If you have browsed our menu at Lazeez and wondered why we serve Hakka Chinese alongside our Indian dishes, you are not alone. Many first-time guests ask: is this really Chinese food? The short answer is yes — and no. Hakka Chinese is a distinct culinary tradition born from the meeting of two cultures, and once you understand its origins, the combination at Lazeez makes perfect sense.
What Is Hakka Chinese Food?
Hakka Chinese food — also called Indo-Chinese cuisine — emerged in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in the early 20th century. A community of Hakka-speaking Chinese immigrants settled in the city's Tiretti Bazaar neighbourhood and began adapting their home cooking to local Indian tastes and available ingredients.
The result was something entirely new: Chinese cooking techniques (stir-frying in a wok at high heat, use of soy sauce and vinegar) fused with Indian spices (green chillies, cumin, coriander, garam masala). Dishes like Gobi Manchurian, Chilli Chicken, and Hakka Noodles were invented in Indian kitchens by Chinese cooks — and they spread across the entire subcontinent within decades.
Today, Hakka Chinese food is one of the most popular fast-food and restaurant cuisines in India and among South Asian diaspora communities worldwide — including right here in northeast Calgary.
How It Differs from Cantonese or Mandarin Chinese Cooking
If you have eaten at a typical Chinese restaurant in Calgary, you have probably experienced Cantonese-influenced cooking: dim sum, sweet-and-sour pork, mild soups, steamed dishes, and hoisin-glazed proteins. These are wonderful, but they come from a completely different tradition.
Here is how Hakka Chinese compares:
- Spice level: Much higher. Green chillies and chilli sauce are central ingredients, not optional additions.
- Sauce profile: Tangy, bold, and often dark with soy and chilli — not the gentle, sweet glazes you find in Cantonese cooking.
- Indian aromatics: Ginger, garlic, and cumin form the base of many Hakka dishes, giving them an unmistakably South Asian backbone.
- Protein preparation: Meats are typically battered, deep-fried, and then tossed in a high-heat wok sauce — giving each piece a satisfying crisp-to-saucy contrast.
- Noodles and rice: Hakka Noodles are thicker, springier, and tossed with vegetables and soy-chilli, unlike the delicate vermicelli of many Chinese dishes. Fried rice here is spicier and more robust.
Why Hakka Chinese and Indian Food Belong Together
At first glance, pairing Indian curries with Hakka Chinese dishes might seem unusual. But for anyone who grew up eating this food in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, or the diaspora communities of the UK and Canada, it feels completely natural. Hakka Chinese was always the street-food companion to Indian home cooking — the quick, affordable, intensely flavourful option you grabbed on your way home or shared at a family outing.
At Lazeez, we honor that tradition. Our menu lets you combine Butter Chicken with Hakka Noodles, or pair Paneer Butter Masala with Gobi Manchurian. The kitchens that do both well are rare — we are proud to be one of them.
Most Popular Hakka Chinese Dishes at Lazeez
Not sure where to start? Here are the Hakka Chinese dishes our northeast Calgary regulars order most:
- Gobi Manchurian (Dry or Gravy): Crispy cauliflower florets tossed in a garlicky, tangy, spicy sauce. The dry version is a shareable starter; the gravy version works alongside rice or noodles.
- Chilli Chicken: Bone-in or boneless chicken, battered and wok-fried with green chillies, capsicum, and soy. One of the most iconic Hakka dishes.
- Hakka Noodles: Stir-fried noodles with vegetables, green onion, and soy-chilli sauce. Available with chicken, vegetables, or paneer.
- Vegetable Manchurian: Mixed vegetable dumplings in a dark, peppery Manchurian sauce — a vegetarian classic that rivals anything on the Indian side of the menu.
- Fried Rice (Hakka-style): Egg or vegetable fried rice with the bold, slightly spicy flavour profile that sets Indo-Chinese apart from regular fried rice.
Come Experience It Yourself
The best way to understand Hakka Chinese cuisine is to taste it. We serve our full Hakka menu seven days a week at our location on 88 Ave NE in Calgary's Skyview Ranch area — convenient for families across northeast Calgary in Saddle Ridge, Taradale, Cornerstone, Redstone, and beyond.
Browse our full menu or place an order online for pickup or delivery. And if you are trying Hakka Chinese for the first time, ask our staff — they will point you to the right place to start.
