INDIAN food has been ousted as the nation's favourite dish with British taste buds increasingly tempted by Chinese and Oriental foods.

Gone are the days when Robin Cook, leader of the Commons, could declare chicken tikka masala our national dish -- sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken have taken over.

According to a survey by the Restaurant Association, 1.7 billion Chinese meals were served in restaurants last year with Britons eating 109.7 million Oriental meals compared to 70.3 million Indian ones.

Ian McKerracher, chief executive of the Restaurant Association, says: "Asian restaurants have always dominated the market but as people travel further afield they experience different cuisines, know what authentic food tastes like and what to expect.

"Tastes are becoming more sophisticated and Thai, Japanese and Chinese food is becoming much more popular."

The influence of travel has more than tickled the appetite for more adventurous eating but the recipes have been adapted to suit British tastes.

Lemon chicken may be the most popular dish in the UK, but it wasn't developed in China as there weren't any lemons in China. And what is described as seaweed over here is actually dried shredded cabbage, as seaweed is a rarity even in China.

Ken Hom, celebrity chef, says: "It's authentic in spirit but it's inevitable of any cuisine that it will adapt depending on what ingredients are available and what is popular."

The number one dish in Britain would be unrecognisable in China. Sweet and sour dishes do exist there but not in the forms seen in the UK. Sweet and sour fish, which hails from eastern China, or sweet and sour pork, a Cantonese recipe, has been made much sweeter to suit the British palate and is far more popular than it ever has been in China.

"In Britain one of the most popular flavours is salt and vinegar. Sweet and sour is the same kind of flavour but sweeter so it is familiar but exotic."

In Thai food the popular Tom Yam Ghoong soup has a similar appeal with a combination of hot and sour flavours.

Japanese tempura also combines the familiar with the exotic with its range of vegetables or fish soaked in batter and fried until crispy. Sound familiar? The recipe might easily be an adaptation of the traditional British fish and chip dish.

More unusual dishes from the Orient are also adapted to make them more acceptable to British culture. After all, eating dinner by a fish tank might seem like a tranquil setting but if the waiter then offers them as a sushi selection many Brits would quickly lose their appetite.

Consequently the selection of fish on offer as sushi, raw fish and rice wrapped inside seaweed paper, or sashimi, slices of raw fish served with soy sauce and wasabe, are far more limited in the UK. Sea urchin, eel or octopus might be replaced by salmon or tuna partly because of the fresh fish ingredients available but also due to the delicate British palate.

The same squeamish reaction might apply to some of the more exclusive Chinese delicacies such as octopus or jellyfish.

Hom explains: "There is an enormous amount of hype over Oriental cooking but most people eat simple food and only eat jellyfish at a banquet. You have to remember that it was a culture where you had to eat everything you could make appetising because they didn't have a lot of choice."

Stir fried dishes and egg fried rice might epitomise this tasty but simple approach to cooking. A dish that takes minimal preparation time for flavoursome results is bound to go down a treat in a modern day culture of instant gratification.

"Chinese has a huge flavour range so there is something to satisfy everyone. You can have subtle flavours like steamed fish, or a vegetarian stir fry or opt for strong and spicy like Szechuan dishes with chillies and peppers."

The growing popularity of Chinese food has made way for East Asian dishes too, such as Thai cuisine, according to Hom.

"Palates have evolved in Britain and the popularity of Chinese cooking has launched into Thai food, Singaporean or Indonesian. It has sparked a growing interest in spicy sensations that you can't find in British cooking."

The Thai dish Phad Thai of stir fried rice noodles with a fried egg on top or mixed into the dish is a great alternative to pasta or potatoes and is full of flavours such as freshly squeezed lime and chilli.

McKerracher believes the British are particularly open-minded when it comes to food because the national food culture is not as strong as it is in other places like Italy or France.

He adds: "The tag that British food is bad just doesn't fit any more. We are incredibly spoilt in terms of the variety and quality of food on offer."

Hom agrees: "The UK has by far the most Oriental cuisines and the best quality in the whole of Europe."

Move over steak and kidney pie and make way for a new wave in British cuisine . . .