I found the most distinctive — and delicious — Indo-Chinese dish to be Chinese idli at Dimple’s Bombay Talk, a casual restaurant in Iselin at the other end of Oak Tree Road, about three miles away, with a show kitchen and a mostly Indian clientele. Idli is a common South Indian breakfast dish made of discs of fermented rice batter, steamed and served with a piquant soup called sambar (it is also, as Mr. Honawar preferred, gluten free). This Chinese version was fashioned into cubes and prepared in a similar fashion to Manchurian chicken, only spicier, since hot green chilies were featured prominently.

After a digestive pause for buying Indian groceries at the incomparable and huge Patel Brothers Food Market in Iselin, we ordered garlic chicken, a vegetable stir-fry and vegetable noodles with a spicy bright red Sichuan sauce from the Indo Chinese menu at Moghul Express in Edison, which also has full north and south Indian menus and a display case crammed with dozens of varieties of multicolored, super-sugary Indian sweets. The spaghetti-like noodles were the standout, reminding me of the peppery roadside preparation I’d sometimes eat in Mumbai.

Much of this feast ended up in takeout containers because, before heading back to the city, I wanted to try an Indo-Chinese pizza, which I found at Papa Pancho, next door to Moghul Express. Papa Pancho had all sorts of Indian and Italian combinations, but I ordered a “Schezwan Paneer Chilly” pie, topped with bricks of Indian cottage cheese, red onions, bell peppers and Sichuan sauce. I was ready to dismiss this seemingly random concoction, but have to admit it was quite good — the crust was legit and the Indo-Chinese spices balanced nicely with the mozzarella and paneer cheeses. I ate two slices and tossed the remainder in the car with the rest of my leftovers, which, like much Chinese takeout, was arguably better a day later.