CRI听力:Indian Eatery in Shanghai

Rajesh Prabhakar opened his first restaurant in Shanghai in 2002 with an ambition to bring a real taste of India to China.

In his eyes, India is well-known for its spices, which flavor the country's food and heritage.

"Indian food is all about spices. As long as we have good spices, the outcome of the curries and the barbecues will be good, and we try to ship them from India. Most of our spices, ingredients, all of our cooking teams are very much Indian."

Prabhakar started his business in the hope that people in Shanghai looking for authentic Indian food, especially Indian expats, wouldn't need to travel all the way to India.

And his efforts have paid off.

Many Indians in the city have been attracted to his Masala Art Restaurant for genuine Indian cuisines and considerate service.

Siddharth S. Sinha is a regular diner of Prabhakar's.

"The food is very authentic, north Indian, which we always get outside in India. The portions are very good, so it is good value for the money. And the chefs are very flexible - if we have a particular taste, we can just go and tell them this is the kind of Indian food that we want, usually they bring out that thing."

In addition to soothing homesickness within Shanghai's growing Indian community, the restaurants have also attracted Chinese people hungry for a taste of Indian culture.

Customer Bryan Meng says the delicacies here help him learn more about Indian history and culture.

"From the food you can see the country's history. Why do we eat spicy food in India, or why do we eat spicy food in certain parts of China. So I think food is a very important part of the culture."

Over the past 13 years, Prabhakar has expanded to four restaurants in Shanghai's downtown area.

He has also found a notable rise in the popularity of Indian food, especially among local young people.

"Way back when we started our first restaurant in 2002, people were very curious about what Indian food is all about, because there were very few Indian restaurants. I think the youngsters of today want to experience different cuisines, there is so much of eating in our culture getting into people here."

With the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Nahendra Modi in the city, Prabhakar is optimistic about the future of his restaurants.

He also hopes his food can help create more interest in Indian culture among Chinese people.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.