Mostly Healthy – Always Delectable
Recipes Inspired by the Flavours of Asia and the Mediterranean
The recipes you will find here on delectabilia draw on components and techniques from some of the world’s most savoured cuisines. Such culinary fusion has a long heritage – since trading between regions began. Enjoy these Asian fusion and Mediterranean fusion recipes, and be inspired to explore further.
Sichuan Eggplant (Grilled Eggplant with a Málà Sauce)
A spicy Sichuan málà style sauce gets drizzled over smoky grilled eggplant. Serve this Sichuan eggplant with rice, or use it as a side or appetiser.
Spicy Kani Salad (asparagus, red pepper, and cucumber)
This spicy kani salad recipe combines fresh julienned vegetables with crab sticks and the unique tobiko crunch experience. It is an easy and fast salad that is a meal in itself.
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.
delectabilia – Latin – the neutral plural
nominative form of dēlectābĭlis
1 enjoyable, delectable, delightful
2 (taste) delicious
“No rules. Don’t be afraid to do whatever you want. Cooking doesn’t have to have rules. I don’t like it that way.”
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 – absorbing different cultural and culinary influences from distant lands. Such foods include Vietnam’s bánh mì, Italy’s pasta, and Thailand’s Massaman curry.
Pasta with a tomato sauce is ubiquitous in Italy, as bánh mì is in Vietnam. Both of these are considered national dishes but are the result of 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. This created the circumstances for the creation of the now-ubiquitous bánh mì.
Modern Fusion Cuisine
Yet modern fusion cuisine is controversial. To some, it was 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!
But why constrain the ingredients and techniques of the food we prepare to what are currently considered as belonging to a certain 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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