India's growing Chinese community inches closer to a place it can call home

The story of the Chinese in India is one that is slowly developing. It is also a quiet narrative, writes Nikita Puri

Every month, Qiguo Mark Su, executive chef at Shang Palace, a Chinese restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bengaluru, imports at least 2.5 kg of Sichuan peppercorn (huâ jiâo) for his loyal diners. A quite common spice in his home country, it is harder to source in India. “It is one of the ingredients that make a Chinese meal authentic,” says Su, a native of China’s Sichuan province.

The conversation veers towards the customs and etiquette of Chinese dining. “It isn’t really part of Chinese culture to be served food. We like to do that ourselves,” says Su’s colleague and