Delectably Different
Culinary fusion has a long heritage – since trading between regions began. The flavours and techniques from Asia and the Mediterranean are the inspiration for the recipes you will find here on delectabilia. While respecting the original cuisines, we seek to explore and experiment with these flavours and techniques to create something delectably different.
Braised Duck Pie
Tasty duck legs, slowly braised with red wine and mushrooms, constitute the delicious filling for this duck pie recipe (aka duck pot pie).
Black rice waffles with whipped feta dip
Despite its simplicity, this whipped feta dip has a depth and complexity of flavour that cries out for something crisp and crunchy to be dipped in and lifted to your waiting lips. The black rice waffles are the perfect vehicle.
Radiatori Pasta with Tequila Glazed Salmon
Radiatori pasta, coated in a simple but elegant extra virgin olive oil-based sauce, is tossed together with flakes of succulent tequila glazed salmon.
Vegan Asparagus and Spinach Soup
The distinct flavours of asparagus two ways, lightly blanched and deeply roasted, combine with fresh and earthy baby spinach in this healthy vegan asparagus and spinach soup.
Sticky Rice with a Smoky Grilled Eggplant Dip
Use a handful of sticky rice to scoop up some of this spicy and smoky grilled eggplant dip. Not only is it delicious, but this dish, inspired by jeow mak keua from Laos, is also fun to eat.
Smoky Marinated White Beans on a Pea and Herb Mash
Freshly cooked white beans, marinated in a smoky and spicy infused olive oil, sit atop a fresh and sweet pea and herb mash. These are two very different components that lift each other to new heights.
Saigon Spicy Miso Ramen with street food toppings
Saigon Ramen is a spicy miso style ramen recipe with flavours and toppings inspired by some of Saigon’s most iconic street food.
Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Canned Mackerel in Aioli
Canned seafood is considered a delicacy on the Iberian Peninsula. While the spicy roasted cauliflower visually dominates this dish, the canned mackerel in aioli adds great depth and balance.
Massaman Curry with Confit Duck Leg and Charred Pineapple
A fusion of curry influences, including Indian, Malay, and Thai, the warm and flavourful duck Massaman Curry recipe is one of those dishes that keeps drawing you back. The tender and succulent confit/sous vide duck leg is a perfect pairing, as is the bittersweet charred pineapple.
delectabilia – Latin – the neutral plural
nominative form of dēlectābĭlis
1 enjoyable, delectable, delightful
2 (taste) delicious
“I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime “associates,” food, for me, has always been an adventure.”
Recipes by Style
The fusion recipes you will find here are inspired by the flavours of Asia and the Mediterranean. Or explore the vegetarian recipes, the noodles, soup, or seafood.
Recipes by Course
Looking for something to make for dinner? Maybe breakfast tomorrow? Find a recipe from the selections below.
Why Asian Fusion Recipes?
When cultures mix, fusion is inevitable.
Corrine Trang, author of Food Lovers Vietnamese: A Culinary Journey of Discovery
Many of the world’s favourite dishes result from a fusion of influences. Such foods include Vietnam’s bánh mì, Italy’s pasta, and Thailand’s Massaman curry. Each has absorbed different cultural and culinary influences from distant lands.
Pasta with a tomato sauce is ubiquitous in Italy, as bánh mì is in Vietnam. Both are considered national dishes but are the result of food cultures mixing, of culinary fusions. For example, Italy’s pasta evolved from Chinese noodles. The tomatoes for the tomato sauce didn’t arrive in Europe from the Americas until the 1500s. The French introduced the baguette, pâté, and mayonnaise to Vietnam in the 1800s. The introduction of these ingredients created the circumstances for the creation of the now-ubiquitous bánh mì.
Yet modern fusion cuisine is controversial. To some, it is just a fad. This Forbes article argues that we should not mess with our national cuisines’ but only work to refine them, even while acknowledging their culinary fusion heritage!
Modern Fusion Cuisine
I view authenticity as a totalitarian state. It’s not that I hate authenticity, it’s that I hate that people want this singular thing that is authentic.
David Chang – Ugly Delicious – S01E01
Why constrain the ingredients and techniques of the food we prepare to ingredients and techniques that are “authentic”, that “belong” to a particular region? The fantastic variety of flavours and styles of the food found in Asia and the Mediterranean, the glorious eclecticism, have inspired the Asian fusion and Mediterranean fusion recipes on delectabilia. And further, learning about the heritage of the food we create and enjoy is a big part of this international food adventure.
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