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.
NZ Mussels Marinated in Wasabi Ginger Tsuyu on Cha Soba Noodles
Marinating in tsuyu, fresh wasabi, and ginger further enhances the bold flavour of these succulent New Zealand green-lipped mussels. Add fresh herbs and sweet roasted peppers, and you will have a spectacular taste experience.
Mashed Peas with Mint and Fresh Wasabi
Sometimes the magic happens by just bringing several simple ingredients together in the right way. This mashed peas mint and fresh wasabi dip is an excellent example. So versatile, but especially good smeared on sourdough bread.
Salmon Tataki With Gochujang Sauce and Pickles
The brightness of the pickled vegetables with the herbaceous shiso and gentle heat from the gochujang sauce combine with the silken charred tataki salmon belly to create quite an unusual taste and texture adventure. The sort of adventure that really compels you to go in for more.
Green Lentil Curry with Black Rice
A vegetarian green lentil curry recipe so packed with flavor you will surely be ladling more of it over the satisfyingly chewy black rice.
Pan-fried Orange Roughy with Mustard Miso Butter Sauce
Simply pan-fried, this orange roughy fish has a delectable sweetness enhanced further by the mustard and miso butter sauce.
Beyond Meatball Vegetarian Biryani
The biryani essentials – fragrant rice and deep, complex spice – ensure this vegetarian biryani will satisfy any spicy biryani lover. Beyond meat meatballs replace the animal protein making this a healthy recreation of a classic South Asian dish.
Smoky Tea Marinated Eggs with Asparagus and Smoked Salmon
These smoky tea and soy-marinated eggs bring to mind smoky campfires and South-East Asian spices. Add the spring flavours of asparagus and the velvety decadence of smoked salmon, and you have a three-piece that punches well above its weight.
Panko Fish Tacos with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa and Avocado
A crisp layer of breadcrumbs encases delicate pieces of white fish in these Panko fish tacos. Layered underneath is a velvety avocado yoghurt sauce and, on top, a vibrant roasted red pepper salsa.
Smoky Lapsang Souchong Tea Cured Salmon
There is something sensual about the taste and texture of cured salmon. Smoky lapsang souchong tea adds a distinctive edge, a little like smoked salmon but so much more.
delectabilia – Latin – the neutral plural
nominative form of dēlectābĭlis
1 enjoyable, delectable, delightful
2 (taste) delicious
“When someone cooks for you, they are saying something. They are telling you about themselves: where they come from, who they are, what makes them happy.”
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, has 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.