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