A Chinese menu in India almost always means Indo-Chinese: dishes like manchurian, chilli paneer, hakka noodles and schezwan fried rice that grew out of Kolkata's Chinese community and spread to every street cart and cafe. This page lists the full Chinese menu by section, veg and non-veg, with example price ranges and tips for writing a Chinese menu card.
If you want the menu in Chinese characters too, there is a short list of dish names in Chinese near the end.
Chinese starters menu
Veg starters
- Veg manchurian dry
- Gobi manchurian dry
- Chilli paneer dry
- Crispy chilli potato
- Honey chilli potato
- Crispy corn salt and pepper
- Spring rolls
- Chilli mushroom
- Paneer 65
- Baby corn chilli
- Veg crispy
- Dragon paneer
- Mushroom salt and pepper
- Chilli garlic tofu
- Veg lollipop
Non-veg starters
- Chilli chicken dry
- Chicken lollipop (drums of heaven)
- Dragon chicken
- Chicken 65
- Chicken manchurian dry
- Crispy fried chicken salt and pepper
- Chilli fish
- Golden fried prawns
- Garlic prawns
- Chicken spring roll
- Egg chilli
For Indian starters, see the veg starters menu.
Noodles and fried rice
Noodles
- Veg hakka noodles
- Schezwan noodles
- Chilli garlic noodles
- Singapore noodles
- American chopsuey
- Chinese chopsuey
- Pan-fried noodles
- Triple schezwan noodles
- Egg noodles
- Chicken hakka noodles
- Mixed noodles (chicken, egg, prawn)
Fried rice
- Veg fried rice
- Schezwan fried rice
- Burnt garlic fried rice
- Paneer fried rice
- Triple schezwan rice
- Mushroom fried rice
- Egg fried rice
- Chicken fried rice
- Mixed fried rice
- Combination rice (rice with gravy on top)
Chinese main course (gravy)
- Veg manchurian gravy
- Gobi manchurian gravy
- Chilli paneer gravy
- Paneer in hot garlic sauce
- Veg in black bean sauce
- Mixed veg in schezwan sauce
- Mushroom in oyster-style sauce (veg version uses mushroom sauce)
- Chilli chicken gravy
- Chicken in hot garlic sauce
- Chicken manchurian gravy
- Kung pao chicken
- Fish in lemon sauce
- Prawns in schezwan sauce
Most cafes pair a gravy with fried rice or noodles as a combo, which is simpler for customers than choosing separately.
Questions and answers
What is Indo-Chinese food?
It is a style of Chinese cooking adapted to Indian tastes, with more chilli, garlic, soy and ginger. Dishes like manchurian and chilli paneer are Indian creations.
What are the most common items on a Chinese menu in India?
Manchow soup, manchurian, chilli paneer, chilli chicken, hakka noodles, schezwan fried rice and spring rolls.
What is the difference between hakka and schezwan noodles?
Hakka noodles are stir-fried with vegetables and soy. Schezwan noodles add a spicy red chilli-garlic schezwan sauce.
What does chinese menu meaning refer to?
It usually means the list of Chinese dishes a restaurant serves. In Chinese, menu is 菜单 (càidān).
Can Chinese food be made Jain?
Yes. Many cafes offer Jain versions of manchurian, noodles and fried rice without onion, garlic or root vegetables.
Last checked: 14 October 2026