Food & Dining: Fun with Fusion
Celebrated Indian chefs have given us scintillating creations by infusing classic traditional Indian dishes with contemporary global influences. Such combinations of cross-cultural cuisines need not always involve cooking elaborate fancy meals. With just a little bit of creativity and unconventionality, mixing everyday ingredients and food items found in our fridges and pantries can also result in exciting snacks and meals.
Fusion continues to be a touchy topic amongst food enthusiasts. Understandably. There is a reason that traditional classics are, well, classics—they have stood the test of time. At some level, messing with favorites that families have enjoyed over generations, by mashing them with foreign influences, seems almost sacrilegious.
And yet, many of us will be surprised to know that popular traditional dishes, that we think of as uniquely Gujarati or Maharashtrian or Bengali or other regionalities, are actually hybrids that had evolved over centuries of osmosis between kingdoms that are now defined as states. If you are interested in taking a deep dive into such fusion influences that have shaped the regional cuisine of India, I highly recommend the Netflix docuseries, Raja, Rasoi Aur Anya Kahaniyaan.
[Right] Besan Halwa Mousse with Coconut Pancake. Can a pancake get any more exciting than one topped with besan halwa that has a touch of cardamom and is garnished with rose petals!? (Photo: Courtesy, Chef Nishant Choubey)
[Left] Basil pesto rice—for those times when you are hankering for some Italian flavor for a quick meal but all you have is leftover rice in your fridge. (Photo Food Couture by Chetna)
In our March 2022 cover story, “Mouthwatering Indian Fusion,” several celebrated Indian chefs shared their thoughts on fusion cuisine along with some recipes—such as Besan Halwa Mousse with Coconut Pancake by celebrated Master Chef Nishant Choubey who is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Can a pancake get any more exciting than one topped with besan halwa that has a touch of cardamom and is garnished with rose petals!?
As exciting as gourmet fusion cuisine can be, the fact is that most of us are not cooks, let alone celebrated chefs. Yet, we can bring this concept of fusion into our everyday lives for the times when all we have in the fridge is leftover Indian food while we may be hankering for something Italian or Mexican.
Love it or hate it, thanks to our bicultural lives, and kitchens that reflect this fact, sooner or later, we are bound to be tempted to comingle Indian food with American. So why not embrace it and experiment with it so that you can sort out your flops from your favorites?
With that in mind, here are a few fusion ideas for when you feel like experimenting. Some you may like, some you may barf at, and some, we hope, may become your new favorites.
[Right] Chocolate barfi (Photo: Swasthi’s Recipes)
• Grits with mango achar anyone? A good old Southerner may fume at this “assault” on a Southern classic, but I do know a family friend who used to carry a jar of mango pickle with him each time he went to the Waffle House in his neighborhood in the small town of Franklin, North Carolina. Surprisingly, many of his local friends, who initially frowned on his habit of flavoring the grits with the pickle, soon took a liking to it.
• Basil pesto rice—for those times when you are hankering for some Italian flavor for a quick meal but all you have is leftover rice in your fridge.
• Sukhi bhaji with tabasco sauce and shredded cheese: Give a twist to the good old sukhi bhaji—dry roasted potatoes in traditional Indian spices—by topping it with Tabasco sauce and shredded cheese of your favorite kind.
• Italian and Mexican theplas and khakhras. The ubiquitous Gujarati thepla can be quite yummy as a roll filled with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. To make it a Mexican thepla, fill it with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Have you ever tried a khakhra (the thin, crisp, baked version of a roti) spread with butter, and topped with Italian spices like oregano, basil, rosemary, and thyme?
• Murali Kamma, our managing editor, says, “Toasted bread or bagel with mango or ginger pickle is my comfort food!”
Desserts
• Kesar apple pie: Saffron can spruce up many desserts. Try a kesar apple pie by adding saffron and a pinch of cardamom in the filling of the pie.
[Right] Strawberry shrikhand (Photo: cookpad.com)
• Indianized vanilla ice cream: When you find nothing except vanilla ice cream in your freezer but are in the mood for something with more of a desi flavor profile, try topping it with saffron, chopped cashews-almonds-pistachios, and raisins.
• When chocolate goes desi: On the flip side, chocolate could provide an interesting change for many Indian desserts. Mithai stores in India have been selling chocolate barfis for decades. How about chocolate sheera, laddo, firni, and more?
• Fusion shrikhand: Give this adored Gujarati and Maharashtrian dessert a global twist. Start with plain shrikhand and whisk it with your choice of puree of strawberry, pineapple, chocolate, and more.
Sabudana waffles. Crispy on the outside and soft inside, these waffles are a great alternative to the traditional sabudana vada. (Photo: madhuseverydayindian.com)
[Right] Avocado kalakand (Photo: erivumpuliyumm.com)
More fusion ideas from the Internet
• Raspberry shikanji: For a refreshing twist, infuse some raspberry juice concentrate in a traditional shikanji (Indian lemonade) that has lots of healthy ingredients like jaggery, cumin powder, mint, basil, ginger, and lime juice. (Source: cookilicious.com)
• Mexican samosas: Fill with pico-de-gallo, and top with guacamole and sour cream. (This is an embellishment to the original recipe at TastedRecipes.com)
• Sabudana waffles: Crispy on the outside and soft inside, these waffles are a great alternative to the traditional sabudana vada (madhuseveydayindian.com/ sabudana-waffles/ yes)
• Tikka masala pasta: When Italian pasta goes to an Indian wedding! (madhuseveydayindian. com/tikka-masalapasta/)
• Curry burger with mango pickle: Who in their right mind ever thought White Zinfandel would have any business mixing up with mango achar? That's exactly what's happening in this burger patty that radically Indianizes a truly American staple! (burgerbase.com/recipes/ curry-burgerswith- mango-pickle/)
• Masala mac & cheese: Jalapeno, ginger- garlic, and warm Indian spices make the classic mac and cheese creamy, spicy, and delicious. (madhuseveydayindian.com/masala-macand- cheese/)
• Naan pizza with whipped ricotta and spicy broccoli: “The combination of creamy ricotta, blistered broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes is pure bliss!” (dishingouthealth.com/naan-pizza/)
• Ras malai tres leches cake: Top a piece of the cake with ras malai for the best of both worlds—Indian as well as Mexican sweetness! The spongy texture of milk-drenched rasgullas in the ras malai makes the luscious moistness of the tres leches even more indulgent. (Source: thefoodscape.com)
• The avocado kalakand recipe on erivumpuliyumm.com looks promising!
[Left] Naan pizza with whipped ricotta and spicy broccoli: “The combination of creamy ricotta, blistered broccoli, and sun-dried tomatoes is pure bliss!” (Photo: dishingouthealth.com)
Parthiv N. Parekh, editor-in-chief of Khabar magazine, is the guest columnist this month. Food & Dining is hosted by Sucheta Rawal, an award-winning food and travel writer who has traveled to over 100 countries across seven continents, experiencing the world through her palate. She has been named one of the most influential cultural bloggers in the world for her blog, Go Eat Give. Find her on social @SuchetaRawal.
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