The Magic of Fusion: 5 Amazing Chinese Fusion Dishes From Around The World

More than 2,000 years ago, the Chinese people began to migrate to every corner of the globe. Wherever they went, they brought with them an inherently entrepreneurial spirit – and one of the world’s greatest cuisines. Presented with new ingredients, local tastes and a desire to flourish, they adapted and evolved their cooking. Over generations of mastery and craftsmanship, they created unique fusion dishes that have become at once part of the local cuisine, and also something distinctively Chinese. 

There are now some 60 million diaspora Chinese in the world, and for more than 100 years Lee Kum Kee has supported them and enabled their cuisines to thrive. Our mission is to promote Chinese culinary culture worldwide – and these five dishes encapsulate the delicious mix of cultural contrasts that embody Chinese fusion cuisine. 

Khao moo daeng, Thailand

Outside of China, Thailand has the largest overseas Chinese community in the world. A large majority of the group has ancestral ties to Chaoshan, a region in the east of China’s Guangdong province – which explains Thailand’s khao moo daeng, a Thai variant of the Cantonese char siu barbecued pork rice.  

The Thai name, which translates to “red pork rice”, refers to the dark red hue of the barbecued pork. It’s marinated and glazed with a mixture of seasonings such as honey, five-spice powder, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and hoisin sauce, producing a perfectly seasoned, sweet and savoury slab of barbecued meat that’s then served on a bed of white rice. However, the dish doesn’t stop there. Alongside the pork, khao moo daeng also comes with Chinese lap cheong cured sausages, soft-boiled duck eggs, cucumbers and shallots, before being covered in a sweet soybean gravy.


Make it: Lee Kum Kee’s Char Siu Sauce is perfect for perfecting barbecued pork at home. 

Laksa, Malaysia & Singapore

Moving south of Thailand, we find Peranakan cuisine. The Peranakan people are native-born people of mixed local and foreign ancestry in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. The largest ethnicity within the Peranakan people is Chinese: and laksa is one of their standout dishes.  

Although there are numerous variations of laksa, the two most popular are curry laksa, a coconut curry noodle soup typically served with shellfish and prawns; and the assam laksa, a tart and spicy noodle soup which blends together sweet, sour and spice, with its key flavours derived from tamarind and fish. 

Make it: Craving a taste of laksa at home? Lee Kum Kee’s Laksa Thick Souphas spice from the chilli pepper, umami from the shrimp paste, and beautiful coconut notes to round off the soup. 

Curry fish balls, Hong Kong

Curry, which feels intrinsically linked to India, actually appears in many other Asian cuisines as well. In the 18th century, British traders exported curry powder across the British Empire, introducing the mild, overall “curry” flavour that’s especially recognisable across Asian communities. In Hong Kong, city-dwellers in a rush snack on fish balls covered in bright yellow curry sauce, while cha chaan teng diners offer Hong Kong-style curry, served with rice and braised beef brisket, chicken thighs or pork. 

Make it: Capture the unique flavour of Hong Kong-style curry fish balls with Lee Kum Kee’s Local Street Style Fish Ball Sauce.

Portuguese chicken, Macau 

A short ferry ride from Hong Kong, the one-time Portuguese enclave of Macau offers a similar take on a Chinese-style curry: Portuguese chicken, a rice dish presented with chicken in a “Portuguese sauce”– a gentle yellow curry thickened with coconut milk and topped with fragrant coconut flakes. Despite the name, you won’t find this dish in Portugal. Instead, it’s a core part of Macanese cuisine, which is influenced by flavours and spices from across China, India, Europe and more. 

Make it: Lee Kum Kee bottles up the flavour of Cantonese curry with their Coconut Curry Sauce. Mildly spicy, distinctly yellow and creamy from coconut milk, this is the perfect base for both Hong Kong-style curry and Portuguese chicken.

Chilli paneer, India

The Chinese population of India is relatively small, but – as always in matters of food – the influence it has had on the cuisine has been outsized. Chinese-Indian – or ”Chindian” – food originated from the Hakka minority Chinese community which was primarily based around Kolkata, the seaport closest to China. 

Integrating Hakka cuisine to the Indian palate meant adding louder and spicier flavours to the original recipes. The fusion of Hakka and Indian cuisine led to the creation of dishes such as chilli paneer: Battered paneer cheese which is stir-fried with aromatics and topped with a sweet-and-sour sauce. 

Make it: Chili paneer sauce is made of ingredients including dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and sugar. Make it with Lee Kum Kee’s range of Chinese sauces, – or simplify the recipe with the help of their Chilli Garlic Sauce.