Fusion Thali - The World On My Plate
Having stayed and roamed around in the US for 3 years and travelled to Japan, Honkong, Macau, Singapore and also from my travels in India.. and being a foodie, I have been trying out every possible world cuisine and here are my interesting observations. Also being a World History enthusiast it's natural for me to mish mash everything and anything while I blog :-)
The Roti or the Bread is the most common food item that I have seen exist across most global cuisines.
Lets just say, Mali discovered how to make bread by growing wheat ..well yeah about 5000 years back..if not 5 Lakh years since her nanny lost her tail or was geneticized !!!
Mali is our great granny and she prayed perfectly with both hands joined and formed a proper bypass filter and caught the right waves.. spread out a few seeds and wheat grew and she ground it to make the first bread..lottsa assumptions aint'it ..well then lets just go with Maruts came down on earth and taught her ok..now lets proceed..
Alexander made his men stay back wherever he went and conquered the lands, lets just even consider he took along soldiers from each of these lands. So yes, the bread went along. Europe to Asia and with the Europeans to North America and from Africa to South America the Bread travelled except in the East Asian regions. However the east Asians just processed the flour further to make the noodles.
So Flour is Mali's invention or atleast she was the medium to gift mankind with Bread!!!
Mali never got fame cos if she wud make her claim she wud be written off too like we did for Tesla for gifting us with the greatest modern day inventions like ac current, electromagnetic waves for our radios and mobiles and the induction motor for fans and cars and many more inventions that solved many of our struggles.
We humans the majority of us take things..enjoy them but have the least amount of gratitude towards the doers of the world. Anyways let's go on to the many delightful souls - enriched by the Gods and Angels - well that's my theory of what you get in return for free social service 😄 cool concept na.. sumujhke wale ko ishara kaafi hai 😇
So let's see the variety that we have in our lives.
The Mexicans make Tortilla - a Chapati / Roti / Dosa / Naan like bread that is made by mixing flour with water and rolling it out flat and round and then toasting it.
Indians make Chapati or the Tawa or Skillet and Roti in the oven / tandoor.
Europeans make bread in the oven.
South Indians make Dosa with a Rice batter and so do some in Africa especially Ethiopeans make a pulses based Dosa and call it Injera.
Heard or read somewhere that Sikhs from India travelled to America to teach Agriculture - so is this the reason why Mexicans have food that is so similar to North Indian / Punjab food items like the Rajma pulses and The Mexicans Fajitas made up of Sauteed Onions and Capsicums.
Chipotle a Mexican outlet in the US has most of the ingredients that are very similar to Indian food ingredients - Salsa is the Tomato and spices chutney that Indians make with Coriander as a green chutney.
Cheese a very common thing in modern Mexican cuisine is similar to the cottage cheese or paneer in India.
The mexicans have done a lovely mish mash of various food styles with the quesedillas being a pocket paratha kind of..the Enchiliadas being tortilla with fillings and dipped in a molten cheese sauce, one of the favourites of Indians in the US is the Chipotle burritto bowl that is so much like a Indian staple rice and rajma thali ..the mexican way however is very refreshing as they mix small cut tomatoes and call it mayo, the salsa which is very much like the indian chutney, fresh salads and cheese and the guacamole which is a delightful innovation using avocado and various spices.
Another common similarity between Italian, Central Asia, Mediterranean and Indian food is the combination of cheese with bread be it Pizza, Zatttar naan, Kachapuri or a stuffed paratha.
Mediterranean food has similarities as in Chickpeas being used for Hummus and Falafel. Indians primarily use chickpeas in Chole as in the traditional Punjabi dish. But Indians do make Falafel like Pakoras or Vadas using various types of Daals and Pulses.
Baingan Bharta is made in India by roasting a Eggplant or a Brinjal and Baba Ghanouj or Moutabel in Mediterranean cuisine is a similar dish where the Baingan Bharta is made with olive oil and mild spices.
The mexican burrito, the indian kolkata roll, the greek shwarma or even a italian or european pocket pizza or a calzone are all similar bread with fresh salads and sauces and spices.
African food in general has gravy made out of Tomatoes and Onions and is similar to Indian gravies and curries, The Parsis in India make Dhansakh gravies that also has similar recipe and the Italians Pizza tomate sauce is also similar in nature.
The Ethiopeans have so many similar foods as Indians with the Injera being similar to a dosa, the gravies being similar to Parsi and Indian or even Italian tomato and onion based gravies, the mutton and chicken preparations are very similar to Indian and even Burmese cuisine.
Thai and Burmese cuisine are almost within the same region and hence are very similar with gravies and rice.
Thai cuisine has the coconut milk which is liked globally whereas the Burmese cuisine has caught up well in the US but not very well established in India. The Burmese cuisine has a interesting mish mash of Indian ingredients in a way that Indians generally don't do it.
Indians make Chapati or the Tawa or Skillet and Roti in the oven / tandoor.
Europeans make bread in the oven.
South Indians make Dosa with a Rice batter and so do some in Africa especially Ethiopeans make a pulses based Dosa and call it Injera.
Heard or read somewhere that Sikhs from India travelled to America to teach Agriculture - so is this the reason why Mexicans have food that is so similar to North Indian / Punjab food items like the Rajma pulses and The Mexicans Fajitas made up of Sauteed Onions and Capsicums.
Chipotle a Mexican outlet in the US has most of the ingredients that are very similar to Indian food ingredients - Salsa is the Tomato and spices chutney that Indians make with Coriander as a green chutney.
Cheese a very common thing in modern Mexican cuisine is similar to the cottage cheese or paneer in India.
The mexicans have done a lovely mish mash of various food styles with the quesedillas being a pocket paratha kind of..the Enchiliadas being tortilla with fillings and dipped in a molten cheese sauce, one of the favourites of Indians in the US is the Chipotle burritto bowl that is so much like a Indian staple rice and rajma thali ..the mexican way however is very refreshing as they mix small cut tomatoes and call it mayo, the salsa which is very much like the indian chutney, fresh salads and cheese and the guacamole which is a delightful innovation using avocado and various spices.
Another common similarity between Italian, Central Asia, Mediterranean and Indian food is the combination of cheese with bread be it Pizza, Zatttar naan, Kachapuri or a stuffed paratha.
Mediterranean food has similarities as in Chickpeas being used for Hummus and Falafel. Indians primarily use chickpeas in Chole as in the traditional Punjabi dish. But Indians do make Falafel like Pakoras or Vadas using various types of Daals and Pulses.
Baingan Bharta is made in India by roasting a Eggplant or a Brinjal and Baba Ghanouj or Moutabel in Mediterranean cuisine is a similar dish where the Baingan Bharta is made with olive oil and mild spices.
The mexican burrito, the indian kolkata roll, the greek shwarma or even a italian or european pocket pizza or a calzone are all similar bread with fresh salads and sauces and spices.
African food in general has gravy made out of Tomatoes and Onions and is similar to Indian gravies and curries, The Parsis in India make Dhansakh gravies that also has similar recipe and the Italians Pizza tomate sauce is also similar in nature.
The Ethiopeans have so many similar foods as Indians with the Injera being similar to a dosa, the gravies being similar to Parsi and Indian or even Italian tomato and onion based gravies, the mutton and chicken preparations are very similar to Indian and even Burmese cuisine.
Thai and Burmese cuisine are almost within the same region and hence are very similar with gravies and rice.
Thai cuisine has the coconut milk which is liked globally whereas the Burmese cuisine has caught up well in the US but not very well established in India. The Burmese cuisine has a interesting mish mash of Indian ingredients in a way that Indians generally don't do it.
Burmese cuisine has Samusa and Falafel soup which seems like a fusion. The tea leaf salad paste is a nice one and the use of sesame seeds, peanuts alongwith the tea leaf paste seem nice.
Paella a Spanish rice with veggies and seafood based dish is similar to the Indian or Mughlai Pulao or the arabic biryani that is a mix of rice and veggies or spices and meats.
The communities in South of the US having roots in Africa and make seafood recipes that are similar to several seafood recipes in India. Tandoor meat and Grilled meats are similar.
However the African American communities have terrific specialisations in making a variety of seafood like the crab cakes, the crab lollypops which seems like a impossible skill, other things like the shrimp white garlic buttery sauce, coconut shrimps with the thai sweet n spicy sauce, butterfly shrimps and many more..
The variety of Daals or Pulses stands out clearly as a huge differentiator in India though, with most of the world not having seen some varieties of Daals in walmart :-) let alone taste the goodness of masoor, kaali daal, green daals and chana daal varities like the Bihari Sattu Paratha or the Urad daal vadas.
In my stay in the US after certain time I became repellent to the same bread everyday and finally realized that Indian breakfast items like Upma made of semolina, Poha with puffed rice, Medu wada with udad daal batter, Idlis with rice and daal batter and dosas are all water based food options and are generally not fatty.
However seeing the kind of lifestyle diseases in many of the older generations in India, I have resorted to a good balance of fresh foods like salads and some of the mexican kindof fusions like salads with cooked food to have a healthier diet.
So food ingredients and recipes have travelled across continents and so once you have tried out most cuisines it does fall short of new things LOL!!!
What remains to be seen are the new age molecular ways of cooking and new and crazy concoctions and if they go well and the kind of discoveries that will rule the food scene ahead :-)
Here are some of my favourite foods alongwith the restaurant names or the recipes that I have come across:
A dream buffet would be to have each of these hand picked dishes delivered on a single buffet 😁
Cafe Noorani Worli Mumbai - Green Chilli Chicken Strips
Empire Bangalore - Brain Pepper Fry
Paella a Spanish rice with veggies and seafood based dish is similar to the Indian or Mughlai Pulao or the arabic biryani that is a mix of rice and veggies or spices and meats.
The communities in South of the US having roots in Africa and make seafood recipes that are similar to several seafood recipes in India. Tandoor meat and Grilled meats are similar.
However the African American communities have terrific specialisations in making a variety of seafood like the crab cakes, the crab lollypops which seems like a impossible skill, other things like the shrimp white garlic buttery sauce, coconut shrimps with the thai sweet n spicy sauce, butterfly shrimps and many more..
The variety of Daals or Pulses stands out clearly as a huge differentiator in India though, with most of the world not having seen some varieties of Daals in walmart :-) let alone taste the goodness of masoor, kaali daal, green daals and chana daal varities like the Bihari Sattu Paratha or the Urad daal vadas.
In my stay in the US after certain time I became repellent to the same bread everyday and finally realized that Indian breakfast items like Upma made of semolina, Poha with puffed rice, Medu wada with udad daal batter, Idlis with rice and daal batter and dosas are all water based food options and are generally not fatty.
However seeing the kind of lifestyle diseases in many of the older generations in India, I have resorted to a good balance of fresh foods like salads and some of the mexican kindof fusions like salads with cooked food to have a healthier diet.
So food ingredients and recipes have travelled across continents and so once you have tried out most cuisines it does fall short of new things LOL!!!
What remains to be seen are the new age molecular ways of cooking and new and crazy concoctions and if they go well and the kind of discoveries that will rule the food scene ahead :-)
Here are some of my favourite foods alongwith the restaurant names or the recipes that I have come across:
A dream buffet would be to have each of these hand picked dishes delivered on a single buffet 😁
Cafe Noorani Worli Mumbai - Green Chilli Chicken Strips
Empire Bangalore - Brain Pepper Fry
Taste Of Iran - Near Crawford Market Mumbai - Chicken Dum Biryani
Cafe Olympia Colaba Mumbai - Mutton Korma and Tawa Paratha
Leopold Cafe Colaba Mumbai - Mutton Kheema Pav
Maroosh Lower Parel Phoenix Mall Mumbai - Falafel Hummus Salad
Not Only Parathas - Cyber Hub Gurgaon - Non Veg Platter Pocket Paratha.
Mahabaleshwar Market - Strawberry Cream
Hirkani Garden Restaurant - Mahabaleshwar - Chicken Rassa
Sun Moon N Potatoes Andheri East near Seepz on Floral Deck Plaza Road - Baked Pasta, Apple Pie
Spice Klub Opposite Phoenix Mall Lower Parel - Mini Vada Pau, Injection Paani puri, Paan Mousse Nitrogen Dessert.
Sweet Bengal - Mumbai Powai - Baked Rasgulla, Padwal/Potoler Dorma in Kolkata
Ajanta new market Kolkata - Chicken drumsticks, reshmi fish gravy.
Irish House Lower Parel Phoenix Mall - Chicken Meatballs Taco with the Red Smoky Sauce, Chicken Nachos with white butter toppings
Goa Portugesa Matunga, Dadar west - Chatpata Fish preperation with tamarind and coconut milk.
Pizza express the Market project Kurla Phoenix mall - Chicken Liver Kheema Bruschetta 😋
Taco bell Chicken Mexican Chalupa
Ethiopian Injera with Catfish curry at Asmera Telegraph Street Emeryville San Francisco USA
The Samusa Falafel Soup at The Burma Superstar Emeryville
Vaibhav Airoli New Mumbai - The Lemon Corriander Soup and Lemon Chicken
Chinaland Lower Parel Mumbai - Chicken Lollypop and Fuvon Rice n Noodles
Nisarga Mulund Mumbai - Chicken Satay, Lemon fish basa gravy, neer dosa.
Sorriso Mulund - Neer dosa, Chicken drumstick, Fish lemon garlic, crispy masala rumali
Oven Story Mulund Mumbai - Chicken Maximus Pizza with Tandoori Cheese Sauce
Rubios Emeryville near San Francisco USA - Mahi Mahi, Salmon, Shrimp Tacos
Popeyes Overland Park Kansas USA - Catfish Fry and Shrimp Popcorn
Kolkata India - Padwal Murabba Sweet
Ubin First Stop Singapore East Coast beach - Craw Fish Egg Fry
Spaghetti House HongKong - Seafood Pasta
16 Anna bangalai Kolkata India - Chingri(Jumbo Prawns) Macher Malai Curry served in a Green Coconut
Kanha Sweets Amritsar Punjab India - Puris with Chatpata Alu Sabzi and Lotus stem achaar
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