Himalayan Hut—half American-Chinese,
half Indian-Chinese—all Jackson Heights.
At first glance Himalayan Hut looks like an average Chinese takeout shop. After all, the name appears in a font that screams, “American Chinese.” And the neon sign depicting a bowl of steaming noodles is to American Chinese fast food what the golden arches are to Mickey Dee’s. Given a moment’s thought about the name and a closer look at that sign, it becomes clear Himalayan Hut is far from a typical takeout. The word “desi”—on the awning and in the neon bowl—made me realize Himalayan Hut specializes in Indian-Chinese cuisine.
Himalayan Hut is certainly not the first restaurant in Jackson Heights to offer this hybrid cuisine created by immigrants from China living in Calcutta, there at least three others. It is, however, the new kid on the wok. It’s also the only one to offer American Chinese food alongside Indian-Chinese. There are two menus, one replete with such items as orange beef and lo mein, and the other filled such specialties as chili paneer and hakka noodles. It might be the only place one can order both the Indian-Chinese classic chili chicken and General Tso’s chicken. I did precisely that on two separate occasions.
Himalayan Hut’s Chili Chicken ordered “Calcutta hot."
“Spicy, right?,” I asked when I placed my order for chili chicken ($8.95). “We can make it less spicy if you like,” the waiter replied. “Calcutta hot,”came my enthusiastic response. And so it was. The chunks of boneless bird were coated with a savory, soy-based sauce, heavy on ginger and minced garlic along with sautéed onions. Plenty of the dish’s namesake chilies both red and green were scattered throughout. At first Himalayan Hut’s chili chicken warmed my palate. Shortly thereafter I entered a full chili pepper flush. Mopping my brow, I continued to dig in enthusiastically. Those red chopsticks were quite apropos to the heat level. Take my advice, unless you’re an advanced chili head, don’t order it “Calcutta hot.”
On a second visit I tried Manchow soup ($3), which the menu somewhat plainly lists as “a garlic flavored soup with chive flowers.” As promised there was plenty of garlic and a sprinkling of chive flowers in my bowl. In addition there were ginger, carrot, red chilies, chicken, onion, cilantro, scallion, and basil. “This is what hot and sour soup wants to be when it grows up,” I thought as I tucked into the steaming bowl, my sinuses clearing. I also had an order of spicy shrimp balls ($8). Save for the trifecta of Indian-Chinese seasoning—ginger, garlic, and chili—they would be right at home at dim sum.
Momo, the Chinese potsticker’s Tibetan cousin.
In addition to Chinese potstickers, Himalayan Hut offers the Tibetan take on meat wrapped in dough, juicy crescent-shaped beef momo. “I’m not Tibetan, my partner’s Tibetan,” Michael Tan one of Himalayan Hut’s owners told me on my last visit.
General Tso’s chicken via Little Nepal.
Tan—who hails from Calcutta the cradle of Indian Chinese cuisine—urged me to try his General Tso's chicken. The morsels of batter fried poultry were slicked with a sweet, slightly spicy orangey glaze and set amid a broccoli forest. It was a pitch perfect rendition of the American Chinese classic.
Somehow it didn’t seem at all strange to be served American Chinese food by the Indian-born Tan in a restaurant in Little Nepal. Maybe that’s because he’s the one who designed the neon sign with the word “desi” in the center of the noodle bowl. The sign maker didn’t know what to make of his request. “Don’t worry they know what it means in Jackson Heights,” was Tan’s reply. And so they do. Truth be told I prefer the chili chicken to the General Tso's, but it is strangely comforting to know there's a place where I can get both.
Himalayan Hut, 75-18 37 th Avenue, Jackson Heights, 718-426-6888
More World's Fare
