops, Date Pancakes and Hot and Sour Soup.[8] He and his sons Henry and Eddie would go on to open several restaurants in various parts of India, including Mumbai, Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune and Goa. It is available in Nepal also in Kathmandu.[3]

The restaurant encountered trouble in 1999, when a court ordered him to close it for violating Coastal Regulation Zone rules about building floor area, in a case that took more than fourteen years. A Rediff columnist criticised the ruling as making "no sense".[5][9] He reopened the restaurant at the Crossroads Mall in August 2000.[10]

References

  1. ^ Yuan Nansheng/袁南生 (2007), 感受印度 (in Chinese (China)), China Social Sciences Publishing House, p. 8, ISBN 978-7-5004-5356-7
  2. ^ a b Nelson Wang - The Master Chef, China Garden Restaurant, retrieved 21 April 2010
  3. ^ a b c d e "The short history of Indian Chinese food and where to breathe fire in Mumbai", CNN Go, 11 February 2010, archived from the original on 27 October 2012, retrieved 21 April 2010
  4. ^ Mukherjee, Sipra; Gooptu, Sarvani (2009), "The Chinese community of Calcutta", in Banerjee, Himadri (ed.), Calcutta Mosaic: Essays and Interviews on the Minority Communities of Calcutta, Anthem Press, pp. 131–142, ISBN 978-81-905835-5-8
  5. ^ a b c d Nandy, Pritish (27 October 1999), "Bulls in China Garden", Rediff, retrieved 21 April 2010
  6. ^ a b Tahseen, Ismat (5 February 2008), "Manchurian Master: On the eve of the Chinese New Year, restaurateur Nelson Wang recounts the rise and rise of 'Manchurian' and 'Chinjabi' in India", Daily News and Analysis, retrieved 21 April 2010
  7. ^ Bhagat, Rasheeda (4 May 2007), "Taste and disdain: A tour of the country's interesting eating habits with a roving journalist", The Hindu, retrieved 21 April 2010
  8. ^ "Indian Chinese Food: How Hakka Noodles and Manchurian Started a Cult Cuisine".
  9. ^ "Today's special at China Garden: High Drama", Indian Express, 5 August 1999, retrieved 21 April 2010
  10. ^ "China Garden's new avtar", Rediff, 29 September 2000, archived from the original on 29 September 2000, retrieved 21 April 2010

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